Hospitable countries and the best resorts of the Mediterranean. Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is considered intercontinental. It washes Europe, Africa, Asia and is connected to the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar (length 65 km, minimum width 14 km). The area of the water surface of the intercontinental reservoir is 2.5 million square meters. km. The average depth is 1540 m. Max Depth reaches 5267 m in the Ionian Sea, near the city of Pylos in southern Greece. The volume of water is 3.84 million cubic meters. km.

The length of the sea from west to east is 3800 km. The most south point The reservoir is located in Africa in the Gulf of Sirte. The northernmost in the Adriatic Sea. The western one is in Gibraltar, and the eastern one is in Iskanderun Bay (southern Turkey).

Taking into account its shape, the intercontinental reservoir is divided into 2 basins. Western from Gibraltar to Sicily, and eastern from Sicily to the coast of Syria. The minimum width of sea waters is 130 km and runs between Cape Granitola (Sicily) and Cape Bona (Tunisia). Maximum Width is equal to 1665 km between Trieste (a city in Italy) and Greater Sirte (a bay on the coast of Libya).

To the pool mediterranean sea include such seas as Marmara, Black and Azov. Communication with them is carried out through the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus. Through the Suez Canal, a huge body of water is connected to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

The intercontinental reservoir itself has its own inland sea - the Adriatic. It is located between the Apennine and Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic Sea is connected to the main waters by the Strait of Otranto, 47 km wide.

Mediterranean coast

Geography

Countries

The waters of a huge reservoir are washed by countries in which peoples with completely different cultures and mentalities live.

On the European coast there are such states as Spain (population 47.3 million people), France (66 million people), Italy (61.5 million people), Monaco (36 thousand people), Malta (453 thousand people ), Slovenia (2 million people), Croatia (4.4 million people), Bosnia and Herzegovina (3.8 million people), Montenegro (626 thousand people), Albania (2.8 million people), Greece (10.8 million people), Turkish Eastern Thrace (7.8 million people).

The following states are located on the African coast: Egypt (82.3 million people), Libya (5.6 million people), Tunisia (10.8 million people), Algeria (38 million people), Morocco (32.6 million people), Spanish Ceuta and Melilla (144 thousand people).

On the Asian coast there are such states as Turkey in Asia Minor (68.9 million people), Syria (22.5 million people), Cyprus (1.2 million people), Lebanon (4.2 million people), Israel (8 million people), Sinai peninsula Egypt (520 thousand people).

Seas

The huge reservoir has its own seas. Their names and borders were formed historically many centuries ago. Let's look at them from west to east.

Sea Alboran located in front of the Strait of Gibraltar. It is 400 km long and 200 km wide. Depth varies from 1000 to 1500 meters.

Balearic Sea washes eastern part Iberian Peninsula. It is separated from the main body of water by the Balearic Islands. Its average depth is 770 meters.

Ligurian Sea located between the islands of Corsica and Elba. Washes France, Italy and Monaco. The average depth is 1200 meters.

Tyrrhenian Sea splashing at west coast Italy. Limited to islands such as Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily. It's deep tectonic basin with a depth of 3 thousand meters.

Adriatic Sea lies between the Balkan and peninsula. Washes Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy. In the northern part, the depth of the reservoir is only a few tens of meters, but in the south it reaches 1200 meters.

ionian sea located south Adriatic Sea between the Apennine and Balkan Peninsulas. It washes the shores of Crete, Peloponnese, Sicily. The average depth corresponds to 2 km.

Aegean Sea located between Asia Minor and the Balkan Peninsula, from the south it is bounded by the island of Crete. Connects through the Dardanelles to the Sea of Marmara. The depth ranges from 200 to 1000 meters.

Cretan Sea located between Crete and the Cyclades archipelago. The depth of these waters varies from 200 to 500 meters.

Libyan Sea located between Crete and North Africa. The depth of these waters reaches 2 thousand meters.

Cyprus Sea located between Asia Minor and northern African coast. This is the warmest and sunniest part of the Mediterranean. Here the depth reaches 4300 meters. This reservoir is conditionally divided into the Levantine and Cilician seas.

Mediterranean Sea on the map

Rivers

Large rivers flow into the Mediterranean Sea such as the Nile (the second longest river in the world), the largest Po river in Italy with a length of 652 km, Italian river Tiber with a length of 405 km, the most big river Spain Ebro (910 km) and Rhone (812 km), flowing through Switzerland and France.

