Volume 14 Australasia - dana ward's homepage

THE UNIVERSAL GEOGRAPHY.AUSTRALASIA.CHAPTER I.THE OCEANIC HEMISPHERE.OMPARED with the collective body of marine waters, the AtlanticOcean may be regarded as a mere " Mediterranean," or InlandSea. As the "boundless" expanse on which the Greek marinersfirst timidly ventured was found to be a " closed sea," or simplelandlocked basin, according as seafarers gradually explored itscontracted seaboard between Europe and Africa, in the same way the more formidableAtlantic itself, only four centuries ago still held to be limitless, has in itsturn proved to be a mere winding valley between the two halves of the continentallands constituting the Old and the New Worlds. Northwards this deeptrough is separated by Greenland and Iceland from the cavities of the polarwaters ; east and west the shores of Europe and North America, as well as thoseof Africa and South America, roughly correspond in the contours and indentationsof their coastline, which at the narrowest point, between Carabane and CapeSt. Roque, are separated only by an interval of 1,800 miles. But southwards theAtlantic spreads out broadly, here merging in the greater oceanic basin whichencompasses the whole periphery of the globe.Extent and Formation of the Oceanic Basin.Excluding the Atlantic with its lateral inlets and the island-studded and iceobstructedArctic waters encircled by the Asiatic and American seaboards, theVOL. xiv. n