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Atlantic Ocean Facts & Worksheets

The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of all the oceans in the world. It has an area of about 106,460,000 square kilometers (41,100,000 square miles).

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The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of all the oceans in the world. It has an area of about 106,460,000 square kilometers (41,100,000 square miles). It divides the Old World and the New World, and comprises almost 20 percent of the Earth‘s surface.

See the fact file below for more information on the Atlantic Ocean or alternatively, you can download our 23-page Atlantic Ocean worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Introducing the Atlantic Ocean

  • An ocean is a large body of saltwater. The oceans of the world cover approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contain 97% of Earth’s water.
  • The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world’s five oceans. 
  • It has an area of about 41,100,000 sq mi (106,460,000 km2).
  • The Atlantic Ocean covers approximately 20% of Earth’s surface and almost 30% of its water surface area.
  • It stretches from the Arctic Circle to Antarctica and is bordered by Europe and Africa to the east and the Americas to the west. 
  • The Equator divides the Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic and South Atlantic, and each has distinct ocean currents. These currents influence weather around the world.

History of the Atlantic Ocean

  • The Atlantic Ocean’s name originated from the Greek word “Atlantikos.”
  • “Atlantikos” and “Atlantic Ocean” were just used for the North Atlantic Ocean until the middle of the 19th century.
  • Among all the oceans in the world, the Atlantic Ocean is regarded to be the youngest.
  • The Atlantic Ocean came into existence around 130 million years ago when the Americas, Africa, and Europe began to separate from each other.

Geography and Climate of the Atlantic Ocean

  • The Atlantic Ocean is bordered by the Arctic Ocean in the north, by the Southern Ocean in the south, and by the Indian Ocean in the southeast.
  • The Puerto Rico Trench is the lowest point in the Atlantic Ocean. It is eight and a half thousand meters deep. It can be found near the borderline of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
  • The Atlantic Ocean is divided by the Equator into two regions which are referred to as the North Atlantic and the South Atlantic.
  • The North Atlantic Ocean separates Europe and the Americas, which are referred to as the “Old World” and the “New World.”
  • The North Atlantic is informally dubbed “The Pond” by the Irish and the British, thus the idiom “across the pond.”
  • There’s a large area in the South Atlantic Ocean between the tips of South America and South Africa called the “Roaring Forties”. The roaring forties were named by the sailors who first entered areas between latitudes 40° and 50° south in the Southern Hemisphere, where gale-force winds blow persistently throughout the year.
  • The Atlantic Ocean is where the popular Bermuda Triangle can be found. This is where many ships, airplanes, and boats are believed to have wrecked or oddly vanished.
  • The Atlantic Ocean is the world’s saltiest sea, with a salt level varying anywhere between 33 to 37 parts every thousand.
  • The average depth of the Atlantic Ocean is 10,000 feet.
  • The climate of the Atlantic Ocean is both cold and hot.
  • The Panama Canal, which is a man-made link between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, has its opening located in the Caribbean Sea.
  • The Atlantic Ocean is six times the overall area of the entire United States.

Interesting Facts about the Atlantic Ocean

  • The Atlantic Ocean is the world’s most productive fishing grounds. Some of the main species of fish that are captured include mackerel, cod, haddock, and herring.
  • The Atlantic Ocean has a huge number of natural petroleum deposits and gas fields.
  • The South Atlantic Ocean used to be called the Aethiopian Sea until the mid-1800s.
  • The Sargasso Sea, which is dubbed as the world’s only sea without a shore, is found entirely within the Atlantic Ocean.
  • The Atlantic Ocean surrounds a total of 91 countries. Most of them are found in the Caribbean (27 countries) and Africa (27 countries).
  • The Atlantic is so deep that scientists have to operate with sonar waves to survey its ocean floor.
  • A mountain range called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is found underwater in the Atlantic Ocean and runs for 10,000 miles.
  • Greenland has a total land area of 2.16 million square kilometers, making it the biggest island in the Atlantic Ocean.
  • The Atlantic Ocean was the first ocean to have been successfully traveled across by ship and airplane.
  • Icebergs commonly form from February to August in the northwestern Atlantic, Denmark Strait, and Davis Strait.
  • Surtsey is the only island in the Atlantic Ocean that was formed through volcanic activity in 1963. The island is now deemed a World Heritage Site.
  • In 1938, a species of fish that is believed to have been extinct for nearly 60 million years, the coelacanth, was caught in the South Atlantic Ocean.
  • Early civilizations were scared of cruising across the Atlantic Ocean. The belief back then was that the Earth was flat and the Strait of Gibraltar was the end of the Earth.
  • The Atlantic Ocean has four trenches that flow further than the ocean’s average depth of 10,000 feet. These trenches are called the Puerto Rico Trench, the Laurentian Abyss, the Romanche Trench, and the South Sandwich Trench.
  • Tropical cyclones that arise in the Atlantic Ocean are the ones that cause hurricane season every year. These hurricanes affect Central America, the eastern USA, and some areas of the Caribbean.
  • Amelia Earhart is known as the first woman to have traveled across the Atlantic Ocean by airplane. She achieved this venture in 1928.