Islands

There are many islands. These are Cyprus, Crete, Euboea, Rhodes, Lesvos, Lemnos, Corfu, Chios, Samos, Kefalonia, Andros, Naxos. All of them are located in the eastern part of the Mediterranean. In the central part there are such islands as Corsica, Sicily, Sardinia, Malta, Cres, Korcula, Brac, Pag, Hvar. In the western part are Balearic Islands. These are 4 large islands: Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca, Formentera. Near them are small islands.

Climate

The climate is strictly specific, Mediterranean. It is characterized by hot and dry summers and mild winters. In winter, there are frequent storms and rains at sea. Dominate local winds bora and mistral. Summer is characterized by clear weather, minimal cloudiness and light precipitation. There are fogs. Sometimes there is a dusty haze, which is carried out of Africa by the sirocco wind.

The average winter temperature in the southern part of the reservoir is 14-16 degrees Celsius. In the northern part of the reservoir, it is equal to 8-10 degrees Celsius. In summer, the average temperature in the north is 22-24 degrees Celsius, and in the south, respectively, 26-30 degrees Celsius. The minimum precipitation occurs in August, and the maximum is observed in December.

View of the Mediterranean Sea from space

sea level rise

Experts predict that by 2100 the level of the Mediterranean waters may rise by 30-60 cm. As a result, most of the island of Malta will disappear. 200 sq. km in the Nile Delta, which will force 500 thousand Egyptians to leave their ancestral lands. Salt levels in groundwater will increase, which will reduce the amount drinking water throughout the Mediterranean coast. In the 22nd century, the level sea water may rise another 30-100 cm. This will cause significant economic, political and natural changes in the Mediterranean.

Ecology

IN last years extremely high pollution of sea water was observed. According to the UN, 650 million tons of sewage, 129 tons of mineral oils, 6 tons of mercury, 3.8 tons of lead, 36 thousand tons of phosphates were annually discharged into the Mediterranean Sea. Many sea views are on the verge of destruction. This primarily concerns white-bellied seals and sea turtles. At the bottom there is a huge amount of garbage. They cover most of the seabed.

Environmental problems have hit fisheries. Fish such as bluefin tuna, hake, swordfish, red mullet, sea bream are on the verge of extinction. From year to year, the size of commercial catches decreases. Tuna has been fished in the Mediterranean for thousands of years, but stocks are currently extremely low. Over the past 20 years, they have decreased by 80%.

Tourism

Unique climate, beautiful coastline, rich history and culture attract millions of tourists to the Mediterranean every year. Their number is one third of all tourists in the world. Hence the great economic importance of tourism for the region.

But large financial flows cannot justify the degradation of the marine and coastal environment. Huge crowds of tourists pollute mediterranean coast. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that visitors from all over the world are concentrated in areas where there is the highest level natural resources. All this causes irreparable damage to flora and fauna. Their destruction and destruction will reduce the flow of tourists. Those will begin to look for new places on the planet, where again it will be possible to destroy the unique gifts of nature with impunity.

The Mediterranean Sea is located between Europe, Asia Minor and Africa. It is surrounded on all sides by land, with the exception of two narrow straits - Strait of Gibraltar(connects the Mediterranean Sea with the North Atlantic) and the Bosphorus (connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Black Sea) - and the Suez Canal (connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea).

area of the mediterranean sea 2965.5 thousand km2, Average depth 1500 m; the deepest (5092 m) is the depression of the Ionian Sea, located to the west of the Peloponnese peninsula (part of the Hellenic depression). The shallow threshold of the Strait of Sicily and the narrow Strait of Messina divide the Mediterranean Sea into two parts - eastern and western (and, accordingly, into two basins). The boundaries of the seas that make up the Mediterranean Sea are set arbitrarily.

In the western part of the Mediterranean Sea there are the Alboran, Balearic, Ligurian and Tyrrhenian seas, in the eastern part - the Adriatic, Ionian, Aegean and Marmara, located between the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus. The Mediterranean Sea is characterized by numerous small islands, especially in the Aegean and Ionian Seas.

