A review is given of the observed and model-simulated interannual fluctuations of the coupled atmosphere-ocean system accompanying El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) episodes. Emphasis is placed on the role of the atmospheric circulation as a `bridge' linking ENSO signals in the tropical Pacific to variations in other ocean basins. Of particular interest is the evolution of sea surface temperature anomalies in the Indo-Western Pacific (IWP) sector in the year after major ENSO events. It is demonstrated that the altered oceanic conditions in IWP in turn lead to extratropical atmospheric perturbations with a notable degree of zonal symmetry. The latter changes are often coincident with precipitation and temperature anomalies over extensive land areas.