Atlantic Ocean, body of salt water covering approximately one-fifth of Earth’s surface and separating

the continents of Europe and Africa to the east from those of North and South America to the west.

he ocean’s name, derived from Greek mythology, means the “Sea of Atlas.” It is second in size only to
the Pacific Ocean.

The Atlantic Ocean formed during the Jurassic Period.

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.
The first ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean with passengers on board was the Cunard Line, in the
1850s.
The first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean (or any ocean) was Amelia Earhart, in
1928.
The island Greenland is the largest island in the world and is located in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Atlantic Ocean is almost 6.5 times the size of the United States.
The 'Roaring Forties' refers to the huge waves and strong winds in the South Atlantic.
Northern Europe's ports are usually kept free of ice because of the warm Gulf Stream in the
Atlantic Ocean.
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.
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.
In the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of southern Africa, diamonds can be found in the sea bed.
The Bermuda Triangle, which is believed to be responsible for many mysterious disappearances
of airplanes and ships, is located in the Atlantic Ocean.
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 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.
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.
Natural resources in the Atlantic Ocean include oil, fish, sand and gravel, placer deposits, natural
gas, and precious stones.
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.