Most major islands : Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, Corsica and Crete. The main rivers flowing into the Mediterranean Sea are the Rhone, the Nile and the Po. The waters of the rivers that flow into the Black Sea enter the Mediterranean Sea through the Bosporus and Dardanelles.

Bottom relief

The Mediterranean Sea has many morphological features characteristic of the ocean basin. Continental shallows are rather narrow (less than 25 miles), moderately developed. Continental slopes are usually very steep and cut by submarine canyons. canyons Cote d'Azur France and West Bank Corsica are among the most studied.

Alluvial fans are located at the foot of the mainland near the large deltas of the Rhone and Po rivers. The alluvial fan of the Rhone extends out to sea towards the Balearic abyssal plain. This abyssal plain with an area of over 78 thousand km2 occupies most western basin.
The steepness of the slopes of this plain suggests that the deposition of sediments brought by turbidity flows from the Rhone occurs to a large extent through channels that cut through the alluvial fan. However, sedimentary material to some extent comes to the Balearic abyssal plain from the canyons of the Côte d'Azur and the canyons of the North African coast (Algeria region).

In the Tyrrhenian Sea there is a central abyssal plain with several small plateaus, on which the highest seamount rises 2850 m above the seabed (depth above the mountain 743 m). There are many other seamounts in this sea; on the mainland slopes of Sicily and Calabria, the peaks of some of them rise above the surface of the sea and form islands. Soil cores taken from the central abyssal plain clearly show layers of ash that correspond to historical volcanic eruptions on the Apennine Peninsula.

Bottom morphology the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea differs markedly from the bottom morphology of the western basin. In the western basin, apart from a small abyssal plain in the center of the Ionian Sea, other large areas with horizontally lying and not deformed terrigenous sediments were not found. Extensive areas of the bottom represent either a complexly dissected median ridge or a series of collapsed depressions located along an arc parallel to the Hellenic archipelago.

deep sea trenches stretch from the Ionian Islands and pass south of the islands Crete and Rhodes in the Gulf of Antalya (Hellenic Depression). The greatest depth of the Mediterranean Sea - 5092 m - has one of these depressions with a flat bottom (filled with sediments). Precipitation began to fill another depression south of the island of Rhodes (depth 4450 m).

There are well-developed channels on the Nile alluvial fan, which form a large branched system. The channels lead to a very narrow abyssal plain located at the base of the alluvial fan, in contrast to the western basin of the Mediterranean Sea, where the Rhone alluvial fan feeds the large Balearic abyssal plain. At present, the narrow abyssal plain at the base of the Nile fan is actively deforming; some of its sections are a median ridge, or a series of collapsed depressions located along an arc parallel to the Hellenic archipelago. Apparently, in the recent past, the process of sedimentation was slower than the tectonic deformation of large parts of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Hydrological regime. The Mediterranean Sea is surrounded by countries with a dry climate. As a result, the amount of evaporation significantly exceeds the amount of precipitation and river flow. The emerging water deficit is replenished through the Strait of Gibraltar by the inflow of North Atlantic surface waters. An increase in the salinity of water due to evaporation causes an increase in its density. The denser water sinks deeper; thus, the western and eastern basins are filled with a homogeneous and relatively warm water mass.

temperature and salinity deep and intermediate waters fluctuate within very small limits: from 12.7 to 14.5 ° C and from 38.4 to 39 prom.

water circulation

North Atlantic surface water, entering the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar, move along the coast of North Africa and gradually spread over the surface of the Mediterranean Sea; part of the waters extends into the Lugirian Sea, part into the Tyrrhenian Sea. There, cooling due to evaporation and the influence of dry polar air masses coming from Europe, the waters sink, forming a certain type of water mass in the western Mediterranean. North Atlantic waters through the Strait of Sicily also enter the eastern sector of the Mediterranean Sea. where some of them deviate north into the Adriatic Sea. As a result of evaporation, they also cool here and sink to a depth. North Atlantic waters sporadically overflow through the threshold of the Strait of Otranto, forming a deep water mass in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The distribution of dissolved oxygen in the deep waters of the Ionian Sea testifies to their counterclockwise circulation.

The North Atlantic waters remaining on the surface, now very much changed by evaporation, continue to move into eastbound to the island of Cyprus, where they dive during the winter months.

North Atlantic surface waters, bearing a large number of dissolved salts must eventually return to the North Atlantic, since the salinity of the Mediterranean Sea does not increase over time.

