Three Gorges Dam
EnergyThe world's largest hydropower station by installed capacity, at 22.5 GW, and the main flood-control structure on the Yangtze.
Yichang, Hubei
Overview
Overview
Atlantic Ocean at a glance
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than the Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). The Kiel Canal (Germany), Oresund (Denmark-Sweden), Bosporus (Turkey), Strait of Gibraltar (Morocco-Spain), and the Saint Lawrence Seaway (Canada-US) are important strategic access waterways. The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth world ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Atlantic Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude.
Area
76.8Mkm²
National Infrastructure
🏳 the Atlantic Ocean’s critical and strategic infrastructure, sustaining output, agility and endurance
The National Infrastructure Index maps the physical assets national life runs on — power stations and grids, water systems, ports, railways and airports, data networks, payment systems and launch sites. Each asset is placed in a Strategic Infrastructure capability group, so it can be read against the ratings in the National Capability index above.
Assets are chosen for how much of the economy and state depends on them and how hard they would be to replace. Each card records what the asset is, the category it belongs to, what it does and where it is.
Placeholder
Example assets. These twenty cards are modelled on China's most critical infrastructure and show on every nation page until each nation's own assets are mapped.
EnergyWater, Sanitation & WasteTransportCommunications & DigitalFinancialSpace, Aerospace & DefenceResourceAgriculture & FoodAdvanced Manufacturing
Critical infrastructure assetsBack to top ↑
Baihetan Hydropower Station
EnergyA 16 GW dam on the Jinsha River, built around sixteen 1 GW turbines, the largest single units in service.
Qiaojia, Yunnan
Changji–Guquan UHVDC Line
EnergyA ±1,100 kV direct-current line carrying 12 GW more than 3,000 km from Xinjiang's power bases to the eastern grid.
Changji, Xinjiang
Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station
EnergyChina's first large commercial nuclear plant, in service since 1994, with much of its output sold to Hong Kong.
Shenzhen, Guangdong
South–North Water Transfer, Middle Route
Water, Sanitation & WasteA canal carrying Yangtze basin water more than 1,400 km north from the Danjiangkou Reservoir to Beijing and Tianjin.
Danjiangkou, Hubei
Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway
TransportThe 1,318 km trunk line between the two largest cities, opened in 2011 and one of the busiest high-speed routes in the world.
Beijing
Port of Shanghai
TransportThe world's busiest container port since 2010, including the automated Yangshan deep-water terminals.
Shanghai
Ningbo-Zhoushan Port
TransportThe world's largest port by cargo tonnage, handling iron ore, crude oil and coal for the eastern industrial belt.
Ningbo, Zhejiang
Beijing Daxing International Airport
TransportThe capital's second international hub, opened in 2019 around one of the largest single terminal buildings in the world.
Beijing
Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge
TransportA 55 km bridge and undersea tunnel system linking the western and eastern shores of the Pearl River Delta, opened in 2018.
Zhuhai, Guangdong
Qinghai–Tibet Railway
TransportThe 1,956 km line from Xining to Lhasa, crossing the Tanggula Pass at 5,072 m, the highest railway in the world.
Lhasa, Tibet
Gui'an National Computing Hub
Communications & DigitalOne of eight national data centre hubs under the East Data, West Computing programme, hosting major cloud providers.
Guiyang, Guizhou
Beijing–Shanghai Quantum Backbone
Communications & DigitalA 2,000 km quantum key distribution trunk line through Jinan and Hefei, completed in 2017 for secure government and bank links.
Hefei, Anhui
Cross-Border Interbank Payment System
FinancialCIPS clears and settles cross-border payments in renminbi, launched in 2015 to extend the currency's international reach.
Shanghai
Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site
Space, Aerospace & DefenceThe coastal launch site for Long March 5 heavy-lift rockets, used for the Tiangong station modules and lunar and Mars missions.
Wenchang, Hainan
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
Space, Aerospace & DefenceChina's first launch site, founded in 1958 in the Gobi Desert, and the base for every crewed Shenzhou mission.
Jiuquan, Gansu
BeiDou Navigation Satellite System
Space, Aerospace & DefenceThe national satellite navigation system, providing global positioning and timing since 2020 from its Beijing control segment.
Beijing
Bayan Obo Mining District
ResourceThe world's largest known rare-earth deposit and the core of China's rare-earth mining and refining supply chain.
Baotou, Inner Mongolia
Dujiangyan Irrigation System
Agriculture & FoodA weir and channel system built around 256 BC that still irrigates much of the Chengdu Plain's farmland.
Dujiangyan, Sichuan
Yangtze Memory Technologies Fab
Advanced ManufacturingChina's leading maker of 3D NAND flash memory, central to the drive for a domestic semiconductor supply.
Wuhan, Hubei
National Developments
🏳 the Atlantic Ocean’s major milestones and key developments
The National Development Index tracks the events that move a nation's capability — policy decisions, technological milestones, economic turns and external shocks — and places each one on the record with the date it happened and what followed from it. It is the narrative counterpart to the indices: where a rating says where the Atlantic Ocean stands, the index says how it arrived there.
Recent developments cover the current cycle, close enough that their consequences are still unfolding. Historical developments are the inflection points behind the present position — the decisions and events a reader needs in order to read the ratings above in context.
