More than 170 species of amphibians are found in the Caribbean including poison dart frogs, tree frogs, etc. The caimito (Chrysophyllum cainito) grows throughout the Caribbean. Did you discover a fact in this list about the largest oceans and seas that surprised you? Such storms also have been a major cause of crop failure in the region. When I am not writing, you can find me in front of my TV with a blanket, snacks, and my fur babies. During both its mapping and ROV expedition legs, the ship routinely collects data on seafloor depth, the makeup of the seafloor, and water temperature and chemistry. Ocean is home to over 9,000 species, most are near extinction. Antigua Yacht Club Marina depth; can accomodate yachts with draft in excess of 25ft. The average depth of the Atlantic is 3,646 m, with the deepest part being Milwaukee Deep, which descends to around 8,380 m. The Atlantic Ocean derives its name from Greek mythologys Sea of Atlas. Its roughly 135 million years old, having formed during the Cretaceous period. The yearly average is about eight such storms. km, the Caribbean Sea is bordered by the countries of Colombia, Panama, and Venezuela in the south; by Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula in the west; by the Greater Antilles islands in the north; and by the Lesser Antilles islands in the east. The Caribbean Sea is also massive, with an area of 1,063,000 square miles. Throughout history, the Arabian Sea served as an essential water body for numerous seaports and trade routes. without marginal seas 82. km Average Depth: 8,970 ft., 2,734 m. Greatest Known Depth: Wheatley Point 15,262 ft., 4,652 m. The Arabian Sea sits in the northwest of the Indian Ocean, in a pocket below Pakistan and Oman and to the west of India. Powerful rifting led to the formation of narrow troughs, stretching from modern Newfoundland to the west coast of the Gulf of Mexico which formed siliciclastic sedimentary rocks. The islands are further divided into three distinct island groups: the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Bahamas Archipelago. The surface water colour is blue-green to green. 000, 000 sq km 000, 000 sq mi 000, 000 cu km 000, 000 cu mi m ft. Atlantic Ocean. provide an annual economic value to Caribbean nations of $3.1$4.6 billion. The Cayman Basin is in turn separated from the Colombian Basin by the Nicaraguan Rise. Some of them are Gulf of Venezuela, Golfo de los Mosquitos, Gulf of Honduras etc. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books, Inc. pp. How big is the ocean? Leeward side of lagoons provide areas of growth for sea grasses. Coral reefs fringe most of the islands. Underwater earthquakes pose a threat of generating tsunamis which could have a devastating effect on the Caribbean islands. Live video from a 2013 expedition to deep-sea canyons off the northeast Atlantic coast of the U.S. garnered more than 875,000 views, he said. depth; 21ft capability; it can accomodate yachts in excess of 380ft. The result of the death and dispersal of these tiny plants is called coral bleaching, and can lead to the devastation of large areas of reef. Plunge has significant ecological consequences, Conservation International Caribbean Islands, An Overview of Land Based Sources of Marine Pollution, Reefs at Risk in the Caribbean: Economic Valuation Methodology, Guide to Marine Life: Caribbean-Bahamas-Florida, Defying Ocean's End: An Agenda For Action, Center For Advanced Study on Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, Caribbean Basin Trade and Partnership Act, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caribbean_Sea&oldid=1148478553, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, Articles using infobox body of water without alt, Articles using infobox body of water without pushpin map alt, Articles using infobox body of water without alt bathymetry, Articles containing Spanish-language text, Articles containing Haitian Creole-language text, Articles containing Jamaican Patois-language text, Articles containing Papiamento-language text, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2015, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from June 2017, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 6 April 2023, at 12:01. Treaty on maritime boundaries between the United States of America and the United Mexican States (Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean), . The Caribbean Sea has the world's second largest barrier reef, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. This dataset provides a look at how ocean temperature changes each season through the depths of the ocean. The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. Following the discovery of the islands by Columbus, the area was quickly colonized by several Western cultures (initially Spain, then later England, the Dutch Republic, France, Courland and Denmark). During this session, the public can pose their questions directly to the three experts, who also include Andrea Quattrini, Ph.D., a biologist with U.S. Geological Survey; and Mike Cheadle, Ph.D., a geologist with the University of Wyoming. A lock ( The region is mostly dominated by tropical vegetation and comprises more than 13,000 plant species of which 6,500 plant species are endemic to the region. Following the regions discovery by Columbus, the Caribbean islands began to be colonized by several countries including Spain, Dutch Republic, France, England, Denmark, etc. Surface area, volume, and average depth of oceans and seas. This Caribbean bottom water also enters the Venezuelan Basin, thus introducing high-oxygen water at depths of 5,900 to 9,800 feet (1,800 to 3,000 metres). [31] The black-fronted piping guan is endangered. The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. km, the Atlantic Ocean contains several notable marginal seas. It is broadest in the west and at the head of Kerch Strait but elsewhere forms a rim about 6 to 7 miles (10 to 11 km) wide, and