extends to the encirclingland masses; the ocean floor is about 50% continental shelf (highest
percentage of any ocean) with the remainder a central basin
interrupted by three submarine ridges (Alpha Cordillera, Nansen
Cordillera, and Lomonsov Ridge); maximum depth is 4,665 meters in the
Fram Basin
Natural resources:
sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil
and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales)
Environment:
current issues:
endangered marine species include walruses and whales; fragile
ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or
damage
natural hazards:
ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island;
icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland and extreme
northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually icelocked from
October to June
international agreements:
NA
Note:
major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern access to the
Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); ships subject to superstructure
icing from October to May; strategic location between North America
and Russia; shortest marine link between the extremes of eastern and
western Russia, floating research stations operated by the US and
Russia; maximum snow cover in March or April about 20 to 50
centimeters over the frozen ocean and lasts about 10 months
@Arctic Ocean, Government
Digraph:
XQ
@Arctic Ocean, Economy
Overview:
Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of natural resources,
including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and seals.
@Arctic Ocean, Communications
Ports:
Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (Russia), Prudhoe Bay (US)
Telecommunications:
no submarine cables
Note:
sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes; the Northwest
Passage (North America) and Northern Sea Route (Eurasia) are important
seasonal waterways
@Argentina, Geography
Location:
Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean between
Chile and Uruguay
Map references:
South America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
2,766,890 sq km
land area:
2,736,690 sq km
comparative area:
slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US
Land boundaries:
total 9,665 km, Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km, Chile 5,150 km,
Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km
Coastline:
4,989 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
not specified
territorial sea:
200 nm; overflight and navigation permitted beyond 12 nm
International disputes:
short section of the boundary with Uruguay is in dispute; short
section of the boundary with Chile is indefinite; claims
British-administered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); claims
British-administered South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands;
territorial claim in Antarctica
Climate:
mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest
Terrain:
rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of
Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border
Natural resources:
fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore,
manganese, petroleum, uranium
Land use:
arable land:
9%
permanent crops:
4%
meadows and pastures:
52%
forest and woodland:
22%
other:
13%
Irrigated land:
17,600 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