Outflow of water from the Mediterranean Sea occurs through the threshold of the Strait of Gibraltar at a depth below the incoming flow (300 m). Mediterranean water leaving the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar, despite the higher temperature, is much more saline and denser than the Atlantic, which is at the same level. As a result, Mediterranean water, having entered the Atlantic Ocean, flows down the continental slope until, at a depth of 1000 m, it meets Atlantic deep water of the same density. The Mediterranean water then rises and spreads to the north, south and west, forming a layer that is southwardly detectable in the Atlantic for several thousand miles.

Biogenic elements. The waters of the Mediterranean Sea are poor in biogenic elements. Phosphates in them are much less than in waters. North Atlantic. This is explained by. that the waters from the North Atlantic enter the Mediterranean Sea through a shallow sill, so that only the North Atlantic surface waters, which are themselves severely depleted, pass through the Mediterranean. The accumulation of nutrients in deep waters is also prevented by the continuous outflow of waters returning back through the Strait of Gibraltar. For complete ventilation of the entire Mediterranean basin through the removal of water, about 75 children are required.

Tides in the mediterranean predominantly semidiurnal. The eastern and western basins have separate systems of standing waves. In the Adriatic Sea, there is a progressive (progressive) tide of about 1 m moving around the aifidromic point located near the center of the Mediterranean Sea. At other points in the Mediterranean, the tide is about 30 cm.

Bottom sediments near the coast they include the following components: 1) carbonates, consisting mainly of coccolithophores, as well as foraminifers and pteropods; 2) detritus carried by wind and currents; 3) volcanic substances; and 4) end products of weathering of land rocks, mainly clay minerals. The average carbon content in the cores of the soil of the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea is about 40% and in the cores of the soil of the western basin is about 30%. The content of detritus varies from zero to a maximum; in general, it is higher in the cores of the western basin of the Mediterranean Sea. Sometimes sandy horizons can be recognized in soil columns and compared from core to core. Volcanic ash forms more or less distinct layers and is also found in non-volcanic material. The amount of volcanic products is small, excluding areas close to volcanoes (Vesuvius and Etna).

The rate of sedimentation near Levanto and in the Ionian Sea is low, the same as in the central part of the North Atlantic; in the western Mediterranean it is several times larger.

The structure of the earth's crust. An analysis of seismic measurements by the method of refracted waves, performed in the western part of the Mediterranean Sea, showed that the earth's crust here has an "oceanic nature". Throughout the Balearic abyssal plain, the depth of the surface of Mohorović is less than 12 km from sea level. This value increases towards the mainland and reaches more than 50 km under the Alpes-Maritimes, which abruptly break off at the Côte d'Azur.

In the Mediterranean Sea, a layer of sediments (1-1.5 km thick) with a low longitudinal wave velocity (1.7-2.5 km/s) is underlain by a thick rock stratum with average speed longitudinal waves (3.0–6.0 km/s). Precipitation with low wave speed is much more powerful in the western basin of the Mediterranean Sea than in the eastern one. If a layer with an intermediate value of the wave velocity marks the bottom of the sedimentary mass, then their thickness is extremely small, taking into account large area, which is subject to the flow of the Rhone. (In the deep part Gulf of Mexico the thickness of precipitation is more than 6 km.)

However, if the reflecting layer is represented by consolidated sediments or volcanic rocks within the sedimentary sequence, then it indicates a significant change in the geological history of this basin. The magnetic field in the Mediterranean Sea is surprisingly uniform, especially in the tectonically active eastern basin. Nevertheless, strong anomalies occur in the Tyrrhenian Sea above the seamounts.

A wide band of Faye's negative gravity anomalies is confined to the central part of the Hellenic Basin. They are associated with a large subsidence of crustal blocks inside this depression. Seismic studies in the northern part of the western basin of the Mediterranean Sea revealed its subsidence relative to the European mainland by 3 km. The underlying cause of such large vertical movements is not well understood. Faye's weak gravity anomalies in the western Mediterranean indicate that the basin is in isostatic equilibrium. It is extremely difficult to imagine how the modern "oceanic" Earth's crust could maintain its former uplift without any redistribution of density within the deep part of the crust or upper mantle.

