The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean on Earth after the Pacific Ocean, located between Greenland and Iceland in the north, Europe and Africa in the east, North and South America in the west, and Antarctica in the south.
The area is 91.6 million km², of which about a quarter is in the inland seas. The area of coastal seas is small and does not exceed 1% of the total area of the water area. The volume of water is 329.7 million km³, which is equal to 25% of the volume of the World Ocean. The average depth is 3736 m, the greatest is 8742 m (the trench of Puerto Rico). The average annual salinity of ocean waters is about 35 ‰. The Atlantic Ocean has a highly indented coastline with a pronounced division into regional waters: seas and bays.
The name comes from the name of the titan Atlas (Atlanta) in Greek mythology.
Characteristics:
- Area - 91.66 million km²
- Volume - 329.66 million km³
- Maximum depth - 8742 m
- Average depth - 3736 m
Etymology
The name of the ocean was first encountered in the 5th century BC. NS. in the works of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who wrote that "the sea with the pillars of Hercules is called Atlantis (ancient Greek Ἀτλαντίς - Atlantis)." The name comes from the myth of Atlanta, a titan, well-known in ancient Greece, holding on his shoulders the vault of heaven at the extreme western point of the Mediterranean. The Roman scientist Pliny the Elder in the 1st century uses the modern name Oceanus Atlanticus (Latin Oceanus Atlanticus) - "Atlantic Ocean". IN different time some parts of the ocean were called the Western Ocean, the North Sea, the Outer Sea. Since the middle of the 17th century, the Atlantic Ocean has become the only name referring to the entire water area.
Physical and geographical characteristics
General information
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest. Its area is 91.66 million km², the volume of water is 329.66 million km³. It stretches from subarctic latitudes to Antarctica itself. The border with the Indian Ocean runs along the meridian of Cape Agulhas (20 ° E) to the coast of Antarctica (Queen Maud Land). The border with the Pacific Ocean is drawn from Cape Horn along the meridian 68 ° 04 'W. or along the shortest distance from South America to the Antarctic Peninsula through the Drake Passage, from Oste Island to Cape Sternek. Border with the North Arctic Ocean passes along the eastern entrance of the Hudson Strait, then through the Davis Strait and along the coast of Greenland to Cape Brewster, through the Danish Strait to Cape Reidinupyur on the island of Iceland, along its coast to Cape Gerpier, then to the Faroe Islands, then to the Shetland Islands and 61 ° north latitude to the coast of the Scandinavian Peninsula. Sometimes the southern part of the ocean, with a northern boundary from 35 ° S. NS. (based on the circulation of water and atmosphere) up to 60 ° S. NS. (by the nature of the bottom topography), refer to the Southern Ocean, which is not officially distinguished.
Seas and bays
The area of the seas, bays and straits of the Atlantic Ocean is 14.69 million km² (16% of the total ocean area), the volume is 29.47 million km³ (8.9%). Seas and major bays (clockwise): Irish Sea, Bristol Gulf, North Sea, Baltic Sea (Gulf of Bothnia, Gulf of Finland, Gulf of Riga), Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea (Alboran Sea, Balearic Sea, Ligurian Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, Adriatic Sea, Ionian Sea, Aegean Sea), Sea of Marmara, Black Sea, Sea of Azov, Gulf of Guinea, Riiser-Larsen Sea, Lazarev Sea, Weddell Sea, Scotia Sea (the latter four are sometimes referred to as the Southern Ocean), Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico , Sargasso Sea, Gulf of Maine, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Labrador Sea. 
Islands
The largest islands and archipelagos of the Atlantic Ocean: British Isles (Great Britain, Ireland, Hebrides, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands), Greater Antilles (Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Juventud), Newfoundland, Iceland, Tierra del Fuego archipelago (Tierra del Fuego Land, Oste, Navarino), Marajo, Sicily, Sardinia, Lesser Antilles (Trinidad, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Curacao, Barbados, Grenada, Saint Vincent, Tobago), Falkland Islands (Malvinas) (East Falkland (West Falkland), West Falkland) (Gran Malvina)), Bahamas (Andros, Grand Inagua, Grand Bahama), Cape Breton, Cyprus, Corsica, Crete, Anticosti, Canary Islands (Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria), Zealand, Prince Edward, Balearic Islands (Mallorca), South Georgia, Long Island, Moonsund Archipelago (Saaremaa, Hiiumaa), Cape Verde Islands, Euboea, South Sporades (Rhodes), Gotland, Funen, Cyclades Islands, Azores, Ionian Islands, South Shetland Islands, B ioko, Bijagos Islands, Lesvos, Aland Islands, Faroe Islands, Oland, Lolland, South Orkney Islands, Sao Tome, Madeira Islands, Malta, Principe, Saint Helena, Ascension, Bermuda. 
History of the formation of the ocean
The Atlantic Ocean was formed in the Mesozoic as a result of the split of the ancient supercontinent Pangea into southern mainland Gondwana and northern Laurasia. As a result of the multidirectional movement of these continents at the very end of the Triassic, it led to the formation of the first oceanic lithosphere of the present North Atlantic. The resulting rift zone was the western continuation of the rift crack in the Tethys Ocean. The Atlantic Basin at an early stage of its development was formed as a junction of two large ocean basins of the Tethys Ocean in the east and the Pacific Ocean in the west. Further expansion of the Atlantic Ocean basin will take place at the expense of a reduction in the size of the Pacific Ocean. In the early Jurassic time, Gondwana began to split into Africa and South America and the oceanic lithosphere of the modern South Atlantic was formed. In the Cretaceous, Laurasia split, and the separation of North America from Europe began. At the same time, Greenland, shifting to the north, broke away from Scandinavia and Canada. Over the past 40 million years and up to the present, the opening of the Atlantic Ocean basin continues along a single rift axis located approximately in the middle of the ocean. Today, the movement of tectonic plates continues. In the South Atlantic, the divergence of the African and South American plates continues at a speed of 2.9-4 cm per year. In the Central Atlantic, the African, South American and North American plates are diverging at a speed of 2.6-2.9 cm per year. In the North Atlantic, the spread of the Eurasian and North American plates continues at a speed of 1.7-2.3 cm per year. The North American and South American plates move to the west, the African to the northeast, and the Eurasian to the southeast, forming a compression belt in the Mediterranean Sea region. 
Geological structure and bottom topography
Submarine outskirts of continents
Significant areas of the shelf are confined to the northern hemisphere and adjoin the shores of North America and Europe. In Quaternary times, most of the shelf was subjected to continental glaciation, which formed relict glacial landforms. Another element of the relict topography of the shelf is the flooded river valleys found in almost all shelf regions of the Atlantic Ocean. Relict continental deposits are widespread. Off the coast of Africa and South America, the shelf occupies smaller areas, but in the southern part of South America it expands significantly (Patagonian shelf). Tidal currents formed sandy ridges, which received most widespread from modern subaqueous landforms. They are very characteristic of the North Sea shelf, and are found in large numbers in the English Channel, as well as on the shelves of North and South America. In equatorial-tropical waters (especially in the Caribbean Sea, on the Bahamas banks, off the coast of South America) coral reefs are diverse and widely represented. 
Continental slopes in most areas of the Atlantic Ocean are expressed by steep slopes, sometimes with a stepped profile and deeply dissected by submarine canyons. In some areas, the continental slopes are complemented by the marginal plateaus: Blake, Sao Paulo, Falklands on the American submarine margins; Bribe and Goban on the underwater outskirts of Europe. The blocky structure is the Farrero-Icelandic Rapid, stretching from Iceland to the North Sea. In the same region, the Rokkol Upland is also located, which is also a submerged part of the underwater part of the European subcontinent.
