Mediterranean Sea

Essay by Brandon Charles Seychell

The Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea has been one of the world's most important trade routes since ancient times. Many early civilisations, including those of Egypt, Greece, Phoenicia and Rome, developed along its shores. Today, the islands and coastal areas of the Mediterranean rank among the most popular tourist attractions in the world.

Location and size

The Latin word Mediterranean means in the middle of land, and land almost completely surrounds the Mediterranean Sea. Europe lies to the north, Asia to the east and Africa to the south.

On the west, the Strait of Gibraltar connects the Mediterranean with the Atlantic Ocean. Another strait, the Dardanelles, links the Mediterranean on the east with the sea of Marmara, the Bosporus and the Black Sea. On the south-east, the Isthmus of Suez separates the Mediterranean and Red seas. The Suez Canal, an artificial waterway, crosses this thin strip of land. Ships sail through the canal between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.

The Mediterranean covers about 2,510,000km2. The Black Sea, which is sometimes considered as part of the Mediterranean, has an area of about 507,900km2. Several other arms of the Mediterranean are large enough to be called seas. They include the Adriatic, Aegean, Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas. The Mediterranean has a maximum length of about 3,540km, between the Strait of Gibraltar and Iskenderun, Turkey. The widest part lies between Libya and Yugoslavia, a distance of about 970km. The seabed

An underwater ridge between Sicily and Tunisia divides the Mediterranean into two basins. The eastern basin is deeper than the western one. The sea has an average depth of 1,500m. It reaches its greatest depth – 5,093m – in a depression called the Hellenic Trough that lies between Greece and Italy.

Earthquakes occur frequently throughout the Mediterranean region, especially in Greece and western Turkey. Volcanic action formed many of the islands in the Mediterranean Sea. A few volcanoes still erupt in the area. They include Mount Etna, Stromboli and Vesuvius. One of the greatest eruptions in history occurred in the

Aegean Sea around 1470 B.C. The explosion removed about 80km2 of the Greek island of Thira (formerly called Santorini). Some scholars believe that this eruption may have destroyed the Minoan civilisation on Crete.

Earth scientists explain the earthquakes and volcanic activity by the theory of plate tectonics. According to this theory, the earth's crust consists of about a dozen rigid plates that are in slow, continuous motion. The two plates that carry the European and African continents are drifting toward each other. Their motion squeezes and stretches the earth's crust in the Mediterranean region, causing earthquakes and volcanoes.

Economic Importance

The warm climate, beautiful scenery and historical importance of the Mediterranean region attract millions of tourists yearly. The region includes such popular resort areas as the Greek islands, the French and Italian rivieras and Adriatic coast of Yugoslavia.

The Mediterranean has little large scale commercial fishing, but it is an important source of food for the people of the region. The chief seafood from the Mediterranean Sea includes anchovies, sardines, shrimp and tuna. The Mediterranean serves as an important waterway that links Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Ships use the Suez Canal as a route between the Mediterranean and Red seas.

The Water

The water of the Mediterranean comes mostly from the Atlantic Ocean and the Black Sea. Several large rivers also empty into the Mediterranean. The largest include the Ebro of Spain, the Nile of Egypt, the Po of Italy, and the Rhône of France. The Nile has contributed less water in 1964, when the Aswan High Dam in Egypt began partly blocking its flow.

The warm, dry climate gives the sea a high rate of evaporation. As a result, the water of the Mediterranean is saltier than that of the Atlantic.

The Mediterranean has almost no tides. A strong current flows into the Mediterranean from the Black Sea. Another current flows in from the Atlantic through the Striate of Gibraltar. In the days of sailing ships, this Atlantic current made it difficult for vessels to reach the ocean from the Mediterranean. Beneath the surface current, a deeper current of dense salty water flows from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.

Coastline and Islands

Many bays and inlets indent the coastline of the Mediterranean. Several large peninsulas, including Italy and the Balkan Peninsula, jut out into the sea. Along most of the coast, rugged hills rise sharply from the water. Egypt and Libya have flatter coastal areas, with plains lying next to the sea.

2 Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean, covers 25,708km . Other large islands include, in order of size, Sardinia, Cyprus, Corsica and Crete.

Climate

The temperature at the surface of the Mediterranean averages about 16°C. In summer, the surface temperature may reach 27°C. Even in winter, it seldom drops below 4°C. The water varies little in temperature in the middle depths and near the bottom. It stays between 13° and 15°C throughout the year.

The tremendous volume of warm water helps give the land surrounding it a warm, subtropical climate. Most Mediterranean countries have hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. These conditions provide what has become known as a “Mediterranean climate”, even when they occur elsewhere. Two Mediterranean countries, Egypt and Libya, have tropical climates.

A hot wind known as the sirocco blows across the Mediterranean from Africa toward southern Europe. A cold, dry wind called the mistral blows the other way, from France out over the sea. References

• The World Book Encyclopaedia