Geotectonic development. Mediterranean Sea is a relic sea, the remnant of a huge water basin that used to stretch from Portugal to Pacific Ocean(through the Alps, Southeast Europe, Turkey, Iran, the Himalayas, South East Asia). It is thought to have been associated with the Maori geosyncline in New Zealand. This ancient sea basin Suess called the Tethys Sea.

Its history is well known from the Triassic, but even in the Paleozoic traces of such a connection are noticeable, and many authors speak of proto- or paleo-Tethys. Tethys separated the northern continents (Eurasia and possibly a continuation North America, i.e. Laurasia) from southern continents originally merged into Gondwana.

There seems to have been constant interaction between the two giant continental blocks of the primordial "Protogen" mentioned, for at least the last half a billion years. Different authors conceive of these relationships in different ways. Proponents of continental drift, such as Argand, Wegener, believe that there was a constant convergence of the two initial earth masses, which led to the bowing deep sea trenches and eventually to the formation of Alpine folding, which arose at the beginning of the Late Cretaceous and resumed in several phases of the Tertiary.

According to others (for example, Staub, Glanzho), the so-called "ebb and flow", i.e., processes of compression and tension, took place.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA, one of the largest seas. The adjective "Mediterranean" is widely used in describing peoples, countries, climate, vegetation; for many, the concept of "Mediterranean" is associated with a particular way of life or with a whole period in the history of mankind.

The Mediterranean Sea separates Europe, Africa and Asia, but it also closely connected Southern Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. The length of this sea from west to east is approx. 3700 km, and from north to south (at its widest point) - approx. 1600 km. On the north coast are Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Yugoslavia, Albania and Greece. From the east to the sea there is a row Asian countries- Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Finally, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco are located on the south coast. The area of the Mediterranean Sea is 2.5 million square meters. km, and, since only narrow straits connect it with other bodies of water, it can be considered inland sea. In the west, through the Strait of Gibraltar, 14 km wide and up to 400 m deep, it has access to the Atlantic Ocean. In the northeast, the Dardanelles, narrowing in places to 1.3 km, connects it with the Sea of Marmara and through the Bosporus with the Black Sea. In the southeast, an artificial structure - the Suez Canal - connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red. These three narrow water passages have always had a very great importance for trade, navigation and strategic purposes. IN different time they were controlled - or sought to be controlled - by the British, the French, the Turks and the Russians. Romans during the Roman Empire called the Mediterranean Sea mare nostrum ("our sea").

The coastline of the Mediterranean Sea is heavily indented, and numerous ledges of land divide it into many semi-isolated water areas that have their own names. These seas include: the Ligurian, located south of the Riviera and north of Corsica; the Tyrrhenian Sea, enclosed between peninsular Italy, Sicily and Sardinia; the Adriatic Sea, washing the shores of Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Yugoslavia and Albania; Ionian Sea between Greece and southern Italy; the Cretan Sea between the island of Crete and peninsular Greece; Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece. There is also a row large bays, for example, Alicante east coast Spain; Lyon - at south coast France; Taranto - between the two southern ledges of the Apennine Peninsula; Antalya and Iskenderun - off the southern coast of Turkey; Sidra - in the central part of the coast of Libya; Gabes and Tunisian - off the southeastern and northeastern coasts of Tunisia, respectively.

The modern Mediterranean Sea is a relic of the ancient Tethys Ocean, which was much wider and stretched far to the east. The relics of the Tethys Ocean are also the Aral, Caspian, Black and Sea of Marmara, timed to his most deep depressions. Probably, Tethys was once completely surrounded by land, and between North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, in the region of the Strait of Gibraltar, there was an isthmus. Same land bridge connected southeastern Europe with Asia Minor. It is possible that the Bosphorus, Dardanelles and Gibraltar straits were formed on the site of flooded river valleys, and many island chains, especially in the Aegean Sea, were connected to the mainland.

In the Mediterranean Sea, the western and eastern depressions are distinguished. The border between them is drawn through the Calabrian ledge of the Apennine Peninsula, Sicily and the underwater bank Adventure (up to 400 m deep), stretched almost 150 km from Sicily to Cape Bon in Tunisia. Within both depressions, even smaller ones are isolated, usually bearing the names of the corresponding seas, for example, the Aegean, Adriatic, etc. The water in the western depression is slightly colder and fresher than in the eastern one: in the west average temperature surface layer approx. 12° C in February and 24° C in August, and in the east - 17° C and 27° C, respectively. One of the coldest and stormiest parts of the Mediterranean Sea is the Gulf of Lion. The salinity of the sea varies widely, since less than salty water.

