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
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;
icebergs from Antarctica occur in the extreme southern Atlantic
Ocean; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme northern
Atlantic from October to May and extreme southern Atlantic from May
to October; persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to
September
international agreements: NA
Geographic note: major choke points 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
======================================================================
@Australia ————-
Map —-
Location: 27 00 S, 133 00 E — Oceania, continent between the
Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
Flag ——
Description: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant; the remaining half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars
Geography ————-
Location: Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the
South Pacific Ocean
Geographic coordinates: 27 00 S, 133 00 E