Editing Atlantic Ocean (section)

== Extent and data ==
{{For|complete lists of marginal seas and borders of the Atlantic|List of seas#Atlantic Ocean|Borders of the oceans#Atlantic Ocean}}
{{For|the extent of the Southern Ocean|Southern Ocean#Definitions and use}}
The [[International Hydrographic Organization]] (IHO) defined the limits of the oceans and seas in 1953,<ref name="IHO-1953">{{Harvnb|IHO|1953}}</ref> but some of these definitions have been revised since then and some are not recognized by various authorities, institutions, and countries, for example the [[CIA World Factbook]]. Correspondingly, the extent and number of oceans and seas vary.

The Atlantic Ocean is bounded on the west by North and South America. It connects to the Arctic Ocean through the [[Labrador Sea]], [[Denmark Strait]], [[Greenland Sea]], [[Norwegian Sea]] and [[Barents Sea]] with the northern divider passing through [[Iceland]] and [[Svalbard]]. To the east, the boundaries of the ocean proper are Europe and Africa: the [[Strait of Gibraltar]] (where it connects with the [[Mediterranean Sea]]{{snd}}one of its [[marginal sea]]s{{snd}}and, in turn, the [[Black Sea]], both of which also touch upon Asia).

In the southeast, the Atlantic merges into the Indian Ocean. The [[20th meridian east|20° East meridian]], running south from [[Cape Agulhas]] to [[Antarctica]] defines its border. In the 1953 definition it extends south to Antarctica, while in later maps it is bounded at the [[60th parallel south|60° parallel]] by the Southern Ocean.<ref name="IHO-1953" />

The Atlantic has irregular coasts indented by numerous bays, gulfs and seas. These include the [[Baltic Sea]], [[Black Sea]], [[Caribbean Sea]], [[Davis Strait]], [[Denmark Strait]], part of the [[Drake Passage]], [[Gulf of Mexico]], [[Labrador Sea]], [[Mediterranean Sea]], [[North Sea]], [[Norwegian Sea]], almost all of the [[Scotia Sea]], and other tributary water bodies.<ref name="CIA-World">{{Harvnb|CIA World Factbook: Atlantic Ocean}}</ref> Including these marginal seas the coast line of the Atlantic measures {{cvt|111866|km}} compared to {{cvt|135663|km}} for the Pacific.<ref name="CIA-World" /><ref>{{Harvnb|CIA World Factbook: Pacific Ocean}}</ref>

Including its marginal seas, the Atlantic covers an area of {{cvt|106460000|km2}} or 23.5% of the global ocean and has a volume of {{cvt|310410900|km3}} or 23.3% of the total volume of the Earth's oceans. Excluding its marginal seas, the Atlantic covers {{cvt|81760000|km2}} and has a volume of {{cvt|305811900|km3}}. The North Atlantic covers {{cvt|41490000|km2}} (11.5%) and the South Atlantic {{cvt|40270000|km2}} (11.1%).<ref name="ETOPO1">{{Harvnb|Eakins|Sharman|2010}}</ref> The average depth is {{cvt|3646|m}} and the maximum depth, the [[Milwaukee Deep]] in the [[Puerto Rico Trench]], is {{cvt|8376|m||abbr=}}.<ref>{{Harvnb|USGS: Mapping Puerto Rico Trench}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fivedeeps.com/home/expedition/atlantic/|title=Atlantic Ocean|website=Five Deeps Expedition|language=en-GB|access-date=24 January 2020|archive-date=26 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326161207/https://fivedeeps.com/home/expedition/atlantic/|url-status=live}}</ref>