The tides here are not high, but quite significant in very narrow straits and bays, especially during the full moon. However, rather strong currents are observed in the straits, directed both into the Mediterranean Sea and out of it. Evaporation is higher than Atlantic Ocean or in the Black Sea, therefore, surface currents arise in the straits, carrying more fresh water to the Mediterranean. At a depth below these surface currents, countercurrents occur, but they do not compensate for the influx of water near the surface.

The bottom of the Mediterranean Sea in many places is composed of yellow carbonate silt, below which lies blue silt. Near the mouths of large rivers, blue silts are overlain by deltaic deposits, which occupy a large area. The depths of the Mediterranean Sea are very different: the highest mark - 5121 m - is registered in the Hellenic deep sea trench at the southern tip of Greece. The average depth of the western basin is 1430 m, and its shallowest part - the Adriatic Sea - has average depth only 242 m.

Above the common surface of the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, in places, significant areas of dissected relief rise, the peaks of which form islands. Many (though not all) of them are of volcanic origin. Among the islands, we note, for example, Alboran, located east of the Strait of Gibraltar, and a group of Balearic Islands (Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera) east of the Iberian Peninsula; mountainous Corsica and Sardinia - west of the Apennine Peninsula, as well as a number small islands in the same area - Elba, Pontine, Ischia and Capri; and north of Sicily, Stromboli and Lipari. Within the Eastern Mediterranean Basin is the island of Malta (south of Sicily), and further to the east - Crete and Cyprus. Small islands are numerous in the Ionian, Cretan and Aegean seas; among them stand out Ionian - to the west of mainland Greece, Cyclades - east of the Peloponnese and Rhodes - off the southwestern coast of Turkey.

Major rivers flow into the Mediterranean Sea: the Ebro (in Spain); Rhone (in France); Arno, Tiber and Volturno (in Italy). The rivers Po and Tagliamento (in Italy) and Isonzo (on the border of Italy and Slovenia) flow into the Adriatic Sea. To the pool Aegean Sea belong to the rivers Vardar (in Greece and Macedonia), Struma or Strymon, and Mesta or Nestos (in Bulgaria and Greece). The largest river in the Mediterranean basin, the Nile, is the only major river flowing into this sea from the south.

The Mediterranean Sea is famous for its calmness and beauty, but, like other seas, it can be stormy in certain seasons, and then big waves crashing on the coast. The Mediterranean has long attracted people with its favorable climate. The term "Mediterranean" itself is used to refer to a climate with long hot, clear and dry summers and short cool and wet winters. many coastal areas The Mediterranean Sea, especially the southern and eastern ones, are characterized by semi-arid and arid climate features. In particular, semiaridity with an abundance of clear sunny days considered typical of mediterranean climate. However, there are many cold days in winter when damp cold winds bring rain, drizzle and sometimes snow.

The Mediterranean is also famous for the attractiveness of its landscapes. Especially picturesque French and Italian Riviera, neighborhood of Naples, adriatic coast Croatia with numerous islands, the shores of Greece and Lebanon, where the steep slopes of the mountains rise to the very sea. Through the main islands Eastern Mediterranean important trade routes and culture spread - from the Middle East, Egypt and Crete to Greece, Rome, Spain and France; another route ran along the southern coast of the sea - from Egypt to Morocco.

The Mediterranean Sea connects to the Atlantic Ocean in the west through the Strait of Gibraltar. This closed sea is surrounded on all sides by land. The ancient Greeks called the Mediterranean Sea - the sea in the middle of the Earth. At that time, this name was fully justified, because all the ancient European and North African civilizations appeared in the basin of this sea. And it was the Mediterranean Sea that served as the main route for contacts between them.

Interesting fact: they say that the Mediterranean Sea is the remnants of its former greatness. Previously, in its place was the ancient ocean Tethys. It extended far to the east and was much wider. Today, apart from the Mediterranean Sea, only the drying Aral Sea and Caspian Sea, as well as the Black, Azov and Marmara seas. The last three seas are included in the Mediterranean basin.