The continental foot, for most of its length, is an accumulation plain lying at a depth of 3-4 km and folded by a thick (several kilometers) layer of bottom sediments. Three rivers of the Atlantic Ocean are among the ten largest in the world - Mississippi (solid runoff 500 million tons per year), Amazon (499 million tons) and Orange (153 million tons). The total volume of sedimentary material carried annually into the basin of the Atlantic Ocean by only 22 of its main rivers is more than 1.8 billion tons. In some areas of the continental foot there are large cones of turbidity flows, among them the most significant are the fan cones of the underwater canyons of the Hudson, Amazon, and Rhone (in the Mediterranean), Niger, Congo. Along the North American continental margin, due to the bottom runoff of cold Arctic waters along the continental foot in a southerly direction, giant accumulation forms of relief are formed (for example, the “sedimentary ridges” of Newfoundland, Blake-Bahamas, and others).
Transition zone
Transitional zones in the Atlantic Ocean are represented by areas: the Caribbean, Mediterranean and the Scotia Sea or South Sandwich.
The Caribbean region includes: the Caribbean Sea, the deep-water part of the Gulf of Mexico, island arcs and deep-sea trenches. The following island arcs can be distinguished in it: Cuban, Cayman-Ciera-Maestra, Jamaica-South Haiti, outer and inner arcs of the Lesser Antilles. In addition, the seamount of Nicaragua, the Beata and Aves ranges are distinguished here. The Cuban arc has a complex structure and is of the Laramian age of folding. Its continuation is the northern cordelier of the island of Haiti. The folded structure of the Cayman-Sierra Maestra, which has a Miocene age, begins with the Mayan mountains on the Yucatan Peninsula, then continues in the form of the Cayman Ridge and the Sierra Maestra South Cuba ridge. The Lesser Antilles arc includes a number of volcanic formations (including three volcanoes, for example, Montagne Pele). The composition of the eruption products: andesites, basalts, dacites. The outer ridge of the arc is limestone. From the south, the Caribbean Sea is bordered by two parallel young ridges: the arc of the Leeward Islands and the Caribbean Andes mountain range, passing to the east into the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Island arcs and underwater ridges divide the bottom of the Caribbean Sea into several basins, which are flattened by a thick stratum of carbonate bottom sediments. The deepest of them is Venezuelan (5420 m). There are also two deep-water trenches here - Cayman and Puerto Rico (with the deepest Atlantic Ocean - 8742 m).
Areas of the Scotia Ridge and the South Sandwich Islands are borderlands - areas of the underwater continental margin, fragmented by tectonic movements crust... The island arc of the South Sandwich Islands is complicated by a number of volcanoes. From the east, it is adjoined by the South Sandwich deep-water trench with a maximum depth of 8228 m. The mountainous and hilly relief of the Scotia Sea bottom is associated with the axial zone of one of the branches of the mid-oceanic ridge.
The Mediterranean Sea has a widespread continental crust. The suboceanic crust is developed only in spots in the deepest basins: the Balearic, Tyrrhenian, Central and Cretan. The shelf is substantially developed only within the Adriatic Sea and the Sicilian rapids. The mountain folded structure connecting the Ionian Islands, Crete and the islands to the east of the latter is an island arc, which is bounded from the south by the Hellenic trench, in turn from the south, framed by the uplift of the East Mediterranean Wall. The bottom of the Mediterranean Sea in the geological section is composed of salt-bearing strata of the Messinian stage (Upper Miocene). The Mediterranean Sea is a seismic zone. Several active volcanoes (Vesuvius, Etna, Santorini) have survived here.
Mid-atlantic ridge
The meridional Mid-Atlantic Ridge divides the Atlantic Ocean into eastern and western parts. It begins off the coast of Iceland under the name of the Reykjanes ridge. Its axial structure is formed by a basalt ridge, rift valleys are poorly expressed in the relief, but active volcanoes are known on the flanks. At latitude 52-53 ° N the mid-ocean ridge is crossed by the Gibbs and Reykjanes transverse fault zones. Behind them begins the Mid-Atlantic Ridge with a well-defined rift zone and rift valleys with numerous transverse faults and deep grabens. At a latitude of 40 ° N the mid-ocean ridge forms the Azores volcanic plateau, with numerous surface (forming islands) and underwater active volcanoes... To the south of the Azores plateau, in the rift zone, under calcareous silts 300 m thick, there are basalts, and beneath them is a blocky mixture of ultrabasic and basic rocks. The area is currently experiencing violent volcanic and hydrothermal activity. In the equatorial part, the North Atlantic Ridge is divided by a large number of transverse faults into a number of segments experiencing significant (up to 300 km) lateral displacements relative to each other. Near the equator, the Romanche depression is connected with deep-water faults with depths of up to 7856 m.
The South Atlantic Ridge has a meridional strike. Rift valleys are well defined here, the number of transverse faults is less, therefore this ridge looks more monolithic in comparison with the North Atlantic ridge. In the southern and middle parts of the ridge, there are volcanic plateaus of the Ascension, the islands of Tristan da Cunha, Gough, Bouvet. The plateau is confined to active and recently active volcanoes. From Bouvet Island, the South Atlantic Ridge turns eastward, bends around Africa, and in the Indian Ocean joins the West Indian Mid Ridge.
Ocean bed
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge divides the Atlantic Ocean bed into two nearly equal parts. In the western part, mountain structures: the Newfoundland ridge, the Baracuda ridge, the Ceara and Rio Grande uplifts divide the ocean floor into basins: Labrador, Newfoundland, North American, Guiana, Brazilian, Argentinean. To the east of the mid-ocean ridge, the bed is divided by the underwater basement of the Canary Islands, the uplift of the Cape Verde Islands, the Guinean Uplift and the Whale Ridge into the basins: Western European, Iberian, North African, Cape Verde, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Angola, Cape. In the depressions, flat abyssal plains are widespread, composed mainly of calcareous biogenic and terrigenous material. Over most of the ocean floor area, the thickness of precipitation is more than 1 km. A layer of volcanic rocks and compacted sedimentary rocks was found under the sedimentary rocks.
Abyssal hills are widespread along the periphery of mid-ocean ridges in areas of hollows remote from the underwater margins of the continents. About 600 mountains are located within the ocean floor. A large group of seamounts is confined to the Bermuda Plateau (in the North American Basin). There are several large underwater valleys, the most significant of which are the Hazen and Morey valleys in the northern Atlantic seabed, stretching on either side of the Mid-Ocean Ridge.
Bottom sediments
Sediments of the shallow part of the Atlantic Ocean are represented mostly by terrigenous and biogenic deposits, and occupy 20% of the ocean floor area. Calcareous foraminiferal oozes (65% of the ocean floor) are the most widespread of the deep-sea deposits. In the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas, in the southern zone of the South Atlantic Ridge, pteropod deposits are widespread. Deep-sea red clay occupies about 20% of the ocean floor and is confined to the deepest parts of the oceanic basins. Radilarium oozes are found in the Angola Basin. In the southern part of the Atlantic, there are siliceous diatom deposits with an authigenic silica content of 62-72%. In the zone of the Western Winds, a continuous field of diatom oozes extends, with the exception of Drake Passage. In some depressions of the ocean floor, terrigenous silts and pelites are significantly developed. Terrigenous deposits at abyssal depths are characteristic of the North Atlantic, Hawaiian, Argentine basins.
