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Mediterranean Sea

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Russia’s Defence Ministry recently said that a Russian warship and cargo ship rescued 68 people overnight from a boat in the Mediterranean Sea.

About Mediterranean Sea:

  • Location:
    • It is an intercontinental sea that is bordered by the continent of Europe in the north, by Asia in the east, and by Africa in the south.
    • In the west, the Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic Oceanvia the narrow Strait of Gibraltar.
    • In the extreme northeast, it is connected to the Black Sea via the Dardanelles Strait, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosporus Strait. 
    • The Mediterranean Sea is also connected to the Red Sea via the Suez Canal in the southeast.
  • History:
    • It has been regarded as the birthplace of Western civilization.
    • Many ancient civilizations, such as the Phoenicians, Ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire, were located along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
  • Bordering Countries:
    • 22 countries and one territory (Gibraltar – a British Overseas Territory) have coasts on the Mediterranean Sea.
    • The European Countries are Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Monaco, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, and Greece.
    • The West Asian (Middle Eastern) countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea are Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, the Palestine Gaza Stripand the divided island of Cyprus.
    • Five North African nations have coasts on the Mediterranean Sea: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt.
  • The Mediterranean Sea offers a staggering 46,000 km (28,600 mi) long coastline and includes 15 marginal seas, such as the Balearic Sea, the Adriatic Sea, the Levantine Sea and the Ionian Sea.
  • Depth: The sea has an average depth of about 1,500 m and a maximum depth of 5,267 m at its deepest point, the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea.
  • Rivers: A large number of rivers drain into the Mediterranean Sea, including the Ebro, Rhone, Po, Nile, Tiber, etc.
  • Islands: Some of the large Mediterranean Islands include Corsica, Crete, Cyprus, Chios, Euboea, Lesbos, Mallorca, Rhodes, Sicily, and Sardinia. The island of Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. 
  • Climate: The region is characterized by the prevailing subtropical climate known as the Mediterranean climate, with usually mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers.
  • Mediterranean Sea waters are more saline compared to the waters of the Atlantic. There is a continuous movement of water from the Atlantic into the Mediterranean and vice versa through the Strait of Gibraltar.