240 Amazing Facts About the Atlantic Ocean

Facts About Atlantic Ocean: The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest body of water on Earth. With an area of 10.64 crore square kilometres, this ocean occupies almost one-fifth of the Earth's surface. The ocean was named after the Greek mythological monster Atlas.

The Atlantic Ocean stretches vertically in the shape of the English letter S on the earth, extending from the continents of North and South America to the east, to the continents of Asia, Europe and Africa in the west, and to the Antarctic continent in the south. This sea is connected to the Arctic Ocean in the north, the Pacific Ocean in the southwest and the Indian Ocean in the southeast. These oceans on both sides of the equator are called North Atlantic and South Atlantic oceans.

240 Amazing Facts About the Atlantic Ocean

Amazing Facts About Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is one of the world’s five oceans.
The Atlantic Ocean formed during the Jurassic Period.
The Atlantic Ocean has the highest tides of any ocean.
The average depth of the Atlantic Ocean is 11,961 feet.
The total coastline of the Atlantic Ocean is 69,510 miles.
The largest sea of the Atlantic Ocean is the Sargasso Sea.
The Atlantic Ocean covers about 21% of our planet’s surface.
The Atlantic Ocean is the richest ocean in terms of fishing.
The average depth of the Atlantic 3,646 meters (11,962 feet).
The Atlantic Ocean has an area size of about 106.5 million km².
16- 20% of the Earth’s surface is covered by the Atlantic Ocean.
The five oceans combined cover up to 71% of the Earth’s surface.
The Atlantic Ocean contains 23.3% of all the world’s ocean water.
The total surface area of the Atlantic Ocean is 32.8 million mi2.
The total volume of the Atlantic Ocean is 74.4 million mi3 of water.
The scientist are using the sonar waves to map the Atlantic’s floor.
The Atlantic Ocean is almost 6.5 times the size of the United States.
In size, the Atlantic Ocean is roughly 6.5 times the size of the USA.
The Atlantic Ocean is located between the Americas, Europe and Africa.

Interesting Facts About Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean was the first ocean to be crossed by ship and airplane.
The world’s largest island, Greenland, is located in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Atlantic Ocean has the 2nd most coastline of all the five major oceans.
It was the first ocean ever crossed by a ship and airplane, before any other.
The greatest depth, 8,486 meters (27,841 feet), is in the Puerto Rico Trench.
The deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean is 24,470 feet in the Puerto Rico Trench.
Global warming is causing sea levels to rise, and the oceans are getting warmer.
In comparison, the Atlantic Ocean’s size is almost 6.5 larger than United States.
For centuries, the Atlantic Ocean has been a key route for both trade and travel.
The equator subdivides it into the North Atlantic ocean and South Atlantic Ocean.
The Atlantic Ocean is connected to the Pacific Ocean at the man-made Panama Canal.
Atlantic ocean facts 7. The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of all five oceans.
The Atlantic Ocean was the first to ever be crossed by ship and flown over by plane.
The 'Roaring Forties' refers to the huge waves and strong winds in the South Atlantic.
Out of 5 oceans, Atlantic is the youngest. It was formed around 180 million years ago.
The Atlantic Ocean was the first of the world’s ocean to be cross by ship and aircraft.
The name “Atlantic” came from the Greek word “Atlantikos,” which means, “Sea of Atlas.”
It was during 1850s that the Cunard Line began carrying passengers across the Atlantic.
The Atlantic Ocean is the second shallowest ocean in the world.

