Atlantic Ocean is the world's second largest ocean. Only the Pacific Ocean is bigger. The Atlantic makes up about 26 percent of Earth's ocean area and 17 percent of its total surface area. The Atlantic Ocean contains many special habitats for marine life. It is a rich source of seafood as well as other valuable resources. The Atlantic has been a major avenue for commerce and an active site for exploration for hundreds of years. The islands and coastal regions of the Atlantic are valuable sites for marine recreation and tourism.

The ancient Romans named the Atlantic after the Atlas Mountains. Those mountains rise at the western end of the Mediterranean Sea and, in ancient times, marked one of the limits of the known world. Atlantic probably referred to the fact that the ocean lies beyond the Atlas range.