the depth of the edge is usually less than 360 feet (110 metres). During dives that are expected to go as deep as 3.7 miles, a sophisticated unmanned submarine, called a remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, will broadcast live video from the seafloor, allowing anyone with Internet access to watch the expedition as it unfolds. The Caribbean is the setting for countless literary efforts often related to piracy acts and swashbuckling. Its average depth is 1,038 m, with Molloy Deep (its deepest point) descending to about 5,550 m. The Arctic Ocean formed during the Cretaceous Period, about 145-65 million years ago. It runs 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) along the coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. The Wider Caribbean Region is made up of 35 countries and territories The water of the Caribbean is warm, clear and has lower salinity levels than the neighbouring Atlantic. The average depth is about 4,280 m. The volume of the Pacific Ocean reaches up to some 714 million cubic kilometers. It borders several countries in East Africa, Asia, and western Australia. The smallest sea on the planet is the Sea of Marmara, with a total surface area of 11,350 square kilometers. Tourist attractions of the region are those generally associated with a maritime tropical climate: Scuba diving and snorkeling on coral reefs, cruises, sailing, and game fishing at sea. The sea has shipping routes where about 33.33% of the worlds shipping takes place. The area's importance largely results from one-third of the world's shipping sailing through its waters and that it is believed to hold huge oil and gas reserves beneath its seabed. The tropical rainforest climates include lowland areas near the Caribbean Sea from Costa Rica north to Belize, as well as the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, while the more seasonal dry tropical savanna climates are found in Cuba, northern Venezuela, and southern Yucatn, Mexico. Tropical storms reaching a hurricane velocity of more than 75 miles (120 km) per hour are seasonally common in the northern Caribbean as well as in the Gulf of Mexico; they are almost nonexistent in the far south. The Atlantic is home to many seas, islands, gulfs, and bays. The Caribbean has fewer hurricanes than either the western Pacific (where these storms are called typhoons) or the Gulf of Mexico. Thank you for reading! The average depth of the Atlantic Ocean is 12,880 feet (3,926 meters) and the deepest point is the Puerto Rico Trench at -28,231 feet (-8,605 meters). The Arctic Ocean is home to thousands of islands, including the Arctic Archipelago north of Canada. 10m. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS The average depth of this ocean is 3,741 m, deeper than the Atlantic Ocean. Area: 1,491,000 sq. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.. Beginning April 10, scientists aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer will begin a series of 20 dives to investigate previously unseen depths of the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean and the public can follow along online. Global Land One-kilometer Base Elevation (GLOBE) v.1. The deepest points of the sea lie in Cayman Trough with depths reaching approximately 7,686m (25,220ft). In coastal zones there are coconut palms and in lagoons and estuaries are found thick areas of black mangrove and red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle). The South China Sea sits between South China, Indochinese Peninsula, the Philippines, and several islands. Forces producing the Panamanian isthmus and the Antillean arc were vertical, resulting in no ultimate horizontal movement. Connections were established with the Pacific Ocean during the Cretaceous Period (from about 145 to 66 million years ago) but were broken when the land bridges that permitted mammals to cross between North and South America were formed in the Miocene and Pliocene epochs (about 23 to 2.6 million years ago). Copyright 2023. Dunbar. Atlantic deep water is thought to spill into the Caribbean and contribute to the general deep water of its sea. About three-fourths of the area covered by ocean is deep, permanently dark, and cold. they had been visited in the 10th century, List of Caribbean countries by population, "Tsunamis in the Caribbean? The Caribbean Sea has a tropical climate influenced by trade winds. The Caribbean Sea is home to 22 islands and over 1,400 species of marine mammals, fish, and coastal mangroves. Clay minerals appear to have been washed down by the Amazon and Orinoco rivers, as well as by the Magdalena River in Colombia. Surface water temperatures in the Pacific vary from 1.4 C in the poleward areas to about 30 C near the equator. But the facet of Okeanos Explorer expeditions that the public typically gets most excited about, Leonardi said, is its live-streamed ROV explorations. Its average depth of 1,500 m, with its deepest point in Calypso Deep descending to 5,267 m. The Strait of Gibraltar (a narrow waterway) connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. The average depth of the ocean measures about 12,100 feet (3600 meters) or about 2.3 miles down! Situated in the southwestern part of the Gulf, the Sigsbee Deep (Mexico Basin) is the deepest region in the Gulf of Mexico that has an estimated depth of over 4,384m. As many as 40 scientists ashore are expected to participate remotely in the expedition. The South China Sea has over 200 islands, some of which stay submerged. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The American Oceans Campaign is dedicated primarily to the restoration, protection, and preservation of the health and vitality of coastal waters, estuaries, bays, wetlands, and oceans. Over the open sea can be seen frigatebirds and tropicbirds. It has an average depth of 7,220 feet or 2,200 meters. [32] The area also generates a large fishing industry for the surrounding countries, accounting for 500,000 tonnes (490,000 long tons; 550,000 short tons) of fish a year. Following the colonization of the Caribbean islands, the Caribbean Sea became a busy area for European-based marine trading and transports, and this commerce eventually attracted pirates such as Samuel Bellamy and Blackbeard. The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and the deepest recorded point is 5,109 m (16,762 ft) 1 m (3 ft) in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. It runs 1,000km (620mi) along the coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras.[3]. The Atlantic Ocean basin is the 2nd biggest ocean in the world, covering about 20% of the Earths surface. [33], Human activity in the area also accounts for a significant amount of pollution. Caribbean Sea, suboceanic basin of the western Atlantic Ocean, lying between latitudes 9 and 22 N and longitudes 89 and 60 W. It is approximately 1,063,000 square miles (2,753,000 square km) in extent. Geographicus, a seller of fine antique maps, explains: "This is Herman Molls small but significant c. 1732 map of the West Indies. The remainder is the surface water that passed over the Antillean arc at depths of less than 2,600 feet (800 metres). 830 324. The NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer is the only federally funded US ship assigned to systematically explore our largely unknown ocean for the purpose of discovery and the advancement of knowledge. The Caribbean's greatest known depth is Cayman Trench (Bartlett Deep) between Cuba and Jamaica, approximately 25,216 feet (7,686 metres) below sea level . Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [16] A Protocol of the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region came in effect in 1986 to protect the various endangered marine life of the Caribbean through forbidding human activities that would advance the continued destruction of such marine life in various areas. The Yucatn Channel between Mexico and Cuba links the Gulf of Mexico with the Caribbean. Here is the list of All Caribbean Charts marine charts and fishing maps available on iBoating : Caribbean Marine & Fishing App.Marine charts app now supports multiple plaforms including Android, iPhone/iPad, MacBook, and Windows/PC based chartplotter.The Marine Navigation App provides advanced features of a Marine Chartplotter including adjusting water level offset and custom depth shading. The Caribbean Sea is one of the largest seas and has an area of about 2,754,000 km 2 (1,063,000 sq mi). When tropical waters become unusually warm for extended periods of time, microscopic plants called zooxanthellae, which are symbiotic partners living within the coral polyp tissues, die off. 200 3, 330 10, 920. The area is so deep; that the temperatures reach near freezing levels. Caribbean Sea 4 - Caribbean Sea (Average Depth: 8,685 ft) Wiki: The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. Throughout history, the Arabian Sea served as an essential water body for numerous seaports and trade routes. The northernmost of these, the Yucatn Basin, is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by the Yucatn Channel, which runs between Cuba and the Yucatn Peninsula and has a sill depth (i.e., the depth of the submarine ridge between basins) of about 5,250 feet (1,600 metres). While the Southern. It is fed by the westward-flowing North Equatorial Current moving from North Africa to the West Indies. Keep reading to find out! American Oceans, Stingray vs Manta Ray: Their Differences Explained. It has an average depth of 7 meters, with its deepest point descending to only 14 m. Oceans and seas cover approximately 97% of Earths water. That makes this point one of the lowest points on the surface of the Earth, and the Caribbean Sea is the deepest sea (excluding oceans) in the world. There are also some locations that are arid climates with considerable drought in some years. Of all the five oceans, the Pacific is the largest. The Sea is also home to numerous coral reefs, including the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, which is the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world that runs for about 1,000km along the coasts of the countries of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. The sea is one of the largest oil production areas in the world, producing approximately 170million tons[clarification needed] per year. Deposits on the bottom of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico have a thickness of about 1km (0.62mi). From there it divides to fill the Yucatn, Cayman, and Colombian basins at depths near 6,500 feet (2,000 metres). Closer to the shore and shallow waters, you can find dolphins, whales, sharks, and other fish species. Amante, C. and B.W. From its summit to the sea surface over 2100 m. The straits have a depth of more than one and a half kilometers. Let us know. Geologists say the Coral Sea began forming 48-58 million years ago. The hurricane season is from June to November, but hurricanes occur most frequently in September. This public engagement improves science literacy and fosters an interest in the sciences among young people perhaps leading to the next generation of ocean explorers.. Currently this protocol has been ratified by 15 countries. Within the sea, you can find large mammals like dolphins, humpback whales, and. All 170 species of amphibians that live in the region are endemic. Click the numbers to find out more. website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Fear Cay, the eleventh Doc Savage adventure by Lester Dent. The very deepest depth of the ocean is roughly 2,000 meters deeper than Mount Everest is tall36,070 feet deep (10,994 m)! About 12,100 feet ( 800 metres ) vary from 1.4 C in the.! The Lesser Antilles, and cold a Sea of the Earths surface as by the westward-flowing Equatorial... To piracy acts and swashbuckling largest and deepest of Earth & # ;... 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