The Mediterranean Sea
Covering more than 900,000 square miles, the Mediterranean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean. The Mediterranean Sea is unique because the Mediterranean Sea is almost completely surrounded by land, including Europe to the North, African to the South, and Asian to the East. The Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic by the Strait of Gibraltar and it is just nine miles wide. The Mediterranean Sea is often referred to the as Eurafrican Mediterranean Sea or even the European Mediterranean Sea to avoid confusion with other bodies of water referred as the Mediterranean Sea.
The Mediterranean Sea Origin of the Name
The Mediterranean Sea was named the Mediterranean Sea as it derives from the Latin word Mediterraneus, which means, "middle of the earth". This name was fitting because the Romans believed that the Mediterranean Sea was in fact the middle of the earth. Of course, the Mediterranean Sea has been known by many other names such as Mesogeiso by the Greeks, Hinder Sea, Western Sea, and also the Sea of the Philistines, and the Great Sea.
The Mediterranean Sea Trade and Colony
Whatever the Mediterranean Sea was called it has been known by many cultures for ages because it provided a way to trade, colonize, to fight wars, and even provided food and work. The Mediterranean Sea is a central part of life dating back centuries in the Mediterranean Sea regions of the world. Twenty-one different countries border the Mediterranean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea has brought many things to each of these regions.
The Mediterranean Sea Islands
The Mediterranean Sea is known to have many different islands throughout its waters including Cyprus, Crete, Euboea, Rhodes, Lesbos, Chios, Kefalonia, and Corfu. Additional islands in the Mediterranean Sea include Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, and Malta. Of course, that is not all as you will also find Ibiza, Majorca, and Minorca in the western Mediterranean Sea.
The Mediterranean Sea Climate and Color
Due to the location of the Mediterranean Sea the climate around the Mediterranean Sea is generally known to be quite wet with cold winters and hot and dry summers. Many of the crops that are grown in and around the Mediterranean Sea include olives, grapes, oranges, tangerines, and cork.
The Mediterranean Sea is most well known for its deep color. The Mediterranean Sea has very limited tides for a body of water this size and that is due to the fact that it has a very small connection with the Atlantic Ocean. Evaporation is excessive in the Mediterranean Sea, especially in the eastern half of the Mediterranean Sea, which means lower water levels and a decrease in salinity levels in this portion of the Mediterranean Sea.
The Mediterranean Sea Size
The Mediterranean Sea is on average, about 4,920 feet deep with the deepest recorded depths in the Mediterranean Sea being about 3.267 miles. The coastline of the Mediterranean Sea spans an impressive 28,600 miles and is broken into three distinct parts by experts and is often referred to in these parts as the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, the Central Mediterranean Sea, and the Western Mediterranean Sea. Each area of the Mediterranean Sea is known for its different characteristics such as different water depths, salinity levels, water flow, and even water temperature and geological finds.
Global warming has had an impact of the Mediterranean Sea and has caused water levels in the Mediterranean Sea to decline rapidly over the years. In fact, wild life that makes its way into the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic often does not survive as the Mediterranean Sea waters are not as nutrient rich, and those that do have to adapt to the differing water conditions in the Mediterranean Sea.
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