GeopoliticalEconomy
Historical Developments
19th–20th centuriesStrategic access waterways shaped Atlantic shipping about 130 years ago
The Kiel Canal in Germany, the Oresund between Denmark and Sweden, the Bosporus in Turkey, the Strait of Gibraltar between Morocco and Spain, and the Saint Lawrence Seaway between Canada and the US are important strategic access waterways, the engineered routes among them completed between 1895 and 1959.
2000The International Hydrographic Organization delimited the Southern Ocean, redrawing the Atlantic's boundary 26 years ago
The IHO's decision in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth world ocean removed the portion of the Atlantic Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude. The Atlantic remains the second largest of the world's five oceans, after the Pacific but larger than the Indian, Southern and Arctic Oceans.
Recent Developments
No developments have been recorded for the current period yet.
Historical Context
🏳 the Atlantic Ocean’s understanding the origins and evolution of the modern nation
BackgroundBack to top ↑
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than the Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). The Kiel Canal (Germany), Oresund (Denmark-Sweden), Bosporus (Turkey), Strait of Gibraltar (Morocco-Spain), and the Saint Lawrence Seaway (Canada-US) are important strategic access waterways. The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth world ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Atlantic Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude.
Geography
🏳 the Atlantic Ocean’s territory, resources and strategic position
Area
76.8Mkm²
Land Boundaries
—
Coastline
111.9Kkm
Maritime Claims
—
Land Use
—
Location and areaBack to top ↑
Location
body of water between Africa, Europe, the Arctic Ocean, the Americas, and the Southern Ocean
Geographic coordinates
0 00 N, 25 00 W
Map references
Political Map of the World
Area
total:76.762 million sq km
includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, part of the Drake Passage, Gulf of Mexico, Labrador Sea, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Norwegian Sea, almost all of the Scotia Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Area — comparative
slightly less than 6.5 times the size of the US
Coastline
111,866 km
Terrain and resourcesBack to top ↑
Terrain
surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark Strait, and coastal portions of the 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
Natural resources
oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, precious stones
Settlement and hazardsBack to top ↑
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; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme northern Atlantic from October to May; persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to September; hurricanes (May to December)
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
OtherBack to top ↑
Elevation extremes
lowest point:Milwaukee Deep in the Puerto Rico Trench -8,605 m
highest point:sea level 0 m
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
🏳 the Atlantic Ocean’s environmental conditions, resources and national resilience
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
—
Methane Emissions
—
Particulate Matter Emissions
—
Total Water Withdrawal
—
Waste and Recycling
—
Conditions and issuesBack to top ↑
Climate
tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa near Cabo Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can occur from May to December but are most frequent from August to November
Critical Technology
🏳 the Atlantic Ocean’s technology frontiers and the pursuit of national advantage
Technology systemsBack to top ↑
GINC data
Capability-group ratings for Critical Technology are part of the GINC National Capability Framework rather than the country factbook. They are published in the National Capability index, and the per-capability detail lives on the capability pages.
Space programmeBack to top ↑
🏳Atlantic Ocean
Objects Launched into Space
Annual number of objects launched into outer space, 1950–2025. The Atlantic Ocean is highlighted; other major launchers are shown in grey.
Atlantic OceanOther major launchers
01K2K3K4K
1950198020002025
Source. UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (2026).
🏳Atlantic Ocean
Cumulative Objects Launched
Cumulative number of objects launched into outer space, 1950–2025. The Atlantic Ocean is highlighted; other major launchers are shown in grey.
Atlantic OceanOther major launchers
05K10K15K20K
1950198020002025
Source. UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (2026).
Strategic Infrastructure
🏳 the Atlantic Ocean’s energy, connectivity and the material foundations of capability
Airports
—
Railways
—
Ports
—
Electricity Access
—
Internet Users
—
TransportBack to top ↑
Transport note
Kiel Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway are two important waterways; significant domestic commercial and recreational use of Intracoastal Waterway on central and south Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of Mexico coast of US; the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of littoral states and offshore Atlantic waters as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea off West Africa; in 2012, 58 commercial vessels were attacked in the Gulf of Guinea with 10 hijacked and 207 crew members taken hostage; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargoes stolen; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen
OtherBack to top ↑
Ports and terminals
major seaport(s):Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca (Morocco), Colon (Panama), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal), Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille (France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal (Canada), Naples (Italy), New Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran (Algeria), Oslo (Norway), Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Stockholm (Sweden)
National Security
🏳 the Atlantic Ocean’s force, intelligence and the defence of the nation
Armed Forces Personnel
—
Military Personnel
—
Military Spending
—
Spending (% of GDP)
—
Armed Forces (% of Labour Force)
—
Human Capital
🏳 the Atlantic Ocean’s population, health and the skills that sustain capability
OtherBack to top ↑
Disputes - international
some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
Information and Influence
🏳 the Atlantic Ocean’s identity, media and the projection of influence
Languages
—
Religions
—
Ethnic Groups
—
Broadcast Media
—
Intl Organisations
—
Production and Innovation
🏳 the Atlantic Ocean’s output, industry and the engine of prosperity
Real GDP (purchasing Power Parity)
—
Real GDP Growth Rate
—
Real GDP per Capita
—
GDP (official Exchange Rate)
—
Labor Force
—
OtherBack to top ↑
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, dredging of aragonite sands (The Bahamas), and production of crude oil and natural gas (Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and North Sea).
Contents
GINC Indices
Foundations
Capability Domains