Awesome Atlantic Ocean Facts for Kids

The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean in the world, following only the Pacific.
The Atlantic Ocean has a volume of 310,410,900 cubic kilometers (74,471,500 cubic miles).
Amelia Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928.
The South Atlantic Ocean was called the Ethiopian Ocean up to the turn of the 19th century.
The Atlantic Ocean borders four continents, Africa, Europe, North America and South America.
The name ‘’Atlantic’’ comes from a Greek word ‘’ Atlantikos’’, meaning the large water area.
The island Greenland is the largest island in the world and is located in the Atlantic Ocean.
In the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of southern Africa, diamonds can be found in the sea bed.
The two best known waterways in the Atlantic Ocean are the Straits Of Gibraltar and Bosporus.
The oldest known mention of “Atlantic” is by Herodotus in his The Histories of around 450 BC.
Icebergs are a common hazard in the Atlantic Ocean’s shipping lanes between February and July.
Recently, the scientists have begun mapping the Atlantic’s floor with the help of sonar waves.
The Atlantic Ocean is separated into two parts, North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean.
The Atlantic happens to be the world’s first major ocean to be crossed by both ship and airplane.
The first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean (or any ocean) was Amelia Earhart, in 1928.
The Atlantic Ocean dates back to the Jurassic Period, which was 199.6 to 145.5 million years ago.

Historical Facts About Atlantic Ocean

Cunard Line was the first ship with the passengers that crossed the Atlantic Ocean back in 1850s.
The Atlantic Ocean connects to the Arctic Ocean to the north and the Southern Ocean to the south.
The Atlantic Ocean lies between the continents of Europe, Africa, South America and North America.
The Atlantic Ocean is divided into two parts, the North Atlantic Ocean and the South Atlantic Ocean.
American aviator Charles Lindbergh was the first person to fly non-stop across the Atlantic in 1927.
Florida has the largest amount of coastal land bordering the Atlantic Ocean than any other US state.
In 1850s, Cunard Line became the first company to make transatlantic voyages with passengers aboard.
Amelia Earhart was the first woman ever flying above the Atlantic and any other ocean, back in 1928.
The explorers have stated that the Atlantic Ocean’s coast of Southern Africa could contain diamonds.
The five oceans are all connected together, and they are divided up by the world’s seven continents.
The largest island in the Atlantic Ocean is Greenland, which is also the largest island in the world.
The strong winds and huge waves in the South Atlantic have a specific name – the ‘’Roaring Forties’’.
The first ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean with passengers on board was the Cunard Line, in the 1850s.
The Cunard Line was the first ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean with passengers on board in the 1850’s.
Titanic sank in Atlantic Ocean in 1912, after being hit by an iceberg on her maiden voyage to America.

Geographical Facts About Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is referred to as the body of water that separates the Old World from the New World.
Today, a ship typically takes 6-8 days to complete a transatlantic journey. A sailboat takes 3-4 weeks.
The greatest width in the Atlantic Ocean is between Brazil and Sierra Leone, at 1770 miles or 2,848 km.
Florida’s Lake Okeechobee is the second-largest freshwater lake in all the US, covering 700 square miles.
It covers approximately 20 percent of the Earth‘s surface and about 29 percent of its water surface area.
Northern Europe's ports are usually kept free of ice because of the warm Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Atlantic Ocean covers an area of approximately 106,460,000 square kilometers (41,100,000 square miles).
The Atlantic Ocean is located between Africa, Europe, the Arctic Ocean, the Americas and the Southern Ocean.
According to ISAF, Florida’s New Smyrna Beach is officially known as the ‘shark attack capital of the world.’
Tides in the oceans are caused by the Moon and the Sun’s gravitational force on water, while the Earth spins.
On average, the surface water temperature of the Atlantic Ocean ranges from -2°C or 28°F to over 30°C or 86°F.
The Cancun Reef in the Atlantic Ocean along the coast of Mexico is the second largest barrier reef in the world.
The Atlantic Ocean contains some of the most heavily traveled routes between the Eastern and Western hemispheres.
Around half of the world’s land area provides waters to the Atlantic Ocean. There are many rivers flowing into it.
Eight years later, in 1927, Charles Lindbergh became the first man to complete a solo non-stop transatlantic flight.
Florida is home to many waters besides just the ocean, including over 11,000 miles of rivers and other bodies of water.
Thanks to warm Atlantic Ocean’s Gulf Stream, the ports of Northern Europe mostly don’t have problems with freezing ice.