Did You Know?

  • The Atlantic Ocean has both natural and artificial reefs. The natural Florida Reef is 160 miles (257 km) long, making it one of the world’s largest coral reefs. 
  • An artificial reef exists where the U.S. Navy ship Spiegel Grove was sunk in 2002, and this reef is a popular spot for divers. The tropical climate of Florida provides shelter for a huge variety of sea creatures in the reef. 
  • The Atlantic Ocean has important waterways, including the Straits of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco. This narrow strait connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.
  • Big cities on the Atlantic Ocean include Lisbon, Casablanca, Cape Town, Sao Paolo, and Miami.
  • Major seaports of the Atlantic Ocean are Rotterdam, Hamburg, New York, Buenos Aires, and Colon. 
  • The scientific study of the oceans is Oceanography.
  • An oceanographer is a person who studies the geology, chemistry, and biology of oceans.
  • Plant life in the Atlantic Ocean is prolific and differs in cold and warm regions. Algae thrive in warm regions, as do seaweeds such as kelp, sargassum, dulse, and moss. 
  • The Atlantic is also home to a variety of sponges, sea anemones, mollusks, crabs, and sea turtles. 
  • Coral reefs are present, mainly in the Caribbean, but are far fewer than in the Pacific Ocean. 
  • Hundreds of ships have sunk in deadly navigational channels in parts of the Atlantic Ocean. An area referred to as the Graveyard of the Atlantic lies off the coast of North Carolina, where an estimated 5,000 ships have sunk.
  • Probably the most well-known ship to sink in the Atlantic Ocean was the Titanic which sank in 1912.
  • Over the centuries, thousands of lighthouses were built to mark dangerous coastlines, hazardous reefs, and safe entries into harbors. A lighthouse is a tower/building designed to emit light from a system of lenses/lamps as a navigational aid to sailors and their ships.  

Atlantic Ocean Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Atlantic Ocean across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Atlantic Ocean worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Atlantic Ocean, which is the second largest of all the oceans in the world. It has an area of about 106,460,000 square kilometers (41,100,000 square miles). It divides the Old World and the New World, and comprises almost 20 percent of the Earth’s surface.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

  • Atlantic Ocean Facts
  • Locate the Waters
  • Atlantic Word Search
  • Defining the Atlantic
  • Special Names
  • Fishing For Drawings
  • Amelia Adventures
  • Bermuda Warning
  • Trench Talk
  • Defining Terms
  • The Atlantic Song

Frequently Asked Questions

What is unique about the Atlantic Ocean?

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest ocean on and drives our weather patterns, including hurricanes. For centuries the Atlantic Ocean has been a key avenue of both trade and travel. It is also home to many fascinating creatures, including sea turtles and dolphins. 

Are there islands in the Atlantic Ocean?

There are many islands in the Atlantic Ocean, including an archipelago which is a chain or group of islands. Some are large and well-known, like the Bahamas and the Canary Islands. However, there are some that are uninhabited due to being remote and/or inaccessible.

Are the waters of the Atlantic Ocean cold or warm?

The Atlantic Ocean is vast, and the temperatures of the Atlantic Ocean depend on the location and the ocean’s currents. In the polar regions, the temperature is around 28 degrees Fahrenheit (-2 degrees Celsius), whereas, in coastal regions nearer to the Equator, the water reaches a temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius).

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Link will appear as Atlantic Ocean Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, November 26, 2018

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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