Bodies of Water That Are Part of the Atlantic Ocean

Oceans

• The Atlantic Ocean merges with the Arctic Ocean via the Smith Sound and Greenland Sea. The Arctic Ocean is the smallest world ocean, encompassing 5.4 million square miles of the North Pole region. The Smith Sound is a water passageway similar to a bay that lies between Greenland and Ellesmere Island, Canada.

  The Pacific Ocean connects with the Atlantic Ocean through the Straits of Magellan, Drake Passage and the Panama Canal. The Pacific Ocean is the Earth's largest ocean, spanning 70 million square miles and covering approximately a third of the world's surface.

  The Atlantic Ocean unites with the Indian Ocean via the Suez Canal, and also at the span between Antarctica and Africa. The Indian Ocean -- previously called the Erythraean Sea -- is the third-largest world ocean, encompassing 28.4 million square miles.

Bays and Gulfs

• The Baffin and Hudson bays deposit into the Atlantic Ocean, as does the Gulf of Mexico. The Baffin Bay is in the same region as the Smith Sound, lying between northeastern Canada and Greenland. Though discovered in 1585, it was named after British explorer William Baffin, who investigated it in 1616.

Seas

• The western region of the Caribbean Sea converges with the Atlantic Ocean. The Caribbean Sea is considered the Central American arm of the Atlantic Ocean, consisting of two main basins and spanning 970,000 square miles.

  The Atlantic Ocean also merges with the Mediterranean, Baltic, Black and North seas in the eastern areas of their expanse. The North Sea is also considered to be an arm of the Atlantic Ocean, occupying the northwestern region of Central Europe and covering 222,000 square miles.

  The Weddell Sea connects with the Atlantic Ocean in the south. The Weddell Sea is referred to as an arm of the Atlantic Ocean, encompassing the areas of southeastern South America and western Antarctica. The Weddell Sea was named for British navigator, James Weddell, who discovered it in 1823.

Rivers

• Some of the largest rivers in the world including the Congo, Mississippi and Amazon all deposit into the Atlantic Ocean. The Congo was previously called the Zaire River, and is the second-longest African river, flowing 2,900 miles in west-central Africa. The Mississippi River is the second-longest river in the United States at 2,350 miles long. The Amazon River in South America is the world's second-longest river at approximately 3,990 miles long.