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The Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea - Egypt Tours Portal

The Mediterranean sea carried the vessels of evolution across the world planting the seeds of innovation and progress in every corner of the earth. This article's main goal is to offer every traveler all the information and facts surrounding the heavenly Mediterranean Sea. This article was written by a group of very knowledgeable and professional tour guides, travel consultants, scholars, and tour operators who know all the facts about the Mediterranean Sea.

The entire world across the ages since the dawn of time was deeply affected by the miraculous powers and easy access to the Mediterranean Sea. It was the most important route for trade in the world especially during ancient times as it was vital for international trade and cultural & scientific exchange between different regions which are Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Semitic, Carthaginian, Phoenician, Persian, Roman, and Greek cultures. The Mediterranean Sea is a divine phenomenon that led to the rise of the most influential and famous civilization this world has ever seen even until today.

Location

The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea that stretches from Asia on the east to the Atlantic Ocean on the west and it separates between Africa and Europe. It is a great sea of the Atlantic Ocean that is totally enclosed by the land of Europe, Africa, and Asia from the north, south, and east. It is attached to the Atlantic Ocean at the Gibraltar strait which is only 8 miles (13 km) wide and 1,050 feet (320 m) deep, the Bleak Sea at the Sea of Marmara & the Dardanelles, and the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea by the Suez Canal. Located in the southeast of the Mediterranean sea is the Suez Canal which connects it to the Red sea.

The Mediterranean Sea Name

The Mediterranean Sea was referred to by the ancient Egyptians by many such as Wadj-wr/Wadj-Wer/Wadj-Ur due to the existence of papyrus forests. The ancient Greek referred to the Mediterranean sea "hē thálassa" which is Greek for  "the Sea", "hē megálē thálassa" which is Greek for  "the Great Sea", "hē hēmetérā thálassa" which is Greek for  "Our Sea", and "hē thálassa hē kath’hēmâs" which is Greek for  "the sea around us”. The ancients referred to it as "Mare Magnum" which means in roman “Great Sea”, "Mare Internum" which means Internal Sea, and finally "Mare Nostrum" which is Latin for “Our Sea”. Some of the ancient cultures such as the levent were known to use colors to showcase the Cardinal Points such as the black sea as the color black refer to the north, red refers to the south, blue & yellow refer to the east, and the white refers to the west.

The term "Mediterranean" is derived from the Latin "mediterraneus" which means 'inland', and from Latin words “Medius” (Middle) and “Terra” (Earth as in soil).  The Mediterranean Sea was mentioned in the Old Testament as “Hinder Sea” which means “Western Sea”, “Great Sea”, and simply “The Sea”. The Arabs referred to the Mediterranean Sea by many names such as The White Middle Sea, The Sea of the Romans, the Sea of Syria, and the sea of the West. It has been called "The Incubator of the Western Civilization". The original name of the Mediterranean Sea is "The Euradrican Mediterranean Sea".

Geography  

The Mediterranean Sea occupies irregular depression that is lying between 30° and 46° N & longitudes 5°50′ W and 36° E. It occupies an area of around 2.5 million kilometers (970,000 sq mi) which represents about 0.7% of the Global Ocean Surface. The Water volume of the Mediterranean Sea is 3,750,000 km3 (900,000 cu mi). The width of the Mediterranean Sea is 1600 km with an average depth of 1500m (4900 ft) and its maximum depth is 5267 m (7280 ft). The coastline of the Mediterranean sea extends for 27,600 miles (46,000 kilometers). The Mediterranean sea's deepest point is 17,280 feet which are found in the Ionian Sea's Calypso Deep. The Mediterranean Sea is known to have clear blue water because most of the nutrients are located in the bottom layers of the sea, but the algae can be found in the top layers, as it needs the sun to shine, and light to fully grow.

The spacious Mediterranean Sea is considered the main transit corridor for the alien species of the invasion in the Black Sea and it is even been considered storage for the alien species which can be transported after that to the Black Sea.

The Black Sea is considered to be a marginal Mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean which is located between Europe and Asia; at the east of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe, west of the Caucasus, at the south of the East European Plain, and north of Anatolia in Western Asia.

The Mediterranean is made up of many smaller seas and contains many subdivisions of seas within it that are all much smaller in size. The most well-known of these seas are the Alboran Sea, the Balearic Sea, the Ligurian Sea, the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Ionian Sea, the Adriatic Sea, the Sea of Marmara, and the Aegean Sea.

The Boarding Countries

It runs through 22 countries that surround the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea which are

In Europe from the west side to the east side, there are  Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, the island state of Malta, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, and Greece.

In Asia from the north side to the south side, there are Syria, Turkey, the island Republic of Cyprus, Lebanon, and Israel.

In Africa from the east side to the west side, there are Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, and Morocco.

There are several other special territories that border the Mediterranean Sea from the west side to the east side such as:

The Crown colony of Gibraltar is located in the United Kingdom.

The autonomous monastic state of Mount Athos

The Spanish exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla and nearby islands

The Gaza Strip (governed by the Palestinian National Authority)

The sovereign base area of Akrotiri and Dhekelia

Macedonia

Portugal

San Marino

Serbia 

The Vatican

The Mediterranean Sea has over 3300 islands some of the most famous ones found in the eastern Mediterranean include Cyprus, Lesbos, Crete, Rhodes, Euboea, Chios, Corfu, Limnos, Samos, Kefalonia, Naxos, and Andros, which are the home of about 15 million people.

In the central Mediterranean, there are Sicily, Krk, Cres, Brač, Korčula, Pag, Hvar, and Malta.

In the western Mediterranean there are Corsica, Sardinia, and the Balearic Islands of , Majorca, Menorca, and Ibiza.

Climate

The Climate of the Mediterranean Sea is known to have wet winters and hot, dry summers. The water temperatures are known to be mild during the winter and warm during the summer. All sides of the Mediterranean coastlines tend to have strong maritime moderation. The Red sea has a Maximum temperature of 28 °C (82 °F), and a Miniature temperature of 12 °C (54 °F).

History of the Mediterranean Sea

The history of the Mediterranean is essential to understand the origin story and the development of many ancient and modern societies. Some of the greatest civilizations ever created in the history of mankind can be found on the shored of the Mediterranean Sea which it provides water route which in turn provided trade, food, scientific & culture exchange plus colonization and war.  the warm and mild climate of the Mediterranean Sea region allowed various ancient countries to flourish, create their own rule, art, science, philosophy, literature, and medicine which led to the creation of the modern-day Western and Middle Eastern culture.

For the entire region, the Sea itself was the most important route for merchants and travelers of ancient times, allowing for trade and cultural exchange between emergent peoples of the region the Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Semitic, Phoenician, Persian, Greek Carthaginian, and Roman cultures.

It acted as a superhighway in ancient ages, allowing for trade and cultural exchange between peoples of the region such as Phoenicians, Egyptians, Greeks, Hebrews, Minoans, and Hittites on the eastern side of the Mediterranean and the Carthaginians, Celtiberian, Etruscans, Romans, Gauls, and Berbers on the western side.

It led to the rise of the Roman Empire which controlled the Mediterranean Sea and all its coastal regions from Gibraