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Home Ocean Facts What is the Bermuda Triangle?


WHAT IS THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE?


THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE IS A REGION IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN
IN WHICH SHIPS, PLANES, AND PEOPLE ARE ALLEGED TO HAVE MYSTERIOUSLY VANISHED.



This map shows the general location of the infamous Bermuda Triangle.



For decades, the Atlantic Ocean’s fabled Bermuda Triangle has captured the human
imagination with unexplained disappearances of ships, planes, and people.

Some speculate that unknown and mysterious forces account for the unexplained
disappearances, such as extraterrestrials capturing humans for study; the
influence of the lost continent of Atlantis; vortices that suck objects into
other dimensions; and other whimsical ideas.  Some explanations are more
grounded in science, if not in evidence.  These include oceanic flatulence
(methane gas erupting from ocean sediments) and disruptions in geomagnetic lines
of flux.

Environmental considerations could explain many, if not most, of the
disappearances.  The majority of Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes pass
through the Bermuda Triangle, and in the days prior to improved weather
forecasting, these dangerous storms claimed many ships.  Also, the Gulf Stream
can cause rapid, sometimes violent, changes in weather.  Additionally, the large
number of islands in the Caribbean Sea creates many areas of shallow water that
can be treacherous to ship navigation. And there is some evidence to suggest
that the Bermuda Triangle is a place where a “magnetic” compass sometimes points
towards “true” north, as opposed to “magnetic” north. 

The U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard contend that there are no supernatural
explanations for disasters at sea.  Their experience suggests that the combined
forces of nature and human fallibility outdo even the most incredulous science
fiction. They add that no official maps exist that delineate the boundaries of
the Bermuda Triangle. The U. S. Board of Geographic Names does not recognize the
Bermuda Triangle as an official name and does not maintain an official file on
the area.

The ocean has always been a mysterious place to humans, and when foul weather or
poor navigation is involved, it can be a very deadly place.  This is true all
over the world.  There is no evidence that mysterious disappearances occur with
any greater frequency in the Bermuda Triangle than in any other large,
well-traveled area of the ocean. 

This text of this Ocean Fact was posted on January 4, 2010, and has not been
altered since then.



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MORE INFORMATION


 * Does the Bermuda Triangle really exist? – U.S. Coast Guard




Last updated: 01/18/24
Author: NOAA
How to cite this article



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