Mind-Blowing Facts About Atlantic Ocean

The first ocean to be crossed by an airplane was the Atlantic Ocean. It was also the first ocean to be crossed by a ship.
Hailed as the world’s richest waters for fishing, the Atlantic Ocean is home to more than half the world’s fishing grounds.
Formed back in the Jurassic Period, around 180 million years ago, Atlantic is the youngest of the world’s five great oceans.
During the winter, the storms of this ocean are reaching a surprisingly great size that frequently makes damage to the land.
The Atlantic Ocean covers roughly 21% of the Earth’s surface and covers approximately 29% of the world’s water surface area.
In 1927 Charles Lindbergh made the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight in an airplane (between New York City and Paris).
Today, 99 percent of all international data get transmitted by wires laid at the bottom of our oceans, including the Atlantic.
Natural resources in the Atlantic Ocean include oil, fish, sand and gravel, placer deposits, natural gas, and precious stones.
The Cancun Reef off the coast of Mexico, is the second largest barrier reef in the world. It is located in the Atlantic Ocean.
Atlantic Ocean has natural wealth as well, such as oil, sand and gravel, fish, natural gas, placer deposits and previous stones.
The first successful telegraph cable was laid under Atlantic Ocean in 1866, by the Great Eastern, the then world’s largest ship.
Economic activity in the Atlantic ocean includes fishing, dredging for argonite sands and the production of oil and natural gas.
Atlantic ocean facts 18. The Atlantic Ocean is the breeding ground for tropical storms and strong hurricanes that affect North America.
The Atlantic Ocean provides us with plenty of natural resources, including fish, placer deposits, natural gas, oil and precious stones.
The coelacanth, a fish believed to be extinct for over sixty million years, was caught alive in the waters of the Atlantic back in 1938.
Greenland at 2,166,086 square kilometers (836,330 square miles) is the largest island in the world and is located in the Atlantic Ocean.

Unknown Facts About Atlantic Ocean

A fish that was supposedly extinct for over 60 million years, the coelacanth, was caught alive back in 1938 in the waters of Atlantic Ocean.
The Atlantic Ocean is the second biggest ocean in the world. It is around half of the size of the Pacific Ocean, which is the largest ocean.
The average depth of the Atlantic Ocean is about 11,000 feet. It’s greatest depth is the Milwaukee Deep in Puerto Rico, at about 28,000 feet.
In 1896, compatriots George Harbo and Frank Samuelsen from Norway became the first ever individuals to row their way across the Atlantic Ocean.
The mysterious myth of strange events and disappearance of different ships and airplanes, The Bermuda Triangle, is located in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Bermuda Triangle is located in the Atlantic Ocean. It is believed to be responsible for many mysterious disappearances of airplanes and ships.
The Bermuda Triangle, which is believed to be responsible for many mysterious disappearances of airplanes and ships, is located in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Atlantic is the saltiest of world’s all five major oceans. The high salinity is primarily due to the Antarctic Ice Sheet and global mountain ranges.
The Atlantic Ocean is one of five oceans on our planet. The other four are the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and the Southern Ocean.
In total there are 52 different nations that have shorelines along this ocean. This includes nations in Africa, Europe, North America and South America.
Italian explorer and navigator Christopher Columbus is famous for his voyage across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain to the Caribbean between 1492 and 1493.
The Atlantic Ocean covers 20% of the world’s total surface. While it’s the second largest ocean out of the other 5 world oceans, it is the second youngest.

