Atlantic Ocean Geography 1997

Location body of water between Africa, Europe, Antarctica, and the Western Hemisphere

Geographic coordinates 0 00 N, 25 00 W

Map references World

Area
total: 82.217 million sq km
note: includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait, DenmarkStrait, Drake Passage, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, NorwegianSea, Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies

Area - comparative slightly less than nine times the size of the US; second-largest ofthe world's four oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than Indian Oceanor Arctic Ocean)

Coastline 111,866 km

Climate tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa nearCape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can occurfrom May to December, but are most frequent from August to November

Terrain surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark Strait,and Baltic Sea from October to June; clockwise warm water gyre (broad, circularsystem of currents) in the northern Atlantic, counterclockwise warm watergyre in the southern Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-AtlanticRidge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin

Elevation extremes
lowest point: Puerto Rico Trench -8,605 m
highest point : sea level 0 m

Natural resources oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand andgravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, precious stones

Natural hazards icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the northwesternAtlantic Ocean from February to August and have been spotted as far southas Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; icebergs from Antarctica occur in theextreme southern Atlantic Ocean; ships subject to superstructure icing inextreme northern Atlantic from October to May and extreme southern Atlanticfrom May to October; persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to September

Environment - current issues endangered marine species include the manatee, seals, sea lions, turtles,and whales; drift net fishing is hastening the decline of fish stocks and contributing to international disputes; municipal sludge pollution off easternUS, southern Brazil, and eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea,Gulf of Mexico, Lake Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrialwaste and municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea, North Sea, and MediterraneanSea

Environment - international agreements
party to : none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note major choke points include the Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar, accessto the Panama and Suez Canals; strategic straits include the Strait of Dover,Straits of Florida, Mona Passage, The Sound (Oresund), and Windward Passage;the Equator divides the Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and SouthAtlantic Ocean

NOTE: The information regarding Atlantic Ocean on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Atlantic Ocean Geography 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Atlantic Ocean Geography 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.