Geography Facts About the Atlantic Ocean

Caitlin Dempsey

Updated:

The Atlantic Ocean, named after the Greek god Atlas, is the second-largest ocean in the world. The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in the world.

How Large is the Atlantic Ocean?

The Atlantic Ocean has an area of about 106,460,000 square kilometers (41,105,000 square miles). The Atlantic Ocean covers 20% of the Earth’s surface.

Where is the Atlantic Ocean Located?

The Atlantic Ocean is located between the Americas to the west and Europe and Africa to the east. The ocean extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south.

The cardinal boundaries of the Atlantic Ocean:

  • To the west: North and South America
  • To the east: Europe and Africa
  • To the north: Arctic Ocean
  • To the south: Southern Ocean

Basins of the Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is divided into two basins: the North Atlantic and the South Atlantic. The North Atlantic is the larger of the two basins with an area of North Atlantic: 41,490,000 square kilometers (16,020,000 square miles).

A simple map of the world showing the continents in gray and oceans in blue.
Map of the world centered on the Atlantic Ocean. Map: Caitlin Dempsey, Equal Area map projection.

Lowest Point in the Atlantic Ocean

The lowest point in the Atlantic Ocean is the Puerto Rico Trench, located at a depth of 8,376 meters (27,480 feet). This trench is located on the boundary between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

Countries with a coastline along the Atlantic Ocean

List of countries by continent that have a coastline along the Atlantic Ocean:

North America

  1. Canada
  2. United States
  3. Mexico
  4. Bahamas
  5. Cuba
  6. Haiti
  7. Dominican Republic
  8. Puerto Rico (U.S. territory)
  9. Jamaica
  10. Belize
  11. Guatemala
  12. Honduras
  13. Nicaragua
  14. Costa Rica
  15. Panama

Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, has a coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. Although it is geographically part of North America, it is often associated with Europe due to its political ties with Denmark. 

South America

  1. Colombia
  2. Venezuela
  3. Guyana
  4. Suriname
  5. French Guiana (France)
  6. Brazil
  7. Uruguay
  8. Argentina

Europe

  1. Iceland
  2. Ireland
  3. United Kingdom
  4. Portugal
  5. Spain
  6. France
  7. Belgium
  8. Netherlands
  9. Germany
  10. Denmark
  11. Norway

Africa

  1. Morocco
  2. Western Sahara (disputed territory, claimed by Morocco)
  3. Mauritania
  4. Senegal
  5. The Gambia
  6. Guinea-Bissau
  7. Guinea
  8. Sierra Leone
  9. Liberia
  10. Ivory Coast
  11. Ghana
  12. Togo
  13. Benin
  14. Nigeria
  15. Cameroon
  16. Equatorial Guinea
  17. Gabon
  18. Republic of the Congo
  19. Democratic Republic of the Congo
  20. Angola
  21. Namibia
  22. South Africa

Asia

  1. Turkey (European and Asian portions both have coastlines)
  2. Georgia

U.S. States with an Atlantic Ocean coastline

The following states and territories of the United States have Atlantic coastlines:  Delaware, Florida, Maine, North Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Virginia, and Puerto Rico

East Coast States with coastal access to the Atlantic Ocean. Map created using QGIS with Natural Earth GIS data.
East Coast States with coastal access to the Atlantic Ocean. Map: Caitlin Dempsey, created using QGIS with Natural Earth GIS data.

Hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean

Hurricanes are storms that occur in the Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Pacific Ocean (typhoons occur in the northwestern Pacific Ocean and cyclones happen in the South Pacific Ocean or Indian Ocean).

Hurricanes mostly form in the Atlantic Ocean between June and November each year.

Hurricane Ida just before landfall on the Louisiana coast on Aug. 29, 2021. NOAA.
Hurricane Ida just before landfall on the Louisiana coast on Aug. 29, 2021. NOAA

The saltiest ocean

Of the major oceans, the Atlantic Ocean is the saltiest on average.

Sea turtle species in the Atlantic Ocean

The green, hawksbill, kemp’s ridley, leatherback, loggerhead, and olive ridley are six of the world’s seven sea turtle species that can be found in the Atlantic Ocean.

A loggerhead sea turtle on the beach amid small waves.
A loggerhead sea turtle returning to the Atlantic Ocean near Ocracoke, North Carolina. Photo: Dawn Childs, USGS, public domain.

Sargasso Sea is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean

The Sargasso Sea is located in the middle of the Northern Atlantic Subtropical Gyre (a gyre is a large system of rotating ocean currents) near the Bermuda Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. This sea is the only sea in the world without a coast.

Location map showing where the Sargasso Sea is located. The base map is a tinted topography map showing the surrounding continents and a blue ocean.
Map showing the general location of the Sargasso Sea. Map: Caitlin Dempsey using Natural Earth data.
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About the author
Caitlin Dempsey
Caitlin Dempsey is the editor of Geography Realm and holds a master's degree in Geography from UCLA as well as a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) from SJSU.