The Mediterranean Sea has captured the imagination of people for centuries. Read below for some interesting and fun facts about the Mediterranean Sea.

Mediterranean Sea Facts

As far as seas and oceans go, other than the vast resources that lie both in and under the water, there is also a huge treasure trove on what goes on above it. For it is the resources that float in the surface of these great water bodies that have built and destroyed nations and is still a major transit source. For centuries, the sea has propelled the economy of all the countries, even the landlocked ones to some extent. Without the ships conquering the sea, the human race could never have dreamed of coming to the stage that it is at present. Among all the seas and oceans on earth, the Mediterranean Sea merits a special mention. This sea was the cradle of various ancient civilizations, and was the main highway of commerce and trade. Because it is surrounded by a large number of countries on all sides, it can be safely said that the fate and histories of all these nations were linked to the Mediterranean. Due to being virtually landlocked, this sea can also be considered as a mammoth lake. In fact, certain features of the sea are similar to the characteristic of a lake, like its azure color and very low tides. To know more of such interesting and fun facts about the Mediterranean Sea, read the article given below.   
 
Interesting Facts On Mediterranean Sea
  • The Mediterranean Sea was named such, because the Romans believed that this sea was the middle of the earth. Thus, they called it ‘mediterraneus’, the Latin for “middle of the earth”, from which the name, Mediterranean Sea, has been derived.
  • This sea is also known by various other names like Mesogeiso, Hinder Sea, Western Sea, the Great Sea and Sea of the Philistines.
  • The Mediterranean Sea is almost land locked. That is, it is bordered by twenty one countries on all sides. Towards the north lies Europe, to the east lies Asia and to the south is Africa.
  • The sea has an average depth of 1500 metres, with the deepest recorded point being being 5267 metres. It covers an area of 970,000 square miles and has a coastline of 28,600 miles.  At the longest point, the sea measures 2,400 miles and at the widest point it measures 999 miles.
  • Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean, by the Strait of Gibraltar, which is nine miles wide and 1000 feet deep. This strait is also the main source of water for the sea, as it is virtually land locked.  This sea is also connected to the Red Sea in the southeast by the manmade Suez channel, the Black Sea by the Bosporus and the Sea of Marmara by the Dardanelles.
  • It has been estimated that it takes a century for the Mediterranean Sea to be completely renewed through the Strait of Gibraltar.
  • The Mediterranean Sea was formed due to the collision of the African and Eurasian plates. It consists of two sub-regions, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Western Mediterranean. These two sub-regions are formed as a result of a shallow sub-marine ridge between Sicily and Tunisia, known as the Strait of Sicily. The western region spans to about 0.33 million square miles, while the eastern region spans 0.64 million square miles.
  • The Mediterranean Sea has very deep azure color and the tides are also not as prominent as other seas.
  • Some of the major islands of the world are located in the Mediterranean Sea. These islands include Sardinia, Rhodes, Crete, Cyprus, Malta and Sicily.
  • The Mediterranean Sea also affects the climate of this region, which is most often wet, with cold winters and hot summers.

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