MEDITERRANEAN SEA

The Mediterranean Sea. an intercontinental sea that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean on the west to Asia on the east and separates Europe from Africa. It has often been called the incubator of Western civilization. This ancient sea between the lands occupies a deep, elongated, and almost landlocked irregular depression lying between latitudes 30 and 46 N and longitudes 550 W and 36 E. Its west-east extentfrom the Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco to the shores of the Gulf of Iskenderun on the southwestern coast of Turkeyis approximately 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometres), while its average north-south extent, between the shores of Yugoslavia and Libya, is about 500 miles. The Mediterranean Sea, including the Sea of Marmara, occupies an area of approximately 970,000 square miles (2,510,000 square kilometres). The western extremity of the Mediterranean connects with the Atlantic Ocean by the narrow and shallow channel of the Strait of Gibraltar, which is only eight miles wide at its narrowest point; and the depth of the sill, or submarine ridge separating the Atlantic from the Alborn Sea, is 1,050 feet (320 metres). To the northeast the Mediterranean Sea is connected with the Black Sea through the Dardanelles (with a sill depth of 230 feet), the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Bosporus (sill depth of about 300 feet). To the southeast it is connected with the Red Sea by the Suez Canal. an intercontinental sea situated between Europe to the north, Africa to the south, and Asia to the east. It covers an area, including the Sea of Marmara but excluding the Black Sea, of about 970,000 square miles (2,512,000 square km). To the west the Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar, which at its narrowest point is only 8 miles (13 km) wide and has a relatively shallow channel. To the northeast the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Bosporus link the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea. The Suez Canal connects it with the Red Sea to the southeast. The Mediterranean's greatest recorded depth is in the Ionian Basin south of Greece at 16,800 feet (5,121 m) below sea level. A submarine ridge between the island of Sicily and the African coast divides the Mediterranean Sea into eastern and western parts. The western Mediterranean has three submarine basins separated from each other by submerged ridges, including from west to east, the Alborn, the Algerian, and the Tyrrhenian basins. The Ionian Basin (northwest of which is the Adriatic Sea) and the Levantine Basin (northwest of which is the Aegean Sea) compose the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. Majorca, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Crete, Cyprus, and Rhodes are the largest islands in the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean once was thought to be a remnant of the Tethys Sea, which formerly girdled the Eastern Hemisphere; it is now known to be a structurally younger basin. The sea's continental shelves are relatively narrow. The widest shelf, off the Gulf of Gabes (Qabis) on the eastern coast of Tunisia, extends 170 miles (275 km); the bed of the Adriatic Sea is also mostly continental shelf. The floor of the Mediterranean consists of sediments made up of lime, clay, and sand, under which is blue mud. The sea's coasts are generally steep, rocky, and deeply indented. The Rhne, Po, and Nile rivers have formed the only large deltas in the Mediterranean Sea. The continuous inflow of surface water from the Atlantic Ocean is the sea's major source of replenishment. The most constant component of circulation in the Mediterranean Sea is the current formed by this inflow from the Strait of Gibraltar along the north coast of Africa. The whole Mediterranean basin is tectonically active, and earthquakes are common. The climate is characterized by mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. The air flow into the Mediterranean is through gaps in the mountain ranges, except over its southern shores east of Tunisia. Much of North Africa rarely receives more than 10 inches (250 mm) of rainfall annually, whereas on the rugged Dalmatian coast of Croatia, some areas receive 100 inches (2,500 mm). The low concentration of phosphates and nitrates, necessary for marine pastures, limits the quantity of marine life in the Mediterranean. Small-scale fishing operations predominate, with the most important species including hake, flounder, sole, turbot, sardine, anchovy, bluefin tuna, bonito, and mackerel; shellfish, corals, sponges, and seaweed are also harvested. Overexploitation of the sea's marine resources remains a serious problem. Petroleum deposits have been found off Spain, Sicily, Libya, and Tunisia, and natural gas has been discovered in the Adriatic Sea. Specialty crops of the region include olives, citrus fruits, grapes, and cork. Tourism is a major source of income for many of the countries bordering the Mediterranean. Additional reading General works include Fernand Braudel, The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II, 2 vol. (197273; originally published in French, 2nd rev. ed., 2 vol., 1966); Hlne Ahrweiler, Gographie historique du monde mditerranen (1988), with essays in French, English, German, and Italian; Carl F. Pinkele and Adamantia Pollis (eds.), The Contemporary Mediterranean World (1983), which includes an essay by Baruch Boxer, Environment and Regional Identity in the Mediterranean, pp. 5973; Baruch Boxer, Mediterranean Pollution: Problem and Response, Ocean Development and International Law, 10(34):315356 (1982); Norton Ginsburg, Sidney Holt, and William Murdoch (eds.), The Mediterranean Marine Environment and the Development of the Region (1974); Peter M. Haas, Saving the Mediterranean: The Politics of International Environmental Cooperation (1990); and Oceanus, vol. 33, no. 1 (Spring 1990), a special issue on the Mediterranean. Oceanographic works include a special issue of Marine Geology, vol. 100, no. 14 (1991), Anoxic Basins and Sapropel Deposition in the Eastern Mediterranean, ed. by Maria B. Cita, Gert J. de Lange, and Eric Olausson (1991); C.S. Giam and H.J.-M. Dou (eds.), Strategies and Advanced Techniques for Marine Pollution Studies: Mediterranean Sea (1986); H.J. Minas and P. Nival (eds.), Ocanographie plagique mditerranenne (1988); and A.R. Miller, P. Tchernia, and H. Charnock, Mediterranean Sea Atlas of Temperature, Salinity, Oxygen Profiles, and Data (1970). Baruch Boxer