What is the name of the sea between africa and europe

Mediterranean Sea

The term “Mediterranean” is derived from the Latin word Mediterraneus, where Medius means middle/between and Terra means land/earth. The sea was named Mare Magnum or Mare Internum by the ancient Romans. The Mediterranean Sea is also often referred to as the “Eurafrican Mediterranean Sea” by oceanographers due to its location between the continents of Asia and Europe.

Where Is The Mediterranean Sea?

The Mediterranean Sea is bordered by the continent of Europe in the north; by Asia in the east and by Africa in the south. In the west, the Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the narrow Strait of Gibraltar. In the extreme northeast, it is connected to the Black Sea via the Dardanelles Strait, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosporus Strait. The Mediterranean Sea is also connected to the Red Sea via the Suez Canal in the southeast. Some of the significant countries that are located along the Mediterranean Sea are Greece, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, etc.

Geography

The Strait of Messina in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Mediterranean Sea extends for about 4,000 km (west to east) from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Gulf of Iskenderun on Turkey’s southwestern coast. The sea has an average depth of about 1,500 m and a maximum depth of 5,267 m at its deepest point, the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea. A large number of rivers drain into the Mediterranean Sea including the Ebro, Rhone, Po, Nile, Tiber, etc. Several studies have indicated that the Mediterranean Sea waters are more saline compared to the waters of the Atlantic. Nevertheless, there is a continuous movement of water from the Atlantic into the Mediterranean and vice versa through the Strait of Gibraltar.

A 316 m-deep submarine ridge situated between Sicily and the African coast divides the Mediterranean Sea into eastern and western portions. The western portion of the Mediterranean Sea is further subdivided into three major submarine basins. These are the Alborán Basin, the Algerian Basin, and the Tyrrhenian Basin. The eastern portion of the Mediterranean Sea is subdivided into two principal basins: the Ionian Basin and the Levantine Basin. There are many major subdivisions of the Mediterranean Sea. These include the Aegean Sea, Adriatic Sea, Alboran Sea, Ionian Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, Ligurian Sea, Balearic Sea, and Strait of Gibraltar. In addition to these, there are some other seas such as the Sea of Sardinia, Sea of Sicily, Libyan Sea, Cilician Sea, and the Levantine Sea. The Aegean Sea is further subdivided into the Sea of Crete, the Thracian Sea, the Myrtoan Sea, and the Icarian Sea.

The Mediterranean Sea experiences a typical Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers and mild and rainy winters.

Brief History

Ancient Greek ruins overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

The Mediterranean Sea basin was formed during the Late Triassic and the early Jurassic periods due to the convergence of the African and Eurasian plates. Geological evidence indicates that about 5.6 million years ago, during the Messinian salinity crisis, the Mediterranean Sea became mostly desiccated by evaporation and due to the closing of the Strait of Gibraltar. About 5.33 million years ago as a result of the Zanclean flood, the Atlantic waters rapidly refilled the basin to form the present Mediterranean Sea.

The Mediterranean Sea has been regarded as the birthplace of Western civilization. Many ancient civilizations such as the Phoenicians, Ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire were located along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Since ancient times, the Mediterranean Sea has served as an important transportation route and has influenced all the important civilizations that have occupied its shores. It is believed that when the Persian King Darius I conquered Ancient Egypt, he had built a canal that connected the Mediterranean with the Red Sea.

Wildlife

A Mediterranean seahorse.

The Mediterranean Sea hosts an amazing diversity of marine wildlife. Some of the significant marine animals that are found here include loggerhead turtles; different species of sharks and rays like giant devil ray, shortfin mako shark, and Maltese skate; the Mediterranean monk seal, and many species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Numerous commercial marine fishes such as bluefin tuna, grouper, sea bass, sardines, anchovy, and hake are also found here. However, all these species of fishes are threatened with extinction due to severe overfishing.

Economy

The port of Byblos, Lebanon is a popular tourist destination.

The areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea contain some of the world’s famous tourist destinations. Tourism thus accounts for a major source of income for the coastal Mediterranean countries. Major cities like Alexandria, Rome, Venice, Beirut, Athens, Marseille, Tel Aviv, etc are located along the Mediterranean Sea. The sea and the regions surrounding it are also very economically viable through fishing and agriculture.

Map of the Mediterranean Sea and surrounding countries.

Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea, a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, lies between the continents of Eurasia and Africa enclosed almost completely by land. It is bounded on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia; and it joins with the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar only eight miles (13 kilometers) wide and 1,050 feet (320 meters) deep. The surface area of the Mediterranean Sea is approximately 965,000 square miles (2.5 million square kilometers). In oceanography, the Mediterranean Sea is sometimes called the Eurafrican Mediterranean Sea or the European Mediterranean Sea, to distinguish it from mediterranean seas elsewhere.

To the northeast the Mediterranean Sea is connected with the Black Sea through the Dardanelles (with a sill depth of 230 feet), the Sea of Marmara, which is often considered to be part of the Mediterranean Sea, and the strait of the Bosporus (sill depth of about three hundred feet). To the southeast it is connected with the Red Sea by the man-made Suez Canal.

Historically, the warm and temperate climate of the Mediterranean Sea region allowed numerous ancient peoples to establish themselves and flourish, developing traditions of philosophy, art, literature, and medicine which lie at the roots of modern Western and Middle Eastern culture. For the entire region, the Sea itself was the most important route for merchants and travelers of ancient times, allowing for trade and cultural exchange between emergent peoples of the region—the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Semitic, Persian, Phoenician, Carthaginian, Greek and Roman cultures. Knowledge of the history of the Mediterranean is crucial to understanding the origins and development of many modern societies.

Contents

In the past few centuries, human activity has brought about irreversible changes in the ecology and geology of the Mediterranean Sea. Bordered by more than 20 countries and territories depending on it as a crucial part of their economy, the Sea is strategically positioned to serve as a test ground for developing strategies of multinational collaboration in exploiting and managing a shared aquatic resource.

The term Mediterranean derives from the Latin mediterraneus, “inland” (medius, “middle” + terra, “land, earth”). To the ancient Romans, the Mediterranean was the center of the Earth as they knew it.

The Mediterranean Sea has been known by a number of alternative names throughout human history. It was, for example, commonly called Mare Nostrum (Latin, “Our Sea”), and occasionally Mare Internum by the Romans (Sallust, Jug. 17). The Greeks named it Mesogeios (Μεσόγειος), meaning inland, interior (μεσο, “middle” + γαιος, “land, earth”). [1] In the Old Testament, on the west coast of the Holy Land, and therefore behind a person facing the east, it is called the «Hinder Sea,» sometimes translated as «Western Sea,» (Deut. 6:24; Joel 2:20), and also the «Sea of the Philistines» (Exod. 12:81), because that people occupied a large portion of its shores near the Israelites. Mostly, however, it was the «Great Sea» (Num. 34:6, 7; Josh. 1:4, 9:1, 15:47; Ezek. 47:10, 15, 20), or simply «The Sea» (1 Kings 5:9). In Hebrew, it is called HaYam HaTikhon (הַיָּם הַתִּיכוֹן), «the middle sea,» a literal adaptation of the German equivalent Mittelmeer. In Turkish, it is Akdeniz, «the white sea.» In Arabic, it is Al-Baħr Al-Abyad Al-Muttawasit (البحر الأبيض المتوسط), «the middle white sea.»

Geography and Climate

Large islands in the Mediterranean include Cyprus, Crete, Euboea, Rhodes, Lesbos, Chios, Kefalonia and Corfu in the eastern Mediterranean; Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, and Malta in the central Mediterranean; and Ibiza, Majorca and Minorca (the Balearic Islands) in the western Mediterranean.

The Mediterranean climate is generally one of wet winters and hot, dry summers. Crops of the region include olives, grapes, oranges, tangerines, and cork.

