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Mediterranean Sea
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The Mediterranean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between southern Europe and northern Africa. It is almost entirely enclosed by land; its connection to the Atlantic Ocean is only nine miles wide. It was an important ocean for trade between ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Rome, Greece, Carthage, Persia, and Phoenicia. It was ... home to ancient pirates.
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The Mediterranean Sea is about 2,400 miles long, covers an area of about 965,000 square miles, and is ringed by a winding coastline of peninsulas and mountains. The sea opens to the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar, to the Black Sea through the Dardanelles, and to the Red Sea through the Suez Canal.
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The Mediterranean Sea has a narrow continental shelf. For the origin and history of the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas, see Bombace, 1993. The LME presents a composite structure of environmental conditions, with local areas of upwelling, wind-driven currents, high water temperatures at least in some periods of the year, and nutrient inputs from rivers and human activities (see Caddy, 1993). The major inflow into the Mediterranean is nutrient-poor, oxygenated Atlantic surface water through the Strait of Gibraltar, resulting in generally well-oxygenated bottom waters. Gyres and upwellings contribute to the Adriatic Sea’s high phytoplankton productivity. The highest levels of productivity occur along the coasts, near major cities, and at river estuaries.
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The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500 metres (4,920 ft) and the deepest recorded point is 5,267 meters (about 3.27 miles) in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea. The coastline extends for 46,000 kilometres (28,600 mi). A shallow submarine ridge (the Strait of Sicily) between the island of Sicily and the coast of Tunisia divides the sea in two main subregions (which in turn are divided into subdivisions), the Western Mediterranean and the Eastern Mediterranean. The Western Mediterranean covers an area of about 0.85 million km² (0.33 million sq mi) and the Eastern Mediterranean about 1.65 million km² (0.64 million sq mi).
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The Mediterranean Sea separates Europe from Africa and is an extension of the Atlantic Ocean. This sea is connected to the rest of the Atlantic by the Straits of Gibraltar, and connects to the Black Sea naturally via the Bosporus. Another man made connection, through the Suez Canal, joins the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea (an extension of the Indian Ocean). The Mediterranean Sea is almost completely enclosed by land. Only a narrow channel prevents the sea from being separated from the Atlantic. This mean that the Mediterranean's currents and weather are less severe than the Atlantic's, making navigation on easier.
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The Mediterranean Sea intricately links humans and nature. The rocky sea bottoms anchor algae and invertebrates like corals, molluscs and crustaceans. They act as refuge, feeding and spawning grounds for many species of fish. These fish act as a source of food and/or livelihood for the 150 million resident population of the Mediterranean coasts.
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Mediterranean Sea