Map of the Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of Earth’s five oceans, covering an area of approximately 106,460,000 km² — about 28% of the world’s total ocean area. Its waters reach an average depth of around 3,646 m, the third-deepest of the five oceans, and plunge to about 8,486 m at their deepest point, in the Puerto Rico Trench. It is bordered by North America, South America, Europe and Africa.

It is split into North and South Atlantic basins and is bisected lengthwise by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a submarine mountain range where new ocean floor forms. It separates the Americas from Europe and Africa. By greatest depth it has the second-greatest maximum depth of the five oceans, while by surface area it ranks 2nd. By surface area it is about 64% the size of the Pacific, the largest ocean.

Oceans are the largest bodies of water on the planet and together cover the majority of its surface. Under the five-ocean model used on this site, the global ocean is divided into the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Arctic oceans. The figures above are widely cited approximate values (CIA World Factbook / NOAA); exact measurements vary with how each basin’s boundaries are drawn. Use the interactive map to pan across the Atlantic Ocean and the coasts that frame it, or compare it with the other oceans.