In addition, inside the Mediterranean Sea, the Alboran, Balearic, Ligurian, Tyrrhenian, Adriatic, Ionian, Aegean, Cretan, Libyan, Cypriot and Levantine seas are distinguished as separate seas.

Detailed physical map seas of the Mediterranean in Russian. To enlarge, just click on the picture.

The currents of the Mediterranean Sea are not quite usual. Under the influence of high temperatures, a lot of water evaporates and, therefore, the consumption of fresh water prevails over its arrival. This, of course, leads to a decrease in the water level and it has to be drawn from the Atlantic Ocean and the Black Sea. Interestingly, at a depth in more saline layers, the reverse process occurs and salt water flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

In addition to the above factors, the currents of the Mediterranean Sea are mainly caused by wind processes. Their speed in the open parts of the sea is 0.5-1.0 km/h, in the straits it can rise up to 2-4 km/h. (For comparison, the Gulf Stream moves to the North at a speed of 6–10 km/h.).

The tides are usually less than one meter, but there are places where, together with wind surges, it can reach up to four meters (for example, north coast the islands of Corsica or the Strait of Genoa). In narrow straits (Strait of Messina), tides can cause strong currents. In winter, waves reach their maximum and the height of the waves can reach 6-8 m.

The water of the Mediterranean Sea has an intense blue color and a relative transparency of 50-60 m. It belongs to the most saline and warm seas in the world. In summer, the water temperature varies from 19 to 25 degrees, while in the east it can reach 27-3°C. In winter, the average water temperature drops from north to south and varies between 8-17°C in the east and in the central part of the sea. Meanwhile, in the west temperature regime more stable and the temperature is kept within 11-15°C.

There are many large and not very large islands in the Mediterranean Sea, and almost every one of them is an attraction for many tourists. To name just a few of them:

Majorca and Ibiza in Spain, Sardinia and Sicily in Italy, Corfu, Crete and Rhodes in Greece, Corsica in France, as well as Cyprus and Malta.

The Mediterranean Sea separates Europe, Africa and Asia, but it also closely linked Southern Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. The length of this sea from west to east is approx. 3700 km, and from north to south (at its widest point) - approx. 1600 km. On the north coast are Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Yugoslavia, Albania and Greece. A number of Asian countries go out to the sea from the east - Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Finally, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco are located on the south coast. The area of the Mediterranean Sea is 2.5 million square meters. km, and, since only narrow straits connect it with other bodies of water, it can be considered an inland sea. In the west, through the Strait of Gibraltar, 14 km wide and up to 400 m deep, it has access to the Atlantic Ocean. In the northeast, the Dardanelles, narrowing in places to 1.3 km, connects it with the Sea of Marmara and through the Bosporus with the Black Sea. In the southeast, an artificial structure - the Suez Canal - connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red. These three narrow water passages have always been of great importance for trade, navigation and strategic purposes. At various times they were controlled - or sought to be controlled - by the British, the French, the Turks and the Russians. Romans during the Roman Empire called the Mediterranean Sea mare nostrum ("our sea").

The coastline of the Mediterranean Sea is heavily indented, and numerous ledges of land divide it into many semi-isolated water areas that have their own names. These seas include: the Ligurian, located south of the Riviera and north of Corsica; the Tyrrhenian Sea, enclosed between peninsular Italy, Sicily and Sardinia; the Adriatic Sea, washing the shores of Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Yugoslavia and Albania; the Ionian Sea between Greece and southern Italy; the Cretan Sea between the island of Crete and peninsular Greece; Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece. There are also a number of large bays, such as Alicante - off the east coast of Spain; Lyon - off the southern coast of France; Taranto - between the two southern ledges of the Apennine Peninsula; Antalya and Iskenderun - off the southern coast of Turkey; Sidra - in the central part of the coast of Libya; Gabes and Tunisian - off the southeastern and northeastern coasts of Tunisia, respectively.

The modern Mediterranean Sea is a relic of the ancient Tethys Ocean, which was much wider and stretched far to the east. Relics of the Tethys Ocean are also the Aral, Caspian, Black and Marmara Seas, confined to its deepest depressions. Probably, Tethys was once completely surrounded by land, and between North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, in the region of the Strait of Gibraltar, there was an isthmus. The same land bridge connected southeastern Europe with Asia Minor. It is possible that the Bosphorus, Dardanelles and Gibraltar straits were formed on the site of flooded river valleys, and many island chains, especially in the Aegean Sea, were connected to the mainland.

