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(broad, circular system of currents) in

       the northern Atlantic, counterclockwise warm-water gyre in the

       southern Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic

       Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin

      Elevation extremes:

       lowest point: Milwaukee Deep in the Puerto Rico Trench −8,605 m

       highest point: sea level 0 m

      Natural resources:

       oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand

       and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules,

       precious stones

      Natural hazards:

       icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the

       northwestern Atlantic Ocean from February to August and have been

       spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; ships

       subject to superstructure icing in extreme northern Atlantic from

       October to May; persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to

       September; hurricanes (May to December)

      Environment - current issues:

       endangered marine species include the manatee, seals, sea lions,

       turtles, and whales; drift net fishing is hastening the decline of

       fish stocks and contributing to international disputes; municipal

       sludge pollution off eastern US, southern Brazil, and eastern

       Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Lake

       Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrial waste and

       municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea, North Sea, and

       Mediterranean Sea

      Geography - note:

       major chokepoints include the Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar,

       access to the Panama and Suez Canals; strategic straits include the

       Strait of Dover, Straits of Florida, Mona Passage, The Sound

       (Oresund), and Windward Passage; the Equator divides the Atlantic

       Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean

      Economy Atlantic Ocean

      Economy - overview:

       The Atlantic Ocean provides some of the world's most heavily

       trafficked sea routes, between and within the Eastern and Western

       Hemispheres. Other economic activity includes the exploitation of

       natural resources, e.g., fishing, the dredging of aragonite sands

       (The Bahamas), and production of crude oil and natural gas

       (Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and North Sea).

      Transportation Atlantic Ocean

      Ports and harbors:

       Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona

       (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca (Morocco), Colon

       (Panama), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal), Gdansk (Poland),

       Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands,

       Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille

       (France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal (Canada), Naples (Italy),

       New Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran (Algeria), Oslo (Norway),

       Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam

       (Netherlands), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Stockholm (Sweden)

      Transportation - note:

       Kiel Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway are two important waterways;

       significant domestic commercial and recreational use of Intracoastal

       Waterway on central and south Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of Mexico

       coast of US

      Transnational Issues Atlantic Ocean

      Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral states)

      This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

      ======================================================================

      @Australia

      Introduction Australia

      Background:

       Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia

       about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in

       the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770,

       when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name of Great Britain.

       Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they

       federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new

       country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop

       its agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major

       contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. In recent

       decades, Australia has transformed itself into an internationally

       competitive, advanced market economy. Long-term concerns include

       pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone layer, and management

       and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier

       Reef. A referendum to change Australia's status, from a commonwealth

       headed by the British monarch to a republic, was defeated in 1999.

      Geography Australia

      Location:

       Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific

       Ocean

      Geographic coordinates:

       27 00 S, 133 00 E

      Map references:

       Oceania

      Area:

       total: 7,686,850 sq km

       water: 68,920 sq km

       note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island

       land: 7,617,930 sq km

      Area - comparative:

       slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states

      Land boundaries:

       0 km

      Coastline:

       25,760 km

      Maritime claims:

       territorial sea: 12 nm

       continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

       exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

       contiguous zone: 24 nm

      Climate:

       generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical

       in north

      Terrain:

       mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast

      Elevation extremes:

       lowest point: Lake Eyre −15 m

       highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m

      Natural

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