Oceanography

The character of the Mediterranean Sea is determined by the fact that it is nearly landlocked. As a result of the narrow connection with the Atlantic Ocean, tides are very limited. The Mediterranean is characterized by its imposing deep blue color, especially around the Greek islands.

Salinity and currents

Evaporation greatly exceeds precipitation and river runoff in the Mediterranean, affecting the water circulation within the basin. [2] The quantity of fresh water flowing into the Mediterranean from rivers is only one-third of the amount lost through evaporation. Evaporation is especially high in its eastern half, causing the water level to decrease and salinity to increase eastward. [3] This imbalance causes a pressure gradient which draws relatively cool, low-salinity water from the Atlantic across the basin; it warms and becomes saltier as it travels east, then sinks in the region of the Levant and circulates westward, to spill over the Strait of Gibraltar. [4] Thus, seawater flow is eastward in the strait’s surface waters, and westward below; once in the open ocean, this chemically-distinct «Mediterranean Intermediate Water» can persist thousands of kilometers away from its source. [5]

Salinity in the surface waters of the Mediterranean is about 38 parts per thousand, except in the area closest to the Atlantic, and approaches 40 parts per thousand in the eastern Mediterranean during the summer. Salinity of the deep water is about 38.4 parts per thousand.

The Mediterranean has three layers of water masses; a surface layer, an intermediate layer, and a deep layer that sinks to the bottom. Measurements of the rate at which the deep layer forms and sinks, and studies of heat and water exchange in the Mediterranean provide useful models for understanding the impact of global climactic change on the world’s oceans.

Water on the surface of the Mediterranean circulates in separate counterclockwise movements in each of the two basins. The complexity of the northern coastline and the numerous islands cause many eddies and local currents. Tides, although their range is significant only in the Gulf of Gabes and the northern Adriatic, complicate the currents in narrow channels such as the Strait of Messina.

Water temperature

Areas of the Mediterranean closer to the equator are hotter in temperature. The Gulf of Sidra, off the coast of Libya, has the highest water temperatures of about 88 °F (31°C) in August, followed by the Gulf of Iskenderun with 86°F (30°C). The extreme north of the Adriatic has the lowest surface temperatures; the mean temperature in February falls to 41°F (5°C) in the Gulf of Trieste, and ice occasionally forms in winter.

Bordering Countries

Twenty-one modern states have a coastline on the Mediterranean Sea. They are:

Several other territories also border the Mediterranean Sea (from west to east):

Macedonia, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, and the Vatican, although they do not border the sea, are often considered Mediterranean countries in a wider sense due to their Mediterranean climate, fauna and flora, and their cultural affinity with other Mediterranean countries.

Subdivisions

The Mediterranean Sea is subdivided into a number of smaller seas, each with its own designation (from west to east):

Many of these smaller seas feature in local myth and folklore and derive their names from these associations. In addition to the seas, a number of gulfs and straits are also recognized:

Geology

The geology of the Mediterranean is complex, involving the break-up and then collision of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates, and the Messinian Salinity Crisis in the late Miocene when the Mediterranean dried up.

The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 4,920 feet (1,500 meters) and the deepest recorded point is 17,280 feet (5,267 meters) in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea. The coastline extends for 27,600 miles (46,000 kilometers). A shallow submarine ridge underlying the Strait of Sicily, which separates the island of Sicily and the coast of Tunisia, divides the sea in two main subregions, the Western Mediterranean and the Eastern Mediterranean. The Western Mediterranean covers an area of about 328,100 square miles (850,000 square kilometers) and the Eastern Mediterranean about 637,000 square miles (1.65 million square kilometers). The western section has three submarine basins, the Alborán, the Algerian, and the Tyrrhenian basins (from west to east), divided from one another by submerged ridges. The eastern section is made up of the Ionian Basin (northwest of which is the Adriatic Sea) and the Levantine Basin (northwest of which is the Aegean Sea).