Unique Facts About Atlantic Ocean

The longest campaign in military history was the Battle of the Atlantic. The Allied and Axis navies fought furiously fought each other in the Atlantic Ocean.
Islands in the Atlantic are mostly of volcanic origin. The Atlantic has relatively few islands, with the greatest concentration found in the Caribbean region.
The Atlantic is also home to some of the biggest islands on earth, including the biggest, Greenland. Other large islands include Ireland, Great Britain and Cuba.
In 1912 the Titanic sank in the Atlantic Ocean after having been called an unsinkable ship. It struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic to America.
The world’s longest mountain range is actually under the Atlantic Ocean. It is called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and it stretches over 35,000 miles along the ocean bed.
Salt in the oceans is mainly caused by rain washing mineral irons from the land into water. Salt used in cooking contains over 90% of all the irons found in seawater.
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is the longest mountain range on the planet, measuring four times the length of other major mountain ranges including the Andes and the Himalayas.
The famous Titanic sank in 1912 in the Atlantic Ocean. It was believed to be an unsinkable ship, which turned to be false after it hit the iceberg on its way to America.
Icebergs are common from February to August in the Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the northwestern Atlantic and have been spotted as far south as Bermuda and Madeira.
According to modern etymology, the term initially referred to North Africa’s Atlas Mountains and its adjoining seas and was only later extended to the whole of the ocean.
Italian explorer Christopher Columbus first sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492, in a Spanish-backed attempt to find a new trading route to Asia. The rest is history !!!
The Atlantic Ocean is incredibly deep. The deepest portion of water is the Milwaukee Deep, located off the coast of Puerto Rico. Waters here reach down an average of 10,955-feet.
A rare mountain range called Atlantic ridge is located underwater in the North Atlantic Ocean. It’s double Andes Mountain’s range size, counting around 10,000 miles from Iceland.

Unbelievable Facts About Atlantic Ocean

Water is vital to all forms of life, and it is most likely that life on Earth began in the oceans. Oceans also make life on land possible, so without them, humans could not exist.
There is an entire mountain range buried beneath the Atlantic Ocean known as The Mid-Atlantic Ridge. You can actually see these underwater mountain formations on satellite imagery.
In the South Atlantic the wide expanse of ocean between the tips of South Africa and South America generates huge waves and continuous strong winds, known as the “Roaring Forties“.
The largest number of nesting sea turtles is found in the Atlantic Ocean and the overwhelming majority of them actually live in the coastal waters bordering the US state of Florida.
Benoit Lecomte is credited to be the first person to swim across the Atlantic without a kickboard. It was a non-contiguous stage swim that Lecomte completed in 73 days back in 1998.
The coelacanth is a type of fish previously believed to have been extinct for 60 million years. A live one was caught in the Atlantic Ocean in 1938 off the coast of southern Africa.
The Atlantic Ocean is home to the second largest barrier reef in the world, the Cancun Reef off the coast of Mexico. The largest is the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia.
Earth also has smaller bodies of water that are partly enclosed by land, called the seas. The three largest seas are the Caribbean Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the South China Sea.
Including those in Europe, Africa and the Americas, 52 different nations in total have shorelines along the Atlantic. The ocean’s coastline measures an approximate 111,900 kilometers.
The Cancun Reef, the second largest barrier reef in the world (next only to the Great Barrier Reef, off the Australian coast) is located in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Mexico.
The largest river in the state is St. John’s River, which measures 273 miles long. Interestingly, St. John’s River is one of the only rivers in the world to flow north instead of south.

Cool Facts About Atlantic Ocean

Greenland, the largest island in the world is located in the Atlantic Ocean. Other well known islands in the Atlantic is the Bahamas, the Canary islands, the Azores and the Cape Verde islands.
However, more than a century before that, Englishman John Cabot had already completed three successful voyages from Bristol to North America (landing in Canadian Maritimes and/or Newfoundland).
While sharks can injure and even kill people they are far less aggressive than people tend to assume. Sadly, we kill as many as 20-100 million sharks every year through fishing activities alone.
The Atlantic receives about half of the world’s drainage. With continents on both sides sloping toward it, a great proportion of the world’s major rivers flow into the ocean and its tributaries.
The Atlantic Ocean is home to many different types of marine life, including whales, penguins, seals, sharks, turtles, sea lions, starfish, crabs, dolphins, sharks and various other fish species.
There is an underwater mountain range in the North Atlantic Ocean called the Atlantic Ridge. It is twice as wide as the Andes Mountain range and runs approximately 10,000 miles south from Iceland.
The first steamship to cross the Atlantic, in 1819, was SS Savannah. This was an American sidewheel steamer/sailing ship hybrid. Although a historic voyage, it failed to become a commercial success.
The vast expanse of the South Atlantic between tips of South America and South Africa generates continuous strong winds and huge waves (known as the ‘Roaring Forties’) pretty much all round the year.
Atlantic Ocean causes the highest tides in the world, which occur in the Bay of Fundy, Canada. At some times of the year the difference between high and low tide in this Bay is 16.3 meters (53.5 feet).
The Atlantic Ocean ranks second as the most dangerous ocean in the world, due to coastal winds, the temperature of the water surface and the water currents. The Indian Ocean ranks as the most dangerous.
In 1912, the RMS (Royal Mail Ship) Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean, killing 1,503 people, including passengers and crew, after colliding with an iceberg. It was traveling from Southampton to New York.
Atlas was the titan who had to stand on the edge of the Earth and carry the heavens on his shoulder as a punishment from Zeus. Atlas had previously fought against the Olympian gods for the control of the heavens.

Random Facts About Atlantic Ocean

Another interesting fact regarding the ancient notions about the ocean: some illustrious Greeks including Eratosthenes and Aristotle believed the Atlantic to stretch from Spain through Africa to all the way to India!
Data from the last half-century shows more shark attacks have occurred in Florida between the hours of 2 and 3pm than any other time of day. Out of a total of 139 shark attacks, 27 have occurred during this time frame.
On the other hand, the ocean is at its greatest depth (8,486 meters) in the Puerto Rico Trench, at an area called the Milwaukee Depth. And that is about a bare 400 meters shy of Mount Everest‘s highest elevation point.
Passenger jets, on the other hand, will cross ‘the pond’ in 7-8 hours. However, a supersonic turbo-powered passenger jet such as the famous Concorde is able to complete a New York-London flight in a little over 3 hours.
You can see sea turtles in action during nesting season, which falls between May 15 and October 31. These incredible creatures come out of the ocean after dark to lay their eggs in the dry sand before returning out to sea.
The world’s second largest barrier reef is located in the Atlantic Ocean, more precisely – the Cancun Reef, located off the Mexico’s coast. The first and largest is the Great Barrier Reef, located off the Australian coast.
The Gulf Stream is a very powerful, warm ocean current, which has a large impact on the climate of the east coast of the United States and western Europe. It brings warm water from the Gulf of Mexico into the Atlantic Ocean.
A triangular area in Atlantic Ocean, called the Bermuda Triangle, is held responsible for mysterious shipwrecks, disappearances and air crashes. (the apexes of the triangle are Bermuda, Miami, Florida and San Juan, Puerto Rico).
A variety of species in the Atlantic Ocean are considered endangered including whales, manatee, seals, sea lions, dolphins, albatrosses, auks, petrels, turtles, due to pollution and overfishing, as well as accidental net fishing.
Creatures living in the Atlantic Ocean include the manatee, humpback whale, sea lion, starfish, catfish, Atlantic ghost crab, penguins, the green sea turtle, the grey Atlantic seal, various shark species, and various fish species.