Climate
The variety of climatic conditions on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean is determined by its large meridional extent and the circulation of air masses under the influence of four main atmospheric centers: the Greenland and Antarctic highs, the Icelandic and Antarctic lows. In addition, two anticyclones constantly operate in the subtropics: the Azores and South Atlantic. They are separated by an equatorial low-pressure region. This distribution of baric regions determines the system of prevailing winds in the Atlantic. The greatest influence on the temperature regime of the Atlantic Ocean is exerted not only by its large meridional length, but also by water exchange with the Arctic Ocean, the Antarctic seas and the Mediterranean Sea. For surface waters their gradual cooling is characteristic as they move away from the equator to high latitudes, although the presence of powerful currents causes significant deviations from the zonal temperature regimes. 
All climatic zones of the planet are represented in the vastness of the Atlantic. Tropical latitudes are characterized by slight seasonal temperature fluctuations (average - 20 ° C) and heavy rainfall. To the north and south of the tropics, there are subtropical zones with more noticeable seasonal (from 10 ° C in winter to 20 ° C in summer) and daily temperature fluctuations; precipitation falls here mainly in summer. A frequent occurrence in the subtropical zone is tropical hurricanes. In these monstrous atmospheric vortices, the wind speed reaches several hundred kilometers per hour. The most powerful tropical hurricanes are in the Caribbean, such as the Gulf of Mexico and the West Indies. West Indian tropical hurricanes form in the western part of the ocean in the region of 10-15 ° N. and move to the Azores and Ireland. Further to the north and south are the subtropical zones, where in the coldest month the temperature drops to 10 ° C, and in winter cold air masses from the polar regions of low pressure bring abundant rainfall. In temperate latitudes, the average temperature of the warmest month is 10-15 ° C, and the coldest -10 ° C. Significant daily temperature drops are also noted here. The temperate zone is characterized by fairly even precipitation throughout the year (about 1,000 mm), reaching a maximum in the autumn-winter period, and frequent fierce storms, for which the southern temperate latitudes are called the “roaring forties”. The 10 ° C isotherm defines the boundaries of the North and South circumpolar belts. In the Northern Hemisphere, this border runs in a wide strip between 50 ° N. (Labrador) and 70 ° N (coast of Northern Norway). In the Southern Hemisphere, the circumpolar zone begins closer to the equator - approximately 45-50 ° S. The most low temperature(-34 ° C) was recorded in the Weddell Sea. 
Hydrological regime
Surface water circulation
Powerful carriers of thermal energy are circular surface currents located on both sides of the equator: such are, for example, the North Tradewind and South Tradewind currents crossing the ocean from east to west. The North Passat Current near the Lesser Antilles is divided into a northern branch continuing to the northwest along the shores of the Greater Antilles (Antilles Current) and a southern branch extending through the straits of the Lesser Antilles into the Caribbean Sea, and then through the Yucatan Strait flows into the Gulf of Mexico, and leaves it through the Florida Strait, forming the Florida Current. The latter has a speed of 10 km / h and gives rise to the famous Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream, following along the American coast, at 40 ° N latitude. as a result of the influence of westerly winds and the Coriolis force, it acquires an east and then northeast direction and is called the North Atlantic Current. The main flow of waters of the North Atlantic Current passes between Iceland and the Scandinavian Peninsula and flows into the Arctic Ocean, softening the climate in the European sector of the Arctic. Two powerful streams of cold freshened waters flow out of the Arctic Ocean - the East Greenland Current, which runs along the eastern coast of Greenland, and the Labrador Current enveloping Labrador, Newfoundland and penetrating south to Cape Hatteras, pushing the Gulf Stream off the coast of North America. 
The Southern Passat Current partially enters the northern hemisphere, and at Cape San Roque it is divided into two parts: one of them goes south, forming the Brazilian Current, the other turns to the north, forming the Guiana Current, which goes into the Caribbean Sea. The Brazilian Current in the La Plata region meets the cold Falkland Current (a branch of the Western Winds Current). Near the southern end of Africa, the cold Benguela Current branches off from the Western Winds Current and, moving along the coast of South-West Africa, gradually deviates to the west. In the southern part of the Gulf of Guinea, this current closes the anticyclonic circulation of the South trade wind current.
There are several layers of deep-sea currents in the Atlantic Ocean. A powerful countercurrent passes under the Gulf Stream, the main rod of which lies at a depth of 3500 m, at a speed of 20 cm / s. The countercurrent is in a narrow stream in the lower part of the continental slope, the formation of this current is associated with the bottom runoff of cold waters from the Norwegian and Greenland seas. The Lomonosov subsurface current was discovered in the equatorial zone of the ocean. It starts from the Antilo-Guiana countercurrent and reaches the Gulf of Guinea. A powerful deep Louisiana Current is observed in the eastern part of the Atlantic Ocean, formed by the bottom runoff of saltier and warmer Mediterranean waters through the Strait of Gibraltar.
The Atlantic Ocean has the highest tidal values, which are noted in the fiord bays of Canada (in Ungava Bay - 12.4 m, in Frobisher Bay - 16.6 m) and Great Britain (up to 14.4 m in Bristol Bay). The largest tide in the world is recorded in the Bay of Fundy, on the east coast of Canada, where the maximum tide reaches 15.6-18 m.
Temperature, salinity, ice formation
Fluctuations in the temperatures of Atlantic waters during the year are not great: in the equatorial-tropical zone - no more than 1-3 °, in the subtropics and temperate latitudes - within 5-8 °, in circumpolar latitudes - about 4 ° in the north and no more than 1 ° on South. The warmest waters are in equatorial and tropical latitudes. For example, in the Gulf of Guinea, the surface temperature does not drop below 26 ° C. In the northern hemisphere to the north of the tropics, the temperature of the surface layer decreases (by 60 ° N it is 10 ° C in summer). In the southern hemisphere, temperatures increase much faster and by 60 ° S latitude. fluctuate around 0 ° C. In general, the ocean in the southern hemisphere is colder than in the northern. In the northern hemisphere, the western part of the ocean is colder than the eastern, in the southern - the opposite.
The highest salinity of surface waters in the open ocean is observed in the subtropical zone (up to 37.25 ‰), and the maximum in the Mediterranean Sea is 39 ‰. In the equatorial zone, where the maximum amount of precipitation is noted, salinity decreases to 34 ‰. A sharp desalination of water occurs in the estuarine areas (for example, at the mouth of the La Plata 18-19 ‰). 
Ice formation in the Atlantic Ocean occurs in the Greenland and Baffin Seas and Antarctic waters. The main source of icebergs in the South Atlantic is the Filchner Ice Shelf in the Weddell Sea. On the Greenland coast, icebergs are produced by outlet glaciers, such as the Jakobshavn Glacier near Disko Island. Floating ice in the northern hemisphere reaches 40 ° N in July. In the southern hemisphere floating ice present throughout the year up to 55 ° S, reaching maximum distribution in September-October. The total removal from the Arctic Ocean is estimated at an average of 900,000 km³ / year, from the surface of Antarctica - 1630 km³ / year.
