Atlantic Ocean: Extent and Seas

The Atlantic Ocean extends in an S shape from the arctic to the antarctic regions between North and South America on the west and Europe and Africa on the east. It is connected with the Arctic Ocean by the Greenland Sea and Smith Sound; with the Pacific Ocean by Drake Passage, the Straits of Magellan, and the Panama Canal; and with the Indian Ocean by the Suez Canal and the expanse between Africa and Antarctica. The shortest distance across the Atlantic Ocean (c.1,600 mi/2,575 km) is between SW Senegal, W Africa, and NE Brazil, E South America. The principal arms of the Atlantic Ocean are Hudson and Baffin bays, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea in the west; the Baltic, North, Mediterranean, and Black seas in the east; the Norwegian Sea in the north; and the Weddell Sea in the south. The Greenland Sea is sometimes considered part of the Atlantic. More large rivers, including the Mississippi, the Congo, and the Amazon, drain into the Atlantic than into any other ocean.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Commerce and Shipping
• Currents
• Ocean Floor
• Islands
• Extent and Seas
• Bibliography

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Oceans and Continents