Wierd Facts About Atlantic Ocean

The Florida Reef is a remarkable site that measures 160-miles long, making it one of the world’s largest coral reefs. Thanks to the massive coral reefs and local tropical climate, Florida is home to a vast variety of sea creatures.
There are many other reefs, natural and artificial, off the coast of Florida. The Spiegel Grove, a former landing ship for the U.S. Navy, was sunk back in 2002 to create an artificial reef. It has since become a hot spot for divers.
There are many creatures living in the Atlantic Ocean, including the humpback whale, manatee, starfish, sea lion, penguins, catfish, Atlantic ghost crab, the grey Atlantic seal, the green sea turtle, and numerous shark and fish species.
The highest tides in the world are caused by the Atlantic Ocean, at the famous location of Bay of Fundy, Canada. At its extreme, the difference between high and low tide at certain times of the year is as much as 53.5 feet (16.3 meters).
However, it was a British airplane (Vickers Vimy) that won the accolades for making the first non-stop transatlantic flight when it flew non-stop from Newfoundland to Ireland later that same year. The plane was piloted by Brown and Alcock.
Atlantic ocean facts 23. The Bermuda Triangle is a part of the North Atlantic where many claim ships and planes have mysteriously disappeared. Many modern day surveys and investigations have found anything notable about the Bermuda Triangle.
In 1919, the American NC-4 became the first airplane to cross the Atlantic (but in multiple stages). Later that year, a British Vickers Vimy piloted by Alcock and Brown made the first non-stop transatlantic flight from Newfoundland to Ireland.
The Atlantic Ocean provides us with more than just seafood, as ingredients from the sea can be found in many foods. Also, many ingredients are used in medical products that help us fight cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease.
The infamous Bermuda Triangle on the Atlantic Ocean (with its apexes at San Juan, Puerto Rico, Miami, Florida, and Bermuda) has gained notoriety due to the disappearance of over 1,000 ships and airplanes, all of it taking place in or near the Triangle.
There are various species labelled as endangered, located in the Atlantic Ocean, such as manatee, whales, sea lions, seals, albatrosses, dolphins, auks, turtles, and petrels. Their gradual disappearance is the result of overfishing, accidental net fishing, and pollution.
Due to the movement of tectonic plates in the Earth’s crust, the jigsaw puzzle of Earth’s continents hasn’t stopped shifting. For example, the Pacific Ocean is shrinking year by year, while the Atlantic Ocean is widening, pushing the Americas away from Africa and Europe.
However, compared to other major oceans in the world, the Atlantic actually has fewer islands (most of which are volcanic in origin and are found in their greatest concentration around the Caribbean Sea region). The Pacific Ocean, in contrast, contains over 25,000 islands.

Information About Atlantic Ocean

The average depth of the Atlantic Ocean is 3,300 meters and this is across a total area of 106,460,000 square kilometers covered by the ocean! To put that into perspective, Mount Elbrus, the premier peak in Europe, stands at an elevation of 5,642 meters at its highest point.
Nikola Primorac di Costa and John Charles Buckley were the first persons to cross the Atlantic on a lifeboat. They performed the feat aboard their small lifeboat ‘City of Ragusa’ and crossed the ocean beginning their journey from Queenstown, County Cork and ending up at Boston.
Off the Florida Keys alone, there are over 1,000 shipwrecks lying under water (some of then have found their way to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary of late). Mention must also be made of the Christ of the Abyss, the famous submerged bronze statue of the Mediterranean.
If we look at the map, we will find that the continental coastlines or edges of North and South America and those of Europe and Africa ALMOST make for a perfect fit (if we could put them together, as in a jigsaw puzzle). This strongly supports the theory of the Continental Drift.
Surface water temperatures, which vary with latitude, current systems, and season and reflect the latitudinal distribution of solar energy, range from below −2°C (28°F) to over 30°C (86°F). Maximum temperatures occur north of the equator, and minimum values are found in the polar regions.
Talking of mountains, the Atlantic Ocean hides underwater a mountain range, dubbed Mid-Atlantic Ridge, that runs for almost 10,000 miles (double the mountain range size of Andes) from Greenland to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, breaking the surface of the waters in a few spots only.
Benoît Lecomte (born 1967) is a French-born long distance swimmer (now a naturalized citizen of the U.S.A.) who has received wide credit for being the first man to swim across the Atlantic Ocean without a kick board in 1998, though this has not been recognised by the Guinness World Records.
The attempt to lay telegraph cable under the ocean began right back in the 1850s and Cyrus West Field was the first ship to complete the task. Unfortunately though, the cables failed soon after. Then, in 1866, the task was successfully completed by the then world’s largest ship, the Great Eastern.
On May 1919, three American NC-4s (Navy flying boats) took off from New York City with the plan to cross the Atlantic. However, only one of them succeeded in completing the mission, thus making the NC-4 (Navy-Curtiss 4) the first airplane in history to cross the Atlantic, albeit in multiple stages.
Environmental issues, such as oil spills, toxic chemicals, coastal pollution, overfishing and climate change are having a serious effect on marine life in our oceans. Sea creatures such as the whale, seal, turtle, sea otter, sea lion and the polar bear of the Arctic, are all in danger of extinction.
The word ’Atlantic’ originates from the Greek mythology meaning ‘Sea of Atlas’. Atlas was the titan who had to stand on the edge of the Earth and carry the heavens (celestial spheres) on his shoulders as punishment from Zeus as Atlas had fought against the Olympian gods for the control of the heavens.

