-->

• The Atlantic Ocean is one of five oceans in the world, located between Europe and Africa to the east and North America and South America to the west. The Altantic is exceedingly vast, divided by the Equator into the North Atlantic and South Atlantic. As a whole, it is the second-largest ocean in the world, covering roughly 22% of the Earth's surface and smaller than only the Pacific Ocean. The Atlantic provides the world's busiest travel routes and offers the richest fishing grounds. Abundant petroleum stores have been discovered and subsequently mined in the Atlantic's continental shelves.

• Fast Facts

  1. Over 41 million square miles wide
  2. Covers 20% of Earth's surface
  3. About 6.5 the size of the United States
  4. Saltiest of the world's oceans
  5. Estimated to be about 130 million years old
  6. Lowest point is the Puerto Rico Trench at -8,605 meters

• The Mid-Atlantic Ridge

  Under the waters of the Altantic ocean lies a submerged mountain range called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The range extends from near Iceland to about 58 degrees South latitude, which is south of the Equator. Some of the range's peaks extend above the water line, forming small islands. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge separates the Atlantic ocean into two troughs, th depths of which can reach as low as 18,000 feet below sea level.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Pacific Ocean | Arctic Ocean | Greenland Sea | Indian Ocean | Southern Ocean | Scuba Diving | Surfing | Europe | Africa | Greenland | Mediterranean Sea | Caribbean Sea | Antigua and Barbuda | English Channel | Uruguay | Bay of Fundy | Hudson Bay | North Sea | Black Sea | Sierra Leone | Liberia | DR Congo | Senegal | Grenada | Guyana | Angola | Portugal | How to Become a Marine Biologist

Categories

• View History
• Discuss on the Message Board
• Embed this Page
• Share this page