In the Mediterranean Sea, the western and eastern depressions are distinguished. The border between them is drawn through the Calabrian ledge of the Apennine Peninsula, Sicily and the underwater bank Adventure (up to 400 m deep), stretched almost 150 km from Sicily to Cape Bon in Tunisia. Within both basins, even smaller ones are isolated, usually bearing the names of the corresponding seas, for example, the Aegean, Adriatic, etc. The water in the western basin is slightly colder and fresher than in the eastern one: in the west, the average temperature of the surface layer is approx. 12° C in February and 24° C in August, and in the east - 17° C and 27° C, respectively. One of the coldest and stormiest parts of the Mediterranean Sea is the Gulf of Lion. The salinity of the sea varies widely, since less salty water comes from the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar.

The tides here are not high, but quite significant in very narrow straits and bays, especially during the full moon. However, rather strong currents are observed in the straits, directed both into the Mediterranean Sea and out of it. Evaporation is higher than in the Atlantic Ocean or the Black Sea, so surface currents arise in the straits, carrying fresher water to the Mediterranean Sea. At a depth below these surface currents, countercurrents occur, but they do not compensate for the influx of water near the surface.

The bottom of the Mediterranean Sea in many places is composed of yellow carbonate silt, below which lies blue silt. Near the mouths of large rivers, blue silts are overlain by deltaic deposits, which occupy a large area. The depths of the Mediterranean Sea are very different: the highest mark - 5121 m - was recorded in the Hellenic deep trench at the southern tip of Greece. The average depth of the western basin is 1430 m, and its shallowest part, the Adriatic Sea, has an average depth of only 242 m.

Above the common surface of the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, in places, significant areas of dissected relief rise, the peaks of which form islands. Many (though not all) of them are of volcanic origin. Among the islands, we note, for example, Alboran, located east of the Strait of Gibraltar, and a group of Balearic Islands (Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera) east of the Iberian Peninsula; mountainous Corsica and Sardinia - to the west of the Apennine Peninsula, as well as a number of small islands in the same area - Elba, Pontine, Ischia and Capri; and north of Sicily, Stromboli and Lipari. Within the Eastern Mediterranean Basin is the island of Malta (south of Sicily), and further to the east - Crete and Cyprus. Small islands are numerous in the Ionian, Cretan and Aegean seas; among them stand out the Ionian - west of mainland Greece, the Cyclades - east of the Peloponnese and Rhodes - off the southwestern coast of Turkey.

Major rivers flow into the Mediterranean Sea: the Ebro (in Spain); Rhone (in France); Arno, Tiber and Volturno (in Italy). The rivers Po and Tagliamento (in Italy) and Isonzo (on the border of Italy and Slovenia) flow into the Adriatic Sea. The rivers Vardar (in Greece and Macedonia), Struma or Strymon, and Mesta or Nestos (in Bulgaria and Greece) belong to the Aegean Sea basin. The largest river in the Mediterranean basin, the Nile, is the only major river that flows into this sea from the south.

The Mediterranean Sea is famous for its calmness and beauty, but, like other seas, it can be rough in certain seasons, and then big waves crash on the coast. The Mediterranean has long attracted people with its favorable climate. The term "Mediterranean" itself is used to refer to a climate with long hot, clear and dry summers and short cool and wet winters. Many coastal regions of the Mediterranean Sea, especially the southern and eastern ones, are characterized by semi-arid and arid climate features. In particular, semiaridity with an abundance of clear sunny days is considered typical of the Mediterranean climate. However, there are many cold days in winter when damp cold winds bring rain, drizzle and sometimes snow.

The Mediterranean is also famous for the attractiveness of its landscapes. Particularly picturesque are the French and Italian Riviera, the environs of Naples, the Adriatic coast of Croatia with numerous islands, the shores of Greece and Lebanon, where the steep slopes of the mountains approach the sea itself. Important trade routes passed through the main islands of the eastern Mediterranean and culture spread - from the Middle East, Egypt and Crete to Greece, Rome, Spain and France; another route ran along the southern coast of the sea - from Egypt to Morocco.