The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest. It is present in all hemispheres of the Earth. From the article you will find out which continents are washed by the Atlantic Ocean and how it affects them.
Atlantic Ocean Characteristics
The ocean covers an area of 91.66 million square meters. km, making it the second largest after the Pacific. 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 with the Arctic Ocean. The Drake Strait in the south connects it with the Pacific Ocean, and with the Indian it is connected by the water between Antarctica and Africa.
The Atlantic Ocean used to be called the Western, Outer, and North Sea; now the term “Atlantic” is often used to refer to it. On the European map, authored by 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 mountains of Atlas." There are two more versions of the name - one connects it with the sunken Atlantis, the other with the name of the titan Atlanta.
Atlantic Studies
People began to explore the described water expanses before 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 ebbs and flows, the fauna and flora, they were the first researchers of these waters.
Of course, in ancient times, people did not know exactly which continents the Atlantic Ocean washes. Their geographical knowledge was markedly different from modern. Nevertheless, Pythaeus made voyages across the North Atlantic as far back as the 4th century BC. And in the 10th century AD, Eric the Red from Normandy made the first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, arriving at the shores of Newfoundland Island.
In the era of the great geographical discoveries , a large number of trips were made along the waters of the Atlantic. At the same time, the first descriptions of the depths, soil, tropical hurricanes were made, the Northern Passat, Brazil, Guiana currents and the Gulf Stream were discovered. This era gave impetus to the study of the deep sea, as well as the territories that wash the Atlantic Ocean. In our time, much is already known about him, but research continues to this day.
Which continents is washed by the Atlantic Ocean
All the oceans on our planet constitute a continuous oceans. There are no clear boundaries between them, and all divisions, in fact, are conditional. After all, the Atlantic did not exist 200 million years ago, and all the earthly continents were one piece of land.
About 180 million years ago, the process of splitting the common continent into separate territories began. In the northern Atlantic, plots of land were moving farther and farther apart. About 140 million years ago, plate movement began in the South Atlantic. Greenland gradually separated from Europe, and the Mid-Labrador Range began to die.
So which continents are washed by the Atlantic Ocean? During large-scale world processes, the waters of this ocean stretched for almost 16 thousand kilometers from north to south. The ocean is now washed:
- North and South America;
- Eurasia
- Africa
- Antarctica.
Only Australia is not on the list. In the north, it is located between the shores of Greenland and Iceland, in the south - near Antarctica. Africa and Europe are on the eastern side of the ocean, both Americas are located in the west.
Coastline
We have already learned which shores are washed by the Atlantic Ocean. Now we can talk about their features. The ocean stretches into two terrestrial hemispheres, therefore, its entire territory is conditionally divided into northern and southern. The boundary for them is the equator.
The North Atlantic is characterized by severe indentation of the coastline. In this part there are many inland seas. So, in the northeast is the Norwegian Sea, which occupies the territory between Norway and Iceland.
Off the coast of Denmark and Great Britain is the North Sea. In the east, it passes into the Baltic, which has the Gulf of Finland and Bothnia. A much further south begins the system of inland seas - the Mediterranean communicates with the ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar, followed by the Black and Azov.
In the southwest of the North Atlantic, the Strait of Florida connects the ocean with the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. On the coast of North America are the bays of Barnegat, Long Island, Delaware, Pamlico.
The shores washed by the southern Atlantic waters are indented much less. There are no inland seas in this part. The Gulf of Guinea protrudes into the land on the African mainland - this is the largest bay in the South Atlantic. Near the coast of South America there are not many. The southern part of this continent is significantly dissected; in the region of Tierra del Fuego there are many small islands.
The influence of Atlantic waters
It is possible to list which countries the Atlantic Ocean is washing for a very long time. Apart from the waters of all its seas, the waters of the Atlantic are washed by about 50 states. They all experience a powerful oceanic influence. An important climate-forming factor for coastal areas is the currents and zonality of the Atlantic Ocean. In the northern part, the water temperature is noticeably colder (about 5 degrees).
Warm ocean currents warm the climate of the coast, making it soft and humid. They also contribute to a lot of rainfall. The largest and most powerful current of the Atlantic is the warm Gulf Stream. This current affects the climate of North America and Western Europe. Thanks to him, for example, the winter temperature of Reykjavik is higher than the temperature in New York.
The warm currents of the Atlantic Ocean :
- Brazilian
- Guiana
- Gulf Stream;
- Norwegian
The cold currents of the Atlantic contribute to a colder and drier climate on the coasts. Thus, the Labrador current forms a harsh climate on the island of Labrador, and the Bengel and Canary currents make the climate of the West African coast dry. The collision of the Gulf Stream with the Labrador Current provides long-term fogs on the shores of Newfoundland.
Cold currents of the Atlantic Ocean :
- Greenlandic;
- Labrador;
- Canary
- Bengel
Conclusion
Now we know which continents the Atlantic Ocean is washing and what influence it has on them. Stretching from north to south, this water expanse has long been of great importance to people. The waters of the Atlantic connect five continents and significantly affect their weather conditions.