Water masses
Under the influence of wind and convective processes, vertical mixing of water occurs in the Atlantic Ocean, covering a surface layer with a thickness of 100 m in the southern hemisphere and up to 300 m in the tropics and equatorial latitudes. Below the surface water layer, outside the subantarctic zone, in the Atlantic there is the Antarctic intermediate water, which is almost universally identified with the intermediate minimum salinity and is characterized by a higher content of nutrients in relation to the overlying waters, and extends northward to the region of 20 ° N. at depths of 0.7-1.2 km.
A feature of the hydrological structure of the eastern part of the North Atlantic is the presence of an intermediate Mediterranean water mass, which gradually sinks to a depth of 1000 to 1250 m, passing into the deep water mass. In the southern hemisphere, this water mass drops to elevations of 2500-2750 m and wedges south of 45 ° S latitude. The main feature of these waters is high salinity and temperature in relation to the surrounding waters. In the bottom layer of the Strait of Gibraltar, salinity is noted up to 38 ‰, the temperature is up to 14 ° C, but already in the Gulf of Cadiz, where Mediterranean waters reach the depths of their existence in the Atlantic Ocean, their salinity and temperature, as a result of mixing with background waters, drop to 36 ‰ and 12-13 ° C, respectively. At the periphery of the distribution area, its salinity and temperature are, respectively, 35 ‰ and about 5 ° C. Under the Mediterranean water mass in the northern hemisphere, North Atlantic deep water is formed, which sinks as a result of winter cooling of relatively salty waters in the North European Basin and the Labrador Sea to a depth of 2500-3000 m in the northern hemisphere and up to 3500-4000 m in the southern hemisphere, reaching to about 50 ° S lat. The North Atlantic deep water differs from the higher and lower Antarctic waters in its increased salinity, temperature and oxygen content, as well as a reduced content of nutrients.
Antarctic bottom water mass is formed on the Antarctic slope as a result of the mixing of cold and heavy Antarctic shelf water with lighter, warmer and saltier Circumpolar deep waters. These waters, spreading from the Weddell Sea, crossing all orographic obstacles up to 40 ° N, have a temperature of less than minus 0.8 ° C in the north of this sea, 0.6 ° C at the equator and 1.8 ° C near Bermuda. The Arctic bottom water mass has lower salinity values in comparison with the overlying waters and in the South Atlantic is characterized by an increased content of biogenic elements.
Flora and fauna
The bottom flora of the northern part of the Atlantic is represented by brown (mainly fucoids, and in the sublittoral zone - by kelp and alaria) and red algae. In the tropical zone, green (kaulerpa), red (calcareous lithotamnias) and brown algae (sargassum) predominate. In the southern hemisphere, benthic vegetation is mainly represented by kelp. The phytoplankton of the Atlantic Ocean has 245 species: peridinium, coccolithophorids, diatoms. The latter have a clearly pronounced zonal distribution; their maximum number lives in the temperate latitudes of the northern and southern hemispheres. The densest population of diatoms is in the zone of the Western Winds Current. 
The distribution of the fauna of the Atlantic Ocean has a pronounced zonal character. In subantarctic and Antarctic waters, notothenia, blue whiting and others are of commercial importance from fish. Benthos and plankton in the Atlantic are poor in both species and biomass. In the subantarctic zone and in the adjacent zone of the temperate zone, the biomass reaches a maximum. The zooplankton is dominated by copepods, pteropods, in the nekton - from mammals, whales (blue whale), pinnipeds, and their fish are notothenia. In the tropical zone, zooplankton is represented by numerous species of foraminifera and pteropods, several species of radiolarians, copepods, larvae of molluscs and fish, as well as siphonophores, various jellyfish, large cephalopods (squid), and among the benthal forms - octopuses. Commercial fish are represented by mackerel, tuna, sardines, in areas of cold currents - anchovies. Corals are confined to tropical and subtropical zones. The temperate latitudes of the northern hemisphere are characterized by abundant life with relatively little species diversity. Of the commercial fish, the most important are herring, cod, haddock, halibut, sea bass... Foraminifera and copepods are most typical for zooplankton. The greatest abundance of plankton is in the area of the Newfoundland Bank and the Norwegian Sea. The deep-sea fauna is represented by crustaceans, echinoderms, specific fish species, sponges, and hydroids. Several species of endemic polychaetes, isopods, and sea cucumbers have been found in the Puerto Rican trench. 
Environmental problems
Since time immemorial, the Atlantic Ocean has been a place of intensive marine fishing and animal hunting. The dramatic increase in capacity and the revolution in fishing technique have led to an alarming scale. With the invention of the harpoon cannon in the North Atlantic, whales were largely exterminated at the end of the 19th century. Due to the massive development of pelagic whaling in Antarctic waters in the middle of the 20th century, whales here were also close to complete extermination. Since the 1985-1986 season, the International Whaling Commission has introduced a complete moratorium on commercial whaling of all species. In June 2010, at the 62nd meeting of the International Whaling Commission, under pressure from Japan, Iceland and Denmark, the moratorium was suspended.
The explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, owned by the British company BP, which occurred on April 20, 2010, is considered the largest environmental disaster that has ever occurred at sea. As a result of the accident, about 5 million barrels of crude oil spilled into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, 1100 miles of coastline were polluted. The authorities have introduced a ban on fishing, more than a third of the entire water area of the Gulf of Mexico is closed for fishing. As of November 2, 2010, 6,814 dead animals have been collected, including 6,104 birds, 609 sea turtles, 100 dolphins and other mammals, and 1 other reptile. According to the Office of Specially Protected Resources of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in 2010-2011, an increase in cetacean mortality in the northern Gulf of Mexico was recorded several times compared to previous years (2002-2009). 
A large debris patch of plastic and other waste formed in the Sargasso Sea ocean currents, gradually concentrating in one area the garbage thrown into the ocean.
In some areas of the Atlantic Ocean, radioactive contamination is observed. Waste from nuclear power plants and research centers is discharged into rivers and coastal waters of the seas, and sometimes into deep-sea parts of the ocean. The waters of the Atlantic Ocean heavily contaminated with radioactive waste include the North Sea, the Irish Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, Biscay and the Atlantic coast of the United States. In 1977 alone, 7,180 containers with 5,650 tons of radioactive waste were dumped into the Atlantic. Protection Agency environment The United States has reported seabed contamination 120 miles east of the Maryland-Delaware border. There, over 30 years, 14,300 cemented containers were buried, which contained plutonium and cesium, the radioactive contamination exceeded the "expected" by 3-70 times. In 1970, the United States sank the Russell Brigue 500 kilometers off the coast of Florida, carrying 68 tons of nerve gas (sarin) in 418 concrete containers. In 1972, in the ocean waters north of the Azores, Germany flooded 2,500 metal barrels with industrial waste containing potent cyanide poisons. There are cases of rapid destruction of containers in the relatively shallow waters of the North and Irish Seas and the English Channel with the most disastrous consequences for the fauna and flora of the water areas. 4 nuclear submarines sank in the waters of the North Atlantic: 2 Soviet (in the Bay of Biscay and the open ocean) and 2 American (off the coast of the United States and in the open ocean).
