GIBRALTAR, STRAIT OF


Meaning of GIBRALTAR, STRAIT OF in English

ancient Fretum Herculeum

Channel, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean.

Lying between southernmost Spain and northwesternmost Africa, it is 36 mi (58 km) long and narrows to 8 mi (13 km) between Point Marroquí (Spain) and Point Cires (Morocco). At the strait's eastern extreme, 14 mi (23 km) apart, stand the Pillars of Hercules , which have been identified as the Rock of Gibraltar and Jebel Musa in Ceuta . It has long been of great strategic and economic importance.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.