North Sea summary

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Below is the article summary. For the full article, see North Sea.

Cromarty harbour, northern Scotland, at the mouth of Cromarty Firth, an inlet (via Moray Firth) of the North Sea.

North Sea, Arm of the Atlantic Ocean. Extending south from the Norwegian Sea between Norway and the British Isles, it connects the Skagerrak (channel between Norway and Denmark) with the English Channel. It covers an area of about 220,000 sq mi (570,000 sq km), with depths generally ranging from 120 to 300 ft (37 to 91 m). There are, however, shallower areas in the southwest with depths of less than 100 ft (30 m), as well as some deep trenches in the north and the west with depths exceeding 1,000 ft (300 m). Some parts of the sea feature excellent fishing, while others have extensive oil and natural gas deposits.

Atlantic Ocean, with depth contours and submarine features

Atlantic Ocean Summary

Atlantic Ocean, body of salt water covering approximately one-fifth of Earth’s surface and separating the continents of Europe and Africa to the east from those of North and South America to the west. The ocean’s name, derived from Greek mythology, means the “Sea of Atlas.” It is second in size to