LESSON

The Atlantic Ocean is a very big ocean, the second largest in the world. It covers about 20% of Earth's surface and is positioned between the Americas to the west and Europe/Africa to the east. The Atlantic holds about 310 to 321 million cubic kilometers of water. The deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean is 27,493 feet (8,380 meters) in the Puerto Rico Trench, and the Atlantic is actually named after the Titan Atlas from Greek mythology; it is known as the "Sea of Atlas." The Atlantic is considered the saltiest of the major oceans in the world. The Atlantic ocean is actually expanding; scientists say it grows about 1.5 inches per year because of tectonic plates under the surface. A unique feature that the Atlantic Ocean has is actually a mid-ocean ridge, which is an underwater mountain chain that runs north to south.

A map of the Atlantic Ocean