States of the Atlantic Ocean
On the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and its constituent seas, there are states and dependent territories:
- In Europe (from north to south): Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Russian Federation, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Federal Republic of Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain, Ireland, Isle of Man (owned by Great Britain), Jersey (owned by Great Britain), France, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar (owned by Great Britain), Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Abkhazia (not recognized by the UN), Georgia;
- In Asia: Cyprus, Turkish Republic Northern Cyprus (not recognized by the UN), Akrotiri and Dhekelia (owned by Great Britain), Syria, Lebanon, Israel, the Palestinian Authority (not recognized by the UN);
- In Africa: Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Saharan Arab Democratic Republic (not recognized by the UN), Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire , Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, South Africa, Bouvet Island (owned by Norway), Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (British possession);
- In South America (from south to north): Chile, Argentina, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (British possession), Falkland Islands(British possession), Uruguay, Brazil, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama;
- In the Caribbean: US Virgin Islands (US owned), Anguilla (UK owned), Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands (UK owned), Haiti, Grenada, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Cayman Islands (UK owned) , Cuba, Montserrat (UK), Navassa (US), Puerto Rico (US), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Turks and Caicos (UK), Trinidad and Tobago , Jamaica;
- In North America: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Mexico, United States of America, Bermuda (British possession), Canada.
History of European exploration of the Atlantic Ocean
Long before the era of great geographical discoveries, numerous ships roamed the vastness of the Atlantic. As early as 4000 years BC, the peoples of Phenicia were engaged in maritime trade with the inhabitants of the Mediterranean islands. At a later time, from the 6th century BC, the Phoenicians, according to the testimony of the Greek historian Herodotus, made campaigns around Africa, and through the Strait of Gibraltar and around the Iberian Peninsula reached British isles... By the 6th century BC Ancient Greece, having a huge military merchant fleet at that time, sailed to the shores of England and Scandinavia, in the Baltic Sea and to the west coast of Africa. In the X-XI Art. The Vikings added a new page to the study of the North Atlantic Ocean. According to most researchers of the pre-Columbian discoveries, the Scandinavian Vikings were the first and more than once to swim across the ocean, reaching the shores of the American continent (they called it Vinland) and discovering Greenland and Labrador.
In the 15th century, Spanish and Portuguese sailors began to make long voyages in search of routes to India and China. In 1488, the Portuguese expedition of Bartolomeu Dias reached the Cape of Good Hope and circled Africa from the south. In 1492, the expedition of Christopher Columbus mapped many of the Caribbean islands and the vast continent later called America. In 1497, Vasco da Gama passed from Europe to India, circling Africa from the south. In 1520, Fernand Magellan, during his first voyage around the world, passed the Strait of Magellan from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. At the end of the 15th century, the rivalry between Spain and Portugal for dominance in the Atlantic intensified so much that the Vatican was forced to intervene in the conflict. In 1494, an agreement was signed, which established the so-called. "Papal meridian". All lands to the west of it were given to Spain, and to the east - to Portugal. In the 16th century, as the colonial riches were being developed, the waves of the Atlantic began to regularly surf the ships carrying gold, silver, precious stones, pepper, cocoa and sugar to Europe. Arms, textiles, alcohol, food and slaves for cotton and sugarcane plantations were delivered to America in the same way. It is not surprising that in the XVI-XVII Art. pirate fishing and privateering flourished in these parts, and many famous pirates such as John Hawkins, Francis Drake and Henry Morgan wrote their names in history. The southern border of the Atlantic Ocean (mainland Antarctica) was discovered in 1819-1821 by the first Russian Antarctic expedition of F. F. Bellingshausen and M. P. Lazarev. 
The first attempts to study the seabed were made in 1779 off the coast of Denmark, and serious scientific research was initiated in 1803-1806 by the first Russian round-the-world expedition led by naval officer Ivan Kruzenshtern. Temperature measurements at various depths were carried out by J. Cook (1772), O. Saussure (1780), and others. Participants in subsequent trips measured the temperature and specific gravity of water at different depths, took samples of water transparency and established the presence of underwater currents. The collected material made it possible to compile a map of the Gulf Stream (B. Franklin, 1770), a map of the depths of the North Atlantic Ocean (MF Mori, 1854), as well as maps of winds and ocean currents (MF Mori, 1849-1860) and conduct other studies.
From 1872 to 1876, the first scientific oceanic expedition took place on the English sailing-steam corvette "Challenger", new data were obtained on the composition of ocean waters, on flora and fauna, on the bottom topography and soils, the first map of the ocean depths was compiled and the first collection was collected deep-sea animals, as a result of which extensive material was collected, published in 50 volumes. It was followed by expeditions on the Russian sailing-propeller corvette "Vityaz" (1886-1889), on the German ships "Valdivia" (1898-1899) and "Gauss" (1901-1903) and others. The largest works were carried out on the English ship Discovery II (since 1931), thanks to which oceanographic and hydrobiological studies were carried out in the open part of the South Atlantic at great depths. In the framework of the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958), international forces (especially the USA and the USSR) carried out studies, as a result of which new bathymetric and marine navigational charts of the Atlantic Ocean were compiled. In 1963-1964, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission conducted a large expedition to explore the equatorial and tropical zones of the ocean, in which the USSR took part (on the ships "Vityaz", "Mikhail Lomonosov", "Akademik Kurchatov" and others), USA, Brazil and others countries.
In recent decades, numerous measurements of the ocean from space satellites have been carried out. The result was a bathymetric atlas of the oceans, released in 1994 by the American National Geophysical Data Center, with a map resolution of 3-4 km and a depth accuracy of ± 100 m.
Economic significance
Fishing and marine industries
The Atlantic Ocean provides 2/5 of the world's catch, and its share decreases over the years. In subantarctic and Antarctic waters, notothenia, blue whiting and others are of commercial importance, in the tropical zone - mackerel, tuna, sardine, in areas of cold currents - anchovies, in the temperate latitudes of the northern hemisphere - herring, cod, haddock, halibut, sea bass. In the 1970s, due to overfishing of some species of fish, the volume of fishery decreased sharply, but after the introduction of strict limits, fish stocks are gradually recovering. In the Atlantic Ocean basin, several international conventions on fisheries are in force, aiming at the efficient and rational use of biological resources, based on the application of scientifically based measures to regulate fishing.
Transport routes
The Atlantic Ocean is the world's leading shipping destination. Most of the routes lead from Europe to North America. The main navigable straits of the Atlantic Ocean: Bosphorus and Dardanelles, Gibraltar, English Channel, Pas-de-Calais, Baltic straits (Skagerrak, Kattegat, Øresund, Big and Small Belt), Danish, Florida. The Atlantic Ocean is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the artificial Panama Canal, dug between North and South America along the Isthmus of Panama, and also to the Indian Ocean by the artificial Suez Canal through the Mediterranean Sea. The largest ports: St. Petersburg (general cargo, oil products, metals, timber cargo, containers, coal, ore, chemical cargo, scrap metal), Hamburg (machinery and equipment, chemical products, raw materials for metallurgy, oil, wool, timber, food) , Bremen, Rotterdam (oil, natural gas, ores, fertilizers, equipment, food), Antwerp, Le Havre (oil, equipment), Filixstow, Valencia, Algeciras, Barcelona, Marseille (oil, ore, grain, metals, chemical cargo, sugar , fruits and vegetables, wine), Joya Tauro, Marsaxlokk, Istanbul, Odessa (raw sugar, containers), Mariupol (coal, ore, grain, containers, oil products, metals, timber, food), Novorossiysk (oil, ore, cement, grain, metals, equipment, food), Batumi (oil, general and bulk cargo, food), Beirut (export: phosphorites, fruits, vegetables, wool, timber, cement, import: machines, fertilizers, cast iron, building materials, food), Port Said, Alexandria (export: cotton, rice, ores, import: equipment, metals, oil products, fertilizers), Casablanca (export: phosphorites, ores, citrus fruits, cork, food, import: equipment, fabrics, oil products), Dakar ( peanut, dates, cotton, livestock, fish, ores, import: equipment, oil products, food), Cape Town, Buenos Aires (export: wool, meat, grain, leather, vegetable oil, flaxseed, cotton, import: equipment, iron ore , coal, oil, industrial goods), Santos, Rio de Janeiro (export: iron ore, cast iron, coffee, cotton, sugar, cocoa beans, lumber, meat, wool, leather, import: oil products, equipment, coal, grain, cement, food), Houston (oil, grain, sulfur, equipment), New Orleans (ore, coal, construction materials, cars, grain, rolling, equipment, coffee, fruit, food), Savannah, New York (general cargo, oil, chemical cargo, equipment, cellulose, paper, coffee, sugar, metals), Montreal (grain, oil, cement, coal, timber, metals, paper, asbestos, weapons, fish, wheat, equipment, cotton, wool) ... 
