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Revision as of 14:09, 17 September 2003
The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea between Europe, Africa and Asia covering an approximate area of 2.5 million km².
The 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 on the east. The Sea of Marmara is often considered a part of the Mediterranean Sea, whereas the Black Sea is not. The Suez Canal in the southeast connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea.
Tides are very limited because of the narrow connection with the ocean.
Its major islands are:
- Cyprus, Crete, and Rhodes in the east
- Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, and Malta in the center
- Majorca and Minorca in the west
Major countries bordering the sea are:
- Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, Albania, Greece and Turkey on the north shore
- Lebanon, Syria and Israel on the east
- Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco on the south shore
The 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.
Parts of the Mediterranean are given their own names such as the Aegean Sea, the Ionian Sea, the Adriatic Sea, etc.