The five oceans cover about 70% of the Earth's surface. The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean after the Pacific accounting for 20% of the planet surface and 29% of the water on earth. The Atlantic stretches from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south covering an estimated 41,100,000 square miles and holding 74,471,500 cubic miles of water. Apart from the open ocean, it also encompasses the Gulf of Mexico, the Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Caribbean Sea.  The entire coastline of the ocean stretches for 69,510 miles. It borders North, Central, and South America to the west and Europe, Asia, and Africa to the east. In total, 133 countries and territories border the Atlantic Ocean.

Countries on the Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean borders five continents; Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, and South America. In total, 133 countries and territories border the ocean including four of the five largest countries in the world. Thirty-three countries are in Europe, twenty-six in Africa, seven in Asia, nine in Central and North America, seven in South America, and thirteen in the Caribbean.

Eleven countries border both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans while South Africa is the only state with coastlines in the Atlantic and Indian oceans.

The waters of the Atlantic and the Pacific converge at Cape Horn, Chile while the Panama Canal in Central America is a 51-mile long artificial waterway linking the oceans.

The equator further divides the Atlantic into North Atlantic and South Atlantic. The region between northwest Africa and North America is known as Central Atlantic and is believed to be the point where Pangaea began breaking up to form the Atlantic Ocean.

Benefits of the Atlantic to the Bordering States

The Atlantic Ocean contributes significantly to the economy of the neighboring states. Other than providing a median for transoceanic transport, it also holds vast amounts of oil and gas reserves. Much of the goods traveling between North America and Europe traverse through the Atlantic, so do goods between North America and northwest Africa, and South America and Africa.

The ocean also hosts a variety of marine animals including when. Every year it provides millions of tons of fish. The Atlantic affects the global climate including the water streams and winds. It is a significant reservoir of carbon dioxide and helps reduce the gas in the atmosphere and therefore aids in controlling global warming.

Countries on the Atlantic Ocean