Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land, on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. It covers an approximate area of 2.5 million km² (965 000 mi²). It is also called the Eurafrican Mediterranean Sea or the European Mediterranean Sea in oceanography to distinguish it from other mediterranean seas in the world.

Geography

The Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar on the west and to the Sea of Marmara and Black Sea, by the Dardanelles and the Bosporus respectively, on the east. The Sea of Marmara is often considered a part of the Mediterranean Sea, whereas the Black Sea is generally not. The man-made Suez Canal in the south-east connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea.

Related Topics:
Atlantic Ocean - Strait of Gibraltar - Sea of Marmara - Black Sea - Dardanelles - Bosporus - Suez Canal - Red Sea

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Tides are very limited in the Mediterranean as a result of the narrow connection with the ocean.

Related Topics:
Tide - Ocean

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The Mediterranean climate is generally one of wet winters and hot, dry summers. Special crops of the region are olives, grapes, oranges, tangerines, and cork. The region has a long history of civilization.

Related Topics:
Mediterranean climate - Olive - Grape - Orange - Tangerine - Cork - History

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Large islands in the Mediterranean include:

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• Cyprus, Crete, Euboea and Rhodes in the eastern Mediterranean
• Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, and Malta in the central Mediterranean
• Ibiza, Majorca and Minorca (the Balearic Islands) in the western Mediterranean