Mediterranean Sea - a sea belonging to the Atlantic Ocean, located among the continental lands. The sea is connected with the Atlantic Ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar. The Mediterranean Sea is divided into several parts, each of which is an independent sea: it is Alboran, Balearic, Ligurian, Tyrrhenian, Adriatic, Ionian, Aegean. Also, some seas, in particular the Marmara, Black and Azov, belong to the Mediterranean basin.
Properties of the Mediterranean
The total area of the sea is about 2500 thousand square meters. km, the maximum depth is 5121 m, and the average is about one and a half thousand meters. The total volume of the Mediterranean Sea is about 3839 thousand cubic meters. Since the Mediterranean Sea has a large area, the temperature of the water on its surface differs in different regions. So, on the southern shores in January it is 14-16 degrees Celsius, and on the northern ones 7-10, and in August 25-30 in the southern ones and 22-24 in the northern ones. The climate in the Mediterranean Sea is influenced by its position: the subtropical zone, but there are also a number of features that make the climate stand out in a separate category: Mediterranean. Its characteristic features are that the summers are dry and hot and the winters are very mild.
The flora and fauna of the Mediterranean Sea is largely due to the fact that the waters contain a relatively small amount of plankton, which is vital for the populations of marine life. Therefore, the total number of fish and larger representatives of the Mediterranean fauna is relatively small. In general, the fauna of the Mediterranean Sea is distinguished by the fact that a large number of different animal species live here, but there are very few representatives of each species. The fauna is also very diverse, with a wide variety of algae growing.
The Mediterranean Sea is the cradle of humanity
In ancient times, many human civilizations developed on different shores of the Mediterranean Sea, and the sea itself was a convenient route of communication between them. Therefore, the ancient writer Gaius Julius Solin called it Mediterranean, it is believed that this is the first mention of the current name of the sea. Even today, the Mediterranean Sea washes shores whose territories belong to 22 states located on the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa.
Since ancient times, people have settled on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Coastal territories have become the cradle of a number of civilizations, unique cultures have originated on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Today, the coast also has a significant level of population, as well as a developed coastal economy. The greatest economic development is the economic use of the sea by the countries on its northern side. Extensive agriculture: growing cotton, citrus, oilseeds. Fisheries in the Mediterranean are not as well developed as in other seas, which are also the basins of the Atlantic Ocean. The low level of fishing is associated with a large number of industrial enterprises on the coast of the sea, due to which the ecological situation is deteriorating. The most famous and very popular resorts are located on the Mediterranean coast, in the territories of all countries that have access to this sea.
An interesting feature of the Mediterranean Sea is the constant observation by various people of mirages (also called fata morgana) in the Strait of Messina.
Among other things, the Mediterranean Sea is a kind of transport artery for the region. It is along its waters that the most important trade routes between Europe and Asia, Africa, Australia and Oceania pass. Since the Western European states are economically more and more dependent on imported raw materials, the delivery of which is carried out mainly by sea, the importance of the waters of the Mediterranean Sea as a transport route is increasing. The Mediterranean Sea plays a particularly significant role in the transportation of oil cargo.