Geodynamic history

The Mediterranean was once thought to be the remnant of the Tethys Ocean. Studies conducted since the 1970s, however, have suggested that the present Mediterranean seafloor is not part of the older (200 million years) Tethys floor. It is now known to be a structurally younger ocean basin (44 million years) known as Neotethys. Neotethys formed during the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic rifting of the African and Eurasian plates.

The geodynamic evolution of the Mediterranean Sea was driven by the convergence of European and African plates. Geologic data suggests that there are at least six main areas where the Africa and Eurasian plates collide, resulting in volcanism, mountain building, and land submergence. The Mediterranean also hosts wide extensional basins and migrating tectonic arcs, in response to its land-locked configuration.

Eastern Mediterranean: in middle Miocene times roughly 20 million years ago, the collision between the Arabian microplate and Eurasia led to the separation between the Tethys and the Indian Ocean. This process brought about profound changes in the oceanic circulation patterns, which shifted global climates toward colder conditions. Since that collision, the Hellenic Arc, which has a land-locked configuration, underwent a widespread extension. During the Pleistocene, the Hellenic Arc experienced a rapid rotation phase, with a counterclockwise component in its eastern portion and a clockwise trend in the western segment.

Central Mediterranean: over the last thirty million years, trench migration and the opening of back arcs caused the formation of the small oceanic basins of the central Mediterranean. This phase was characterized by the counter-clockwise rotation of the Corsica-Sardinia block, which lasted until the Langhian (c. 16 million years ago), and was followed by a slab detachment along the northern African margin. Subsequently, a shift of this active extensional deformation led to the opening of the Tyrrenian basin.

Western Mediterranean: Since the Mesozoic, during convergence between Africa and Iberia in the western Mediterranean developed the Betic-Rif mountain belts. The tectonic model for its evolution includes rapid movement of the Alboran microplate subduction zone and radial extensional collapse, caused by convective removal of lithospheric mantle. The development of these intramontane Betic and Rif basins led to the onset of two marine gateways which were progressively closed during the late Miocene by an interplay of tectonic and glacio-eustatic processes.

Records of Paleoclimatic variations

Because of its peculiar latitudinal position and its land-locked configuration, the Mediterranean is especially sensitive to astronomically-induced climatic variations, which are well documented in its sedimentary record. During dry periods, eolian dust blown from the Sahara Desert is deposited in the Mediterranean, while deposits of detrital mud washed in by rivers prevail during wet periods. Because of this, geological studies of the layers of rock under the Mediterranean which bear marine sapropel (dark-colored sediments containing organic matter) provide us with high-resolution climatic information for the time periods when those sediments were deposited. These data have been employed in reconstructing astronomically calibrated time scales for the last nine million years of Earth’s history. The exceptional accuracy of these paleoclimatic records has improved our knowledge on the Earth’s orbital variations in the past.

Paleoenvironmental Analysis

The semi-enclosed configuration of the Mediterranean Sea makes the oceanic gateways critical in controlling circulation and environmental evolution. Water circulation patterns are driven by a number of interactive factors, such as climate and the sea floor terrain, which can lead to precipitation of evaporites. During late Miocene times, a so-called “Messinian Salinity Crisis” occurred, which was triggered by the closure of the Atlantic gateway. Evaporites accumulated in the Red Sea Basin (late Miocene), in the Carpattian foredeep (middle Miocene) and in the whole Mediterranean area (Messinian).

An accurate age estimate of the Messinian Salinity Crisis (5.96 million years ago) has recently been astronomically achieved; furthermore, this event seems to have occurred synchronously. The Messinian Salinity Crisis is presumed to have been triggered by tectonic action; however an astronomical influence (eccentricity) might also have been involved. In the Mediterranean basin, diatomites are regularly found underneath the evaporitic deposits, suggesting a connection between their geneses.

The present-day Atlantic gateway, the Strait of Gibraltar, originated in the early Pliocene. In the past there were two other connections between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, the Betic Corridor (southern Spain) and the Rifian Corridor (northern Morocco). The former closed during Tortonian times, provoking a “Tortonian Salinity Crisis” long before the before the Messinian Salinity Crisis. The Rifian Corridor closed about six million years ago, allowing exchanges of mammal species between Africa and Europe.

Ecology

The drying of the sea during the Messinian Salinity Crisis eliminated most of the marine life of that period, and the current marine biota of the Mediterranean are derived primarily from the Atlantic Ocean. The North Atlantic is considerably colder and more nutrient-rich than the Mediterranean, and the marine life of the Mediterranean has had to adapt to its differing conditions in the five million years since the basin was reflooded.

Threats to the ecology of the Mediterranean

In the last few centuries, humankind has altered Mediterranean geology by digging canals, re-routing rivers and building structures all along the coastlines, exacerbating and changing erosional patterns. Historically, large seasonal inflows from the Nile, which reduced the salinity of coastal waters, were part of an essential cycle influencing the hydrology and the productivity of the fisheries of the southeastern part of the Mediterranean. The construction of the Aswan High Dam in 1970 put an end to this seasonal fluctuation of the Nile’s discharge into the Mediterranean.

Mismanagement of beaches and overuse of the sea’s natural and marine resources continue to be a problem. Industrial pollution and chemical pollution from boats is another threat. Recently the amount of raw sewage being dumped directly into the Mediterranean every year has reached over one million tons. Many marine species have almost disappeared, such as the Mediterranean monk seal, which has been identified as one of the top ten endangered species in the world.

Migration of Invasive Species

The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 created the first saltwater passage between the Mediterranean and Red seas. The Red Sea is higher than the Eastern Mediterranean, so the canal serves as a tidal strait that pours Red Sea water into the Mediterranean. The Bitter Lakes, which are hypersaline natural lakes that form part of the canal, blocked the migration of Red Sea species into the Mediterranean for many decades, but as the salinity of the lakes gradually equalized with that of the Red Sea, the barrier to migration was removed, and plants and animals from the Red Sea have begun to colonize the eastern Mediterranean. The Red Sea is generally saltier and more nutrient-poor than the Atlantic, so the Red Sea species have advantages over Atlantic species in the salty and nutrient-poor Eastern Mediterranean. Accordingly, Red Sea species invade the Mediterranean biota, and not vice versa; this phenomenon is known as the Lessepsian migration (after Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French engineer) or Erythrean invasion. The construction of the Aswan High Dam across the Nile River in the 1960s reduced the inflow of freshwater and nutrient-rich silt from the Nile into the eastern Mediterranean, making conditions there even more like the Red Sea, and worsening the impact of the invasive species.

Notes

References

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Mediterranean Sea

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Mediterranean Sea, an intercontinental sea that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean on the west to Asia on the east and separates Europe from Africa. It has often been called the incubator of Western civilization. This ancient “sea between the lands” occupies a deep, elongated, and almost landlocked irregular depression lying between latitudes 30° and 46° N and longitudes 5°50′ W and 36° E. Its west-east extent—from the Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco to the shores of the Gulf of Iskenderun on the southwestern coast of Turkey—is approximately 2,500 miles (4,000 km), and its average north-south extent, between Croatia’s southernmost shores and Libya, is about 500 miles (800 km). The Mediterranean Sea, including the Sea of Marmara, occupies an area of approximately 970,000 square miles (2,510,000 square km).

The western extremity of the Mediterranean Sea connects with the Atlantic Ocean by the narrow and shallow channel of the Strait of Gibraltar, which is roughly 8 miles (13 km) wide at its narrowest point; and the depth of the sill, or submarine ridge separating the Atlantic from the Alborán Sea, is about 1,050 feet (320 metres). To the northeast the Mediterranean is connected with the Black Sea through the Dardanelles (with a sill depth of 230 feet [70 metres]), the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Bosporus (sill depth of about 300 feet [90 metres]). To the southeast it is connected with the Red Sea by the Suez Canal.

English Online

The Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a body of water that is almost completely surrounded by land. It lies between three continents: Europe to the north, Asia to the east and Africa to the south. Africa. It stretches over 2,500 miles (4000 km) from Gibraltar to Israel. The Mediterranean is connected to the Atlantic through a 14 km wide strait, where Europe and Africa meet. The Suez Canal links it to the Red Sea and the Bosporus to the Black Sea.

The Mediterranean Sea covers an area of over 2.5 million square kilometers (950 000 square miles). It is divided into different parts by islands and peninsulas. The Aegean is the sea between Greece and Turkey, the Adriatic Sea lies between Italy and the Balkan Peninsula and the Tyrrhenian Sea is between Italy and its western islands.

The Mediterranean region is often called the cradle of civilization because many early cultures and civilizations developed along its shores.

Map of the Mediterranean Sea

Geology

The Mediterranean Sea was formed through movements of the Earth’s plates. When the ancient landmass of Pangaea broke apart about 250 million years ago a huge ocean, the Tethys, evolved around its middle. This ocean extended to the north of today’s Alps and to the east as far as the Ural Mountains. When Africa and Europe started moving towards each other this ocean became smaller. The Mediterranean Sea is what is left of this large ancient ocean.

Geologists think that the Mediterranean dried up several times in the last few million years because the Strait of Gibraltar closed and reopened, allowing water from the Atlantic to flow in.

Today the whole Mediterranean region is still very active. Earthquakes hit the Balkans, Italy and Turkey regularly. The region’s volcanoes, for example Mt. Etna and Stromboli, are among the most active in Europe. Mount Vesuvius became known for its famous eruption in 79 A.D. which wiped out the Roman town of Pompeii.

Climate

The Mediterranean region has a special climate that can be found in other parts of the world, like South Africa or southeastern Australia. The summers are very hot and dry with almost no rain at all, while winters are mild and rainy.

Water of the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1 500 meters or over 5,000 feet.
The Po, Nile, Rhone and Ebro are the largest rivers that flow into the sea. They all create deltas because there are no currents that carry the water away. Tides are not as strong as they are in the Atlantic Ocean. The difference between high and low tide is only about 0.5 meters.

Because of its hot climate much water evaporates and the sea has a higher concentration of salt than other oceans, especially in the eastern part where the water temperature is also higher.

Economy

The Mediterranean attracts millions of tourists every year. About one third of global tourism takes place here. Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey rely on tourism for a large part of their yearly income.

Although it is very dry during the summer months, farming plays an important role in the region. Olives, oranges and grapes are grown. The Mediterranean is the world’s most important wine-growing region. Apart from that farmers grow other crops, especially wheat and barley. A small part of the coastal population earns their money by fishing.

Recently, natural gas and oil have been discovered in the Aegean Sea, causing a conflict between Greece and Turkey.

History

Ancient cultures in Greece, Egypt and Rome and Phoenicia developed along the shores of the Mediterranean region. The people of these civilizations not only traded with others but sailed over the calm seas to enlarge their territories through warfare.

Environmental Problems in the Mediterranean Region

Environmental problems are a big challenge to the future of the Mediterranean region.

Climate change and global warming could raise the sea level of the Mediterranean as much as 60 cm and, thus, flood parts of the Nile Delta or the city of Venice.

Pollution has become widespread along the coasts of the Mediterranean as tourism dumps thousands of tons of sewage into the sea each year.

Although many coastal areas and small islands of the Mediterranean depend on tourism as a main source of income it has also driven animal life away from the shores. Sea turtles are in danger of becoming extinct because tourists take away their nesting places.

The Mediterranean is one of the world’s busiest shipping routes. Oil is carried through tankers from the Middle East to ports in Italy and France. Leaky tankers and washing containers at sea contribute to water pollution of the Mediterranean. Some ships carry heavy metals and other poisonous material.

Overfishing has also become a problem in the Mediterranean region. Over 60% of all fish species are in danger of dying out.

Recently, the countries surrounding the Mediterranean region have been moving closer together in an attempt to protect the region.

Geography of the Mediterranean Sea

Steve Juvetson / Flickr / CC-2.0

The Mediterranean Sea is a large sea or body of water that is located between Europe, northern Africa, and southwestern Asia. Its total area is 970,000 square miles (2,500,000 sq km) and its greatest depth is located off the coast of Greece at around 16,800 feet (5,121 m) deep. The average depth of the sea, however, is about 4,900 feet (1,500 m). The Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the narrow Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco. This area is only about 14 miles (22 km) wide.

The Mediterranean Sea is known for being an important historic trade path and a strong factor in the development of the region around it.

History of the Mediterranean Sea

The region around the Mediterranean Sea has a long history that dates back to ancient times. For example, Stone Age tools have been discovered by archeologists along its shores and it is believed that the Egyptians began sailing on it by 3000 B.C.E. Early people of the region used the Mediterranean as a trade route and as a way to move to and colonize other regions. As a result, the sea was controlled by several different ancient civilizations. These include the Minoan, Phoenician, Greek, and later the Roman civilizations.

In addition, the opening of the Suez Canal the Mediterranean Sea also became an important strategic location for many European nations and as a result, the United Kingdom and France began building colonies and naval bases along its shores. Today the Mediterranean is one of the busiest seas in the world. Trade and shipping traffic is prominent and there is also a significant amount of fishing activity in its waters. In addition, tourism is also a large part of the region’s economy because of its climate, beaches, cities, and historic sites.

Geography of the Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a very large sea that is bounded by Europe, Africa, and Asia and stretches from the Strait of Gibraltar on the west to the Dardanelles and the Suez Canal on the east. It is almost completely enclosed aside from these narrow locations. Because it is almost landlocked, the Mediterranean has very limited tides and it is warmer and saltier than the Atlantic Ocean. This is because evaporation exceeds precipitation and runoff and circulation of the sea’s waters does not occur as easily as it would if were more connected to the ocean, however enough water flows into the sea from the Atlantic Ocean that is water level does not fluctuate much.

Geographically, the Mediterranean Sea is divided into two different basins—the Western Basin and the Eastern Basin. The Western Basin extends from the Cape of Trafalgar in Spain and the Cape of Spartel in Africa in the west to Tunisia’s Cape Bon in the east. The Eastern Basin stretches from the eastern boundary of the Western Basin to the coasts of Syria and Palestine.

In total, the Mediterranean Sea borders 21 different nations as well as several different territories. Some of the nations with borders along the Mediterranean include Spain, France, Monaco, Malta, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Morocco. It also borders several smaller seas and is home to over 3,000 islands. The largest of these islands are Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Cyprus, and Crete.

The topography of the land surrounding the Mediterranean Sea is varied and there is an extremely rugged coastline in is northern areas. High mountains and steep, rocky cliffs are common here, though in other areas the coastline is flatter and dominated by desert. The temperature of the Mediterranean’s water also varies but in general, it is between 50 F and 80 F (10 C and 27 C).​

Ecology of and Threats to the Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea has a large number of different fish and mammal species that are mainly derived from the Atlantic Ocean. However, because the Mediterranean is warmer and saltier than the Atlantic, these species have had to adapt. Harbor porpoises, Bottlenose Dolphins, and Loggerhead Sea Turtles are common in the sea.

There are a number of threats to the biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea, though. ​Invasive species are one of the most common threats as ships from other regions often bring in non-native species and Red Sea water and species enter the Mediterranean at the Suez Canal. Pollution is also a problem as cities on the coasts of the Mediterranean have dumped chemicals and waste into the sea in recent years. Overfishing is another threat to the Mediterranean Sea’s biodiversity and ecology as is tourism because both are putting strains on the natural environment.