a powerful ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows across the Atlantic Ocean, traveling along the eastern coast of the United States and past the British Isles. It is one of the major drivers of ocean circulation and climate in the Northern Hemisphere.
The current starts near the Florida Straits, off the east coast of Florida, and travels north along the eastern seaboard of the United States. It then turns east across the Atlantic and splits into two branches near the Grand Banks, one flowing south of Newfoundland and the other north of it. The northern branch then crosses the Atlantic to the British Isles and northern Europe, while the southern branch continues eastward along the Iberian Peninsula, the Mediterranean Sea, and the African coast. From there, it splits again and flows into the Indian Ocean.