Fun Facts About Atlantic Ocean

In Florida, the month of September sees the greatest number of shark attacks compared to all other months. Before you panic and avoid the ocean at all costs (especially during September between 2 and 3 pm) you should know that room fresheners injured 2,600 Americans in 1996, while sharks only injured 13.
The name ‘Atlantic’ is very old and dates back to Greek mythology, in which the word translates to ‘Sea of Atlas.’ Atlas was the titan responsible for standing on the very edge of the earth and hoisting up the heavens on his shoulders, a punishment derived from Zeus after the two fought for control of the heavens.
There is an underwater mountain range in the Atlantic Ocean called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). It runs from northeast of Greenland to southwest of the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. This underwater mountain chain runs for almost 16,000 kilometers (10,000 miles), only breaking the surface of the ocean in a few spots.
The Atlantic Ocean is a vast reservoir of natural wealth, including oil and natural gas, aragonite sands and gravel, precious stones, polymetallic nodules, placer deposits and fish. However, economic activity around these resources is increasingly proving to be hugely detrimental to the rich marine environment of the ocean.
Did you know that our oceans actually contain more historic artifacts than those found in all of the world’s museums combined? And a majority of these artifacts are actually found in the Atlantic as the ocean has over centuries contained some of the most essential trade and travel routes between the Western and Eastern hemispheres.
One section in the northwestern Atlantic is dubbed ‘Iceberg Alley’ for the great number of icebergs that dot that section of the ocean, posing considerable risks to ships that journey through the ‘alley.’ Having broken off from Arctic glaciers, these icebergs make their way down to the North Atlantic Ocean over a long period of time.
Yet, for all its apparent mysteries, turns out that the number of disappearances aren’t that high really. At least, according to insurance companies. Since they don’t charge higher rates to ships or planes slated to pass through the Triangle. In fact, the North Sea is considered to be the most dangerous area across all of the Atlantic Ocean.
Of course, it all started with Christopher Columbus’ ambitious expedition to India that went awry big time. In the process, however, the Italian explorer became the first man in history to make a transatlantic voyage from Europe all the way to the New Land aka America. Eventually, the navigator will end up completing four voyages across the ocean.
The first female aviator to perform a non-stop transatlantic flight was Amelia Earhart. Following closely on Lindbergh’s heels, Earhart completed the flight in 1928 from Newfoundland to South Wales accompanied by fellow pilot Wilmer Stultz. Four years later, she would improve on this feat by becoming the first female pilot to fly solo across the ocean.
In modern times, some idioms refer to the ocean in a humorously diminutive way as “the Pond“, describing both the geographical and cultural divide between North America and Europe, in particular between the English-speaking nations of both continents. Many Irish or British people refer to the United States and Canada as “across the pond”, and vice versa.
In September 1620, a batch of English Puritans set sail to America on a 66-day voyage. This was a landmark journey across the Atlantic as it set into motion the famous 20-year period now known as the ‘Great Migration’ during which more than 20,000 English fled their fatherland to escape religious persecution and ended up settling down at the modern day New England.
The ocean’s coast along southern Africa contains diamonds and other precious stones. In 2017, the marine diamond mining company, Debmarine Namibia, produced 1.378 million carats of diamond. The company, a joint venture between diamond giant De Beers and the Namibian Government, runs six crawler ships along the coast of Namibia and which comb the ocean round the day, sucking sediments off the ocean floor.
