The 1999 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

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      Environment—current issues: NA

      Environment—international agreements: party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA

      Geography—note: Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983

      People

      Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: there are only seasonal caretakers

      Government

      Country name:

       conventional long form: Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands

       conventional short form: Ashmore and Cartier Islands

      Data code: AT

      Dependency status: territory of Australia; administered from

       Canberra by the Australian Department of the Environment, Sport, and

       Territories

      Legal system: relevant laws of the Northern Territory of Australia

      Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of Australia)

      Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of

       Australia)

      Flag description: the flag of Australia is used

      Economy

      Economy—overview: no economic activity

      Transportation

      Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only

      Military

      Military—note: defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force

      Transnational Issues

      Disputes—international: none

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

      @Atlantic Ocean———————

      Geography

      Location: body of water between Africa, Europe, Antarctica, and the Western Hemisphere

      Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N, 25 00 W

      Map references: World

      Area:

       total: 82.217 million sq km

       note: includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait,

       Denmark Strait, Drake Passage, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea,

       North Sea, Norwegian Sea, Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and other

       tributary water bodies

      Area—comparative: slightly less than nine times the size of the

       US; second-largest of the world's four oceans (after the Pacific

       Ocean, but larger than Indian Ocean or Arctic Ocean)

      Coastline: 111,866 km

      Climate: tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa near Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can occur from May to December, but are most frequent from August to November

      Terrain: surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark Strait, and Baltic Sea from October to June; clockwise warm-water gyre (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: Puerto Rico Trench −8,605 m

       highest point: in the Milwaukee Deep at 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;

       icebergs from Antarctica occur in the extreme southern Atlantic

       Ocean; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme northern

       Atlantic from October to May and extreme southern Atlantic from May

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

       September

      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

      Environment—international agreements:

       party to: none of the selected agreements

       signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

      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

      Government

      Data code: none; the US Government has not approved a standard for hydrographic codes—see the Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic Data Codes appendix

      Economy

      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).

      Communications

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