Atlantic Ocean

(Atlantic us Ocean us,) one of the five great hydrographical divisions of the globe, occupies an immense longitudinal valley, and extends from the Arctic circle on the N. to the Antarctic circle on the S.; bounded W. by the coast of America to Cape Horn, and thence by a line continued on the same meridian to the Antarctic circle; and E. by the shores of Europe and Africa to the Cape of Good Hope, and thence prolonged on the meridian of Cape Agulhas till it meets the Antarctic circle. Its extreme breadth is abt. 5,000 m., and its area 25,000,000 sq. m. The North Sea, or German Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Irish Sea, form portions of the A.; but the Baltic and Mediterranean, which communicate with it by narrow channels, are properly considered separate seas. The chief islands are, in Europe, the British Isles and Iceland; in Africa, the Azores, Madeira, and Canary Islands, and the archipelago of the Gulf of Guinea; in America, the Antilles, Newfoundland, and the islands of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The chief affluents are, in Europe, the Rhine, Loire, and Tagus; in Africa, the Senegal, Niger, and Congo; and in America, the St. Lawrence, Mi i ippi, Orinoco, Amazons, and La Plata. The bed of the A. O. is very unequal in elevation, in some places rising in immense sand-banks to within a few fathoms of the surface, and in others sinking to unfathomable depths. The trade-winds blow regularly in the intertropical portion of the A.; beyond these limits the winds are variable. From the prevalence of S.W. winds in the North A., the voyage from America to Europe, on an average of 6 years' sailing between New York and Liverpool, is performed in 23days, while the return voyage requires 40 days. Enormous numbers of fish are found in the A. O., and herring and cod fishing are important branches of industry in N. Europe and America. In the higher latitudes of the N. and S. Atlantic, navigation is impeded by immense icebergs, which are floated from the polar regions; and although these are generally melted before reaching the frequented parts of the ocean, they have occasionally been met with as far S. as Lat. 40° 45' in the N. Atlantic, and in the vicinity of the Cape of Good Hope in the S. Atlantic Ocean. Atlantic Telegraph. See TELEGRAPH. [s. 57]