Atlantic

The Atlantic is the world's second largest ocean. It is however, is the youngest of the world's oceans. Scientists estimate it's age to be about 200 million years old.

The Atlantic Ocean borders five provinces in Canada:
Newfoundland & Labrador
Nova Scotia
New Brunswick
Prince Edward Island
Quebec

Newfoundland and Labrador's jagged shoreline is approximately 19,300 kilometres long. If it were straightened out, it would stretch almost halfway around the globe!

The Atlantic Ocean has a wider continental shelf than our other oceans. In some places, such as the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, it stretches over 300 km past the coastline! This unique feature of the Atlantic means it is capable of supporting a major offshore fishing industry.

The Atlantic influences major current systems (such as The Gulf Stream) and is the home of the largest tides in the world, in the Bay of Fundy. These tides result in a unique feature in Canada, the Reversing Falls in Saint John New Brunswick.

There is extensive marine traffic in the Atlantic and it is also a focus of Canadian oil and gas interests. To protect these interests, Canadian Waters are patrolled by the Maritime Forces Atlantic as well as the Canadian Coast Guard. The Port of Halifax is the largest port on the east coast of Canada, shipping over 14 million tons of cargo each year. The Port of Saint John and Port of St. John's are other major ports.

These waters are the most historically significant for Canada, as they carried the first explorers to Canada around 1000BC. Several hundred years later, the area was explored by John Cabot. This led to further voyages of discovery by Samuel de Champlain and others.

The Atlantic Ocean was also the site of the longest battle of the Second World War, The Battle of The Atlantic. This Battle lasted for the duration of World War II, spanning six years and cost Canada the lives of approximately 2,000 sailors, 15,000 merchant seaman and 22 Naval Vessels.