In fact, we still know way too little about the underwater environment (marine life, natural wealth deposits, and so on) of the Atlantic as well as of other oceans. According to oceanographers, mankind as of yet has explored less than 5 percent of the world’s oceans. For example, the MAR or the Mid-Atlantic Ridge mountain chain we mentioned earlier is actually less explored than the surface of Mars or Venus.
The Atlantic has irregular coasts indented by numerous bays, gulfs, and seas. These include the 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. Including these marginal seas the coastline of the Atlantic measures 111,866 kilometers (69,510 miles).
The word “Atlantic”, or rather “Atlantikos” in Greek, literally means the ‘sea of Atlas’. In Greek mythology, Atlas was the head of the titans who waged war against the Olympian gods and having subsequently lost, was punished by Zeus. The Greek poet Stesichorus is believed to be the first person to use the word ‘Atlantikos’ around 600 BC. In written form, the word arguably makes its first appearance in Herodotus’ The Histories, written round 450 BC.
Over time, the ocean has gone by several other monikers as well, such as ‘Great Western Ocean’, ‘Ocean Sea’ and more. However, in modern times at least, the jocularly diminutive way of describing it as ‘the pond’ seems to have caught the fancy of the English-speaking world at both sides of the ocean (or the pond!). And according to sources, regardless of the actual vastness of the ocean, the term…the pond, i.e.,… has been popular ever since 19th century!
Way before that, i.e., hundreds of millions of years ago, there was only one giant landmass on the face of the earth—now known by the name Pangaea. Then, in the Jurassic period, Pangaea began to break up due to plate tectonics and continental drift and landmasses in the Eastern and Western hemisphere began to drift apart, thus opening up the space for the Atlantic Ocean basin. This duly filled up over time, thus becoming the ocean we know today as the Atlantic.
The ocean is subdivided by the equator into The North and The South Atlantic and both cover roughly the same surface area. The North Atlantic is, however, richer than its southern counterpart in terms of the variety of its coastline, and its numerous bays, gulfs and tributary seas. The latter include, among others, Mediterranean, Black, North, Baltic and Norwegian seas on the east and Baffin and Hudson bays, gulfs of St. Lawrence and Mexico and Caribbean Sea on the west.
The Atlantic Ocean is home to an incredible variety of marine life, including species that are already labeled as endangered. The latter include, among other, sea lions, humpback whales, manatees, seals, green sea turtles, dolphins, petrels, auks and albatrosses. Many of these species are reported to be gradually disappearing as a result of industrial pollution, accidental net fishing, overfishing, and aggressive sea mining (as in the mining for diamonds mentioned above).
We all know the story of the ocean liner RMS Titanic that sunk on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic as a result of a sideways collision with a huge iceberg. But what about the story of the said iceberg? It appears that it began its southwards journey from the Arctic Seas OVER THREE THOUSAND YEARS AGO, which roughly makes it a contemporary of King Tutankhamen! It was, however, not to live long post the demise of the ship. It had already veered off way too south than is normal and safe for icebergs to do and, as a result, melted away about two years after the sinking of Titanic.

Friends, hope you liked this post on Amazing Facts About the Atlantic Ocean. If you liked this post, then you must share it with your friends and Subscribe to us to get updates from our blog. Friends, If you liked our site FactsCrush.Com, then you should Bookmark it as well.