Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean
    n 1: the 2nd largest ocean; separates North and South America on
         the west from Europe and Africa on the east [syn:
         {Atlantic}, {Atlantic Ocean}]
    

Atlantic Ocean

Introduction

   Background:  The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's
                five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than
                the Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean).
                The Kiel Canal (Germany), Oresund (Denmark-Sweden),
                Bosporus (Turkey), Strait of Gibraltar (Morocco-Spain),
                and the Saint Lawrence Seaway (Canada-US) are important
                strategic access waterways. The decision by the
                International Hydrographic Organization in the spring
                of 2000 to delimit a fifth world ocean, the Southern
                Ocean, removed the portion of the Atlantic Ocean south
                of 60 degrees south latitude.

Geography

     Location:  body of water between Africa, Europe, the Southern
                Ocean, and the Western Hemisphere

    Geographic  0 00 N, 25 00 W
  coordinates:

           Map  Political Map of the World
   references:

         Area:  total: 76.762 million sq km
                note: includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea,
                Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, part of the Drake
                Passage, Gulf of Mexico, Labrador Sea, Mediterranean
                Sea, North Sea, Norwegian Sea, almost all of the Scotia
                Sea, and other tributary water bodies

        Area -  slightly less than 6.5 times the size of the US
  comparative:

    Coastline:  111,866 km

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

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

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

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

       Natural  icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and
      hazards:  the northwestern Atlantic Ocean from February to August
                and have been spotted as far south as Bermuda and the
                Madeira Islands; ships subject to superstructure icing
                in extreme northern Atlantic from October to May;
                persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to
                September; hurricanes (May to December)

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

   Geography -  major chokepoints include the Dardanelles, Strait of
         note:  Gibraltar, access to 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 South Atlantic
                Ocean



Economy

     Economy -  The Atlantic Ocean provides some of the world's most
     overview:  heavily trafficked sea routes, between and within the
                Eastern and Western Hemispheres. Other economic
                activity includes the exploitation of natural
                resources, e.g., fishing, dredging of aragonite sands
                (The Bahamas), and production of crude oil and natural
                gas (Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and North Sea).


Transportation

     Ports and  Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp
    terminals:  (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina),
                Casablanca (Morocco), Colon (Panama), Copenhagen
                (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal), Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg
                (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary
                Islands, Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal),
                London (UK), Marseille (France), Montevideo (Uruguay),
                Montreal (Canada), Naples (Italy), New Orleans (US),
                New York (US), Oran (Algeria), Oslo (Norway), Peiraiefs
                or Piraeus (Greece), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam
                (Netherlands), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Stockholm
                (Sweden)

Transportation  Kiel Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway are two important
       - note:  waterways; significant domestic commercial and
                recreational use of Intracoastal Waterway on central
                and south Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of Mexico coast of
                US


Transnational
Issues

    Disputes -  some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
international: