Mediterranean Sea

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"Mediterranean" redirects here. For the oceanographical term, see Mediterranean sea
(oceanography). For other uses, seeMediterranean (disambiguation).
"Mediterranea" redirects here. For the 2015 film, see Mediterranea (film).

Mediterranean Sea[a]

Map of the Mediterranean Sea

35N 18ECoordinates:

Coordin

35N 18E

ates
Type

Sea

Primary Atlantic, Sea of Marmara,Nile, Ebro, Rhne, Chelif, Po

inflows
Basin co about 60 [show]
untries

Surface

2,500,000 km2(970,000 sq mi)

area
Average

1,500 m (4,900 ft)

depth
Max.

5,267 m (17,280 ft)

depth
Water

3,750,000 km3(900,000 cu mi)

volume
Residenc 80-100 years[2]
e time

Islands

3300+

Settleme Alexandria, Algiers, Athens,Barcelona, Beirut, Carthage,Du

nts

brovnik, zmir, Rome,Tangier, Tel Aviv, Tripoli,Tunis

The Mediterranean Sea (pronounced /mdtrenin si/)[a] is a sea connected to the Atlantic
Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the
north by Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by
the Levant. The sea is sometimes considered a part of the Atlantic Ocean, although it is usually
identified as a separate body of water.
The name Mediterranean is derived from the Latin mediterraneus, meaning "inland" or "in the
middle of the land" (from medius, "middle" and terra, "land"). It covers an approximate area of 2.5
million km2 (965,000 sq mi), but its connection to the Atlantic (the Strait of Gibraltar) is only 14 km
(8.7 mi) wide. The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the
Mediterranean Sea and separates Gibraltar and Spain in Europe from Morocco in Africa.
Inoceanography, it is sometimes called the Eurafrican Mediterranean Sea or the European
Mediterranean Sea to distinguish it from mediterranean seas elsewhere.[3][4]
The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and the deepest recorded
point is 5,267 m (17,280 ft) in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea. The sea is bordered on the
north by Europe, the east by Asia, and in the south by Africa, is located between latitudes 30
and 46 N and longitudes 550 W and 36 E. Its west-east length,from the Strait of Gibraltar to
the Gulf of Iskenderun, on the southwestern coast of Turkey, is approximately 4,000 km (2,500
miles). The sea's average north-south length, from Croatias southern shore to Libya, is
approximately 800 km (500 miles). The Mediterranean Sea, including the Sea of Marmara, has a
surface area of approximately 2,510,000 square km (970,000 square miles). [5]
The sea was an important route for merchants and travellers of ancient times that allowed for
trade and cultural exchange between emergent peoples of the region. The history of the
Mediterranean region is crucial to understanding the origins and development of many modern
societies.
The countries with coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea are Albania, Algeria, BosniaHerzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta,Morocc
o, Monaco, Montenegro, Northern Cyprus (recognized only by
Turkey), Palestine,Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Turkey, and Tunisia. In addition, Gibraltar and Akrotiri
and Dhekelia are British Overseas Territories with coastlines on the sea.