The Mediterranean Sea (pronounced /mdtrenin si/)[a] is a sea connected to the Atlantic

Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin 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 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. In
oceanography, 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. It is located between latitudes 30
and 46 N and longitudes 6 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
(connected by the Dardanelles to the Aegean Sea), 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 travelers 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, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta,
Morocco, Monaco, Montenegro, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey. In addition, Gaza
Strip and the British Overseas Territories of Gibraltar and Akrotiri and Dhekelia have coastlines
on the sea.

Contents
1 Name

2 History

o 2.1 Ancient civilisations

o 2.2 Middle Ages and empires

 o 2.3 21st century and migrations

3 Geography

o 3.1 Extent

o 3.2 Oceanography

o 3.3 Coastal countries

o 3.4 Coastal cities

o 3.5 Subdivisions

3.5.1 Other seas

3.5.2 Other features

o 3.6 10 largest islands by area

o 3.7 Climate

3.7.1 Sea temperature

4 Geology

o 4.1 Tectonics and paleoenvironmental analysis

4.1.1 Messinian salinity crisis