Air travel plays a dominant role in passenger traffic between Europe and North America across the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the transatlantic lines run in the North Atlantic through Iceland and Newfoundland. Another connection goes through Lisbon, Azores and Bermuda. The air route from Europe to South America passes through Lisbon, Dakar and further through the narrowest part of the Atlantic Ocean to Rio de Janeiro. Airlines from the United States to Africa go through the Bahamas, Dakar and Robertsport. On the shores of the Atlantic Ocean there are cosmodromes: Cape Canaveral (USA), Kourou (French Guiana), Alcantara (Brazil).
Minerals
Extraction of minerals, primarily oil and gas, is carried out on the continental shelves. Oil is produced on the shelves of the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, the North Sea, the Bay of Biscay, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Gulf of Guinea. Natural gas is also produced on the shelf of the North Sea. In the Gulf of Mexico, industrial production of sulfur is carried out, and off the island of Newfoundland - iron ore. Diamonds are mined from offshore deposits on the South African continental shelf. The next most important group of mineral resources is formed by coastal deposits of titanium, zirconium, tin, phosphorites, monazite and amber. Coal, barite, sand, pebbles and limestone are also mined from the seabed.
Tidal power plants have been built on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean: La Rance on the Rance River in France, Annapolis in the Bay of Fundy in Canada, and Hammerfest in Norway.
Recreational resources
The recreational resources of the Atlantic Ocean are highly diverse. The main countries of formation of outbound tourism in this region are formed in Europe (Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Sweden, Russian Federation, Switzerland and Spain), North (USA and Canada) and South America. Main recreational areas: Mediterranean coast Southern Europe and North Africa, the coasts of the Baltic and Black Seas, the Florida Peninsula, the islands of Cuba, Haiti, the Bahamas, areas of cities and urban agglomerations of the Atlantic coast of North and South America. 
Recently, the popularity of such Mediterranean countries as Turkey, Croatia, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco has been growing. Among the countries of the Atlantic Ocean with the largest flow of tourists (according to the 2010 World Tourism Organization) stand out: France (77 million visits per year), USA (60 million), Spain (53 million), Italy (44 million), Great Britain (28 million), Turkey (27 million), Mexico (22 million), Ukraine (21 million), Russian Federation (20 million), Canada (16 million), Greece (15 million), Egypt (14 million), Poland (12 million ), Netherlands (11 million), Morocco (9 million), Denmark (9 million), South Africa (8 million), Syria (8 million), Tunisia (7 million), Belgium (7 million), Portugal (7 million) , Bulgaria (6 million), Argentina (5 million), Brazil (5 million).
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Main questions. What are the features of the geographical location of the Atlantic Ocean? What is its role in the implementation of international economic relations?
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest and deepest. Its area is 91.7 million km 2. The average depth is 3597 m, and the maximum depth is 8742 m. The length from north to south is 16,000 km.
Geographical position.
The ocean stretches from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the shores of Antarctica in the south. On South Drake Passage separates the Atlantic Ocean from the Pacific. Salient feature Atlantic Ocean - many inland and marginal seas in the Northern Hemisphere, the formation of which is mainly associated with tectonic movements of lithospheric plates. (Determine from the map "Structure of the Earth's crust" lithospheric plates, within which the ocean is located.) The largest of the seas: Baltic, Black, Azov, Irish, North, Sargassovo, Norwegian, Amongearthly... There are more than 10 seas in the Atlantic Ocean. (Find the Sargasso and Mediterranean Seas on a physical map, compare their natural features.)
The Atlantic Ocean and its seas are washed by five continents. More than 70 states (in which more than 2 billion people live) and 70% of the largest cities in the world are located on its shores. Therefore, the most important shipping routes pass across the Atlantic. The ocean is called "the element that unites peoples."
Relief the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, according to scientists, the youngest and more leveled. From north to south the ocean passes Mid-atlantic ridge more than 18,000 km long. Along the ridge is a rift system where the largest volcanic island, Iceland, was formed. Within the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, depths of 3000-6000 m prevail. In contrast to the Pacific, there are few deep-water trenches in the Atlantic Ocean. The deepest is Puerto Rico (8742 m) in the Caribbean Sea. There is a well-defined shelf zone within the ocean, especially in the Northern Hemisphere off the coast of North America and Europe.
Climate. The ocean is located in almost all geographic zones. This determined the diversity of its climate. In the north, in the area of the island of Iceland, an area of low pressure is formed over the ocean, which is called the Icelandic minimum. The prevailing winds over the ocean in tropical and subequatorial latitudes are trade winds, in moderate latitudes - westerly winds. Differences in atmospheric circulation cause uneven distribution of precipitation. (Use the Annual Precipitation Map to study the distribution of precipitation in the Atlantic Ocean.) The average surface water temperature in the Atlantic Ocean is +16.5 ¨С. The ocean has the saltiest surface waters, with an average salinity of 35.4 ‰. The salinity of surface waters varies greatly in the north and south.
The maximum salinity reaches 36-37 ‰ and is typical for tropical regions with low annual precipitation and strong evaporation. The decrease in salinity in the north and south of the ocean (32-34 ‰) is explained by the melting of icebergs and floating sea ice.
Currents in the Atlantic Ocean are powerful carriers of thermal energy. Two systems of currents have formed in the ocean: clockwise in the Northern and counterclockwise in the Southern hemisphere. In the tropical latitudes of the ocean, trade winds cause powerful surface currents from east to west on both sides of the equator - North Passatnoye and South Tradewind Current... Crossing the ocean, these currents have a warming effect on the eastern shores of North and South America. Powerful warm current Gulf Stream ("current from the bay"), originates in Gulf of Mexico and reaches the islands of Novaya Zemlya. The Gulf Stream carries 80 times more water than all the rivers in the world. The thickness of its flow reaches 700-800 m. This mass of warm water with temperatures up to +28 ¨С moves at a speed of about 10 km / h. North of 40¨ s. NS. The Gulf Stream turns to the shores of Europe, and here it is called North-Atlantic current... The water temperature of the current is higher than that of the ocean. Therefore, warmer and wetter air masses of the North dominate the current and cyclones are formed.
Rice. 43. Oil platform on the shelf
The Canary and Benguela currents, and on East Coast North America - cold Labrador flow. The eastern shores of South America are washed by a warm Brazilian flow.
The ocean is characterized by rhythmically recurring ebbs and flows. The highest tidal wave height in the world reaches 18 m in Bay of Fundy off the coast of Canada.
Natural resources and environmental problems.
The Atlantic Ocean is rich in a variety of mineral resources. The largest oil and gas fields have been explored in the shelf zone off the coast of Europe (North Sea region), America (Gulf of Mexico, Maracaibo lagoon) and others (Fig. 43). Phosphorite deposits are significant; ferromanganese nodules are less common.
The organic world of the Atlantic Ocean is poorer in the number of species than the Pacific and Indian Oceans, but it has a higher productivity.
In the tropical part of the ocean, the greatest diversity of the organic world is noted, the number of fish species is measured in tens of thousands. These are tuna, mackerel, sardines. In temperate latitudes, herring, cod, haddock, halibut are found in large quantities. Jellyfish, squid, octopus are also inhabitants of the ocean. Large marine mammals (whales, pinnipeds) live in cold waters, different kinds fish (herring, cod), crustaceans.
The main fishing areas are northeastern off the coast of Europe and northwestern off the coast of North America. The wealth of the ocean is brown and red algae, kelp.
In terms of economic use, the Atlantic Ocean ranks first among other oceans. The use of the ocean plays an important role in the development of the economy of many countries of the world (Fig. 44).
Rice. 44. The main modern directions of sea transportation of oil
The vastness of the Atlantic Ocean is most polluted by oil and oil products. Water purification is carried out using modern methods, the discharge of production waste is prohibited.
Bibliography
1. Geography grade 8. Textbook for grade 8 institutions of general secondary education with the Russian language of instruction / Edited by Professor P. S. Lopukh - Minsk "Narodnaya Asveta" 2014
In the western part of Africa, there is a small state called Gambia. Bizarre baobabs, luxurious parks, crocodiles and hippos, exciting ocean, passionate dances to the drums "bantaro", national clothes - all these are the components of the exotic beauty of Gambia.
The Gambia borders Senegal. On the western side it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean. The unique location of the country, located on the Atlantic coast of tropical Africa, attracts a large number of tourists from all over the world to the country. The majestic ocean and African nature have turned the Gambia into a significant center of world international tourism.
The magnificent beaches of the Atlantic coast, the uniqueness of the avifauna, the originality of the culture of local peoples, excursions on motor ships along the Gambia River, taking hunters for exotic things deep into the African country, are very popular with tourists. Friendly people, dancing by the fire, gentle sun, funny monkeys walking in protected parks - all this is the bright and hospitable Gambia.
Sacred sites of the Gambia
One of the main attractions of the Gambia is the Sacred Crocodile Lake, located near the city of Bakau. Couples who do not have children tend to come to this lake. It is famous for its medicinal properties... Local residents living on its shores (people from the Bojangi tribe) are sure that after bathing in the healing lake, women who want to have children will definitely have such an opportunity. Acceptance of the water procedure takes place under the supervision of a local shamaness. The healer only helps those couples who are faithful to each other. Neither the healer nor the representatives of the Bojangi tribe take money, fearing that the effect of health bathing will decrease. Women who receive the procedure leave gifts for the shaman: fabric cuts, chocolates and other small gifts.
Representatives of the Bojangi tribe consider crocodiles sacred animals, and they convince everyone that in recent years they have never harmed anyone.
By the way, statistics show that more than 80% of women, after taking the procedure, could soon experience the happiness of motherhood.
Ethnic dances
Since ancient times, incendiary performances in ceremonial clothes with songs and dances have been held on the African continent. They are dedicated to various topics: successful hunting or historical events, natural phenomena and various holidays. Often a performance is just an improvisation of dancing to the beat of drums and rhythmic tunes. The drum types popular in the Gambia are the shibaro and bantaro.
Among the dance compositions, a colorful dance gumba especially popular and loved by the local population. The music of the gumba dance is so joyful and passionate that it creates the appropriate mood, and tourists, succumbing to emotions, often join the dancers themselves.
Gambia. reference Information
Form of government: Republic of the Gambia
Type of socio-economic development: agricultural country
The area of the Gambia: 11.3 thousand km2
Population: about 1.7 million people, about 90% - Islam, 9% - Christianity
Official language: English
Head of State: President
Capital: Banjul
International Airport: Yundum
Administrative divisions: 7 districts
Monetary unit: dalasi
The backbone of the Gambian economy: growing and exporting peanuts
Crops: legumes, sorghum, corn, bananas, oil palm, cotton, vegetables
Industry: enterprises that serve the needs of the local population (production of clothing, beer, soft drinks), enterprises for the production peanut butter
Livestock: well-developed, mainly large livestock cattle
Main river of the country: Gambia
Vegetation: mangroves, tall grass savannas, rainforests, coconut trees, baobabs
Climate: equatorial monsoon, average monthly temperatures - 25-270 C, precipitation from 750 to 1500 mm per year.
Animal world Gambia: hyenas, antelopes, jackals, wild boars, hippos, crocodiles, bird populations (over 400 types)
Types of Gambia visas: Gambian visas differ in types, depending on the purpose and duration of stay in the country: short-term visa - type C, transit visa - type A and B, national visa - type D
The seaside resorts of Gambia: Kololi, Fajara, Kotu Strand, Bakau.
The best hotels in Gambia: Ocean Bay, Fajara, Brufut, Kotu, Bakau, Serekunda, Bijilo
If the sky overhead seems too gloomy and inhospitable to you, come to Gambia, to the warm ocean and gentle sun. And if necessary, then for the miraculous procedures to the Sacred Lake.
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest and deepest. Its area is 91.7 million km2. The average depth is 3597 m, and the maximum depth is 8742 m. The length from north to south is 16,000 km. Geographical position of the Atlantic Ocean The ocean stretches from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the shores of Antarctica in the south. In the south, the Drake Passage separates the Atlantic Ocean from [...]
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean on Earth. This is the most studied and mastered ocean by people. The Atlantic Ocean washes the shores of all continents except Australia. Its length is 13 thousand km (along the meridian 30 W), and the greatest width is 6700 km. The ocean has many seas and bays. There are three main parts in the structure of the Atlantic Ocean floor: [...]
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean after the Pacific. Its area is much smaller and amounts to 91.6 million km2. About a quarter of this area falls on the shelf seas. The coastline is very indented, primarily in the Northern Hemisphere, in the Southern it is relatively flat. The ocean washes all continents except Australia. The islands located in the ocean area are located near the continents. […]
The name Atlantic came to us from ancient times. Scientists believe that it is associated with the name of the Atlas Mountains in northwest Africa. Consequently, the Atlantic Sea at the time of Homer and Hesiod literally meant "the sea beyond the Atlas Mountains." Later, the Greeks began to designate the south of the part of the modern Atlantic Ocean known to them, and the waters adjacent to Europe were called the Outer Sea, [...]
All species are represented in the Atlantic Ocean economic activity man in the sea. Among them, sea transport is of the greatest importance, followed by subsea oil and gas production, and only then is the catch and use of biological resources. More than 70 coastal countries with a population of over 1.3 billion people are located on the shores of the Atlantic. Many transoceanic routes cross the ocean with [...]
In the Atlantic Ocean, all zonal complexes are distinguished - natural belts, except for the northern polar one. The waters of the northern subpolar belt are rich in life. It is especially developed on the shelves off the coasts of Iceland, Greenland and the Labrador Peninsula. The temperate zone is characterized by an intense interaction of cold and warm waters; its waters are the most productive regions of the Atlantic. Vast spaces of warm waters of two subtropical, two tropical [...]
The Atlantic Ocean is poorer in flora and fauna than the Pacific Ocean. One of the reasons for this is its relative geological youth and a noticeable cooling in the Quaternary period during the glaciation of the northern hemisphere. However, in quantitative terms, the ocean is rich in organisms - it is the most productive per unit area. This is primarily due to the extensive development of shelves and shallow [...]
The zoning of water masses in the ocean is complicated by the influence of land and sea currents. This is manifested primarily in the distribution of surface water temperatures. In many areas of the ocean, the isotherms near the coast deviate sharply from the latitudinal direction. The northern half of the ocean is warmer than the southern, the temperature difference reaches 6 ° C. The average surface water temperature (16.5 ° C) is slightly lower than in the Pacific Ocean. Cooling [...]
In the Atlantic, as in the Pacific, two rings of surface currents are formed. In the northern hemisphere, the North Passat Current, the Gulf Stream, the North Atlantic and Canary currents form a clockwise movement of waters. In the southern hemisphere, the South Tradewinds, Brazilian, Western winds and Benguela form a counterclockwise movement of waters. Due to the considerable length of the Atlantic Ocean from north to south [...]
The Atlantic Ocean is located in all climatic zones of the Earth. The main part of the ocean is between 40 ° N latitude. and 42 ° S - is located in subtropical, tropical, subequatorial and equatorial climatic zones. Here all year round high positive air temperatures. The sub-Antarctic and Antarctic latitudes have the most severe climate, and to a lesser extent the sub-polar, northern latitudes. The climate of the Atlantic Ocean (more [...]
Oil and gas reserves have been discovered on the shelf of the North Sea, in the Gulfs of Mexico, Guinea and Biscay. Phosphorite deposits discovered in the area of the rise deep waters off the coast of North Africa in tropical latitudes. Placer deposits of tin near the shores of Great Britain and Florida, as well as diamonds off the coast of South-West Africa, have been identified on the shelf in the sediments of ancient and modern rivers. […]
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge runs across the entire ocean (approximately at an equal distance from the coasts of the continents). The relative height of the ridge is about 2 km. Transverse faults divide it into separate segments. In the axial part of the ridge, there is a giant rift valley 6 to 30 km wide and up to 2 km deep. The rift and faults of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge are dated as underwater operating [...]
The Atlantic Ocean stretches from north to south for 16 thousand km from subarctic to Antarctic latitudes. The ocean is wide in the northern and southern parts, narrowing in equatorial latitudes up to 2900 km. In the north it is connected with the Arctic Ocean, and in the south it is widely connected with the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Bounded by the shores of North and South America - on [...]
The western and southwestern outskirts of Russia are washed by the seas of the Atlantic Ocean. The Baltic Sea forms bays off the coast of the country, on the shores of which there are large ports. In the Gulf of Finland there is St. Petersburg, on the Pregola River, which flows into the Vistula Bay, - Kaliningrad. In the southwest there is the Black and Azov Seas, where there are also large bays. In the Black Sea - the Karakinitsky Gulf and [...]
The Atlantic Ocean is bounded by the shores of Europe and Africa in the east, North and South America in the west. Due to the meridional strike, it contains natural belts from the northern subpolar to the southern polar, which determines the diversity of its natural conditions. However, most of its spaces lie between 40 ° N. NS. and 42 ° S. NS. in subtropical, tropical and [...]
Within the Atlantic Ocean, all physical and geographical belts are clearly represented, except for the north polar one. The northern subpolar (subarctic) belt covers the waters off the island of Greenland and the Labrador Peninsula. In winter, the air temperature drops to - 20 ° C, water to - 1 ° C and below. The ocean is partially covered with ice in winter. Ice formation causes an additional increase in the salinity of the water and its immersion to a depth. In the spring [...]
In terms of species, the organic world of the Atlantic Ocean is poorer than the organic world of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, but quantitatively it is the richest (260 kg / km2) due to the wide development of the shelf. The poverty of the species composition is largely associated with the relative youth of the ocean, its long-term isolation from other oceans, and a strong cooling of the climate in the Quaternary. The distribution of organic life strongly [...]
The climatic conditions of the Atlantic Ocean determine the features of its hydrological regime. Waves in the Atlantic Ocean Wave formation in the Atlantic Ocean depends on the nature of the prevailing winds over certain areas. The area of the most frequent storms extends north of 40 ° N. NS. and south of 40 ° S. NS. Wave height during long and very strong storms can reach 20-26 m. But [...]
The climate of the Atlantic Ocean is determined by its enormous meridional length, the nature of atmospheric circulation and the ability of the water surface to significantly equalize the annual temperature variation. The oceanic climate is generally characterized by small fluctuations in air temperature. In the Atlantic Ocean at the equator they are less than 1 ° С, in subtropical latitudes 5 ° С, and at 60 ° N. NS. and y. NS. - 10 ° C. Only […]
Deep-sea sediments consist of silts, named after the smallest organisms, the remains of which are found in the ground in the greatest amount. Among the deep-sea deposits, the most common are foraminiferal silts, which occupy 65% of the area of the ocean floor and the mid-ocean ridge. The Atlantic Ocean is a part of the World Ocean, which is characterized by the penetration of thermophilic foraminifera far to the north, which is associated with the warming effect of the current [...]
From the article you will find out which continents are washed by the Atlantic Ocean and how it affects them.
Characteristics of the Atlantic Ocean
The ocean covers an area of 91.66 million square meters. km, making it the second largest after the Quiet. More than 16% of its total area falls on straits, seas and bays. The salinity of the water is approximately 34-37 ppm. The deepest point is the Puerto Rico Trench, 8742 meters deep. The average depth of the Atlantic Ocean is about 4 kilometers, and this is less than that of the Pacific and Indian.
The Atlantic is located in all 4 hemispheres and washes 5 continents. The Danish Strait and the Davis Strait in the north connect it to the Arctic Ocean. in the south it connects it with the Pacific Ocean, and with the Indian Ocean it is connected by the water space between Antarctica and Africa.
Previously, the Atlantic Ocean was called the Western, Outer, North Sea, now the term "Atlantic" is often used to designate it. On the European map, the author of which was the Dutchman Varenius, the modern name of the ocean appeared in 1650.
The origin of the name "Atlantic Ocean" is associated with the African Atlas Mountains. Scientists suggest that even among the ancient Greeks, this name literally meant "the sea beyond the Atlass mountains." There are two more versions of the name - one connects it with the sunken Atlantis, the other with the name of the titan Atlant.
Atlantic exploration
People began to explore the described water spaces earlier than other oceans, through the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Even before our era, ancient peoples founded cities and states on the shores of the Mediterranean. Observing the ebb and flow, flora and fauna, they were the first explorers of these waters.
Of course, in ancient times, people did not know exactly which continents were washed by the Atlantic Ocean. Their geographic knowledge was markedly different from that of today. Nevertheless, Pytheas sailed across the North Atlantic as early as the 4th century BC. And in the 10th century AD, a native of Normandy made the first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, arriving on the shores of the island of Newfoundland.
- Brazilian;
- Guiana;
- Gulf Stream;
- Norwegian.
- Greenlandic;
- Labrador;
- Canary;
- Benguela.
Conclusion
Now we know which continents are washed by the Atlantic Ocean and what influence it has on them. Stretching from north to south, this expanse of water has long been of great importance to people. The waters of the Atlantic connect the five continents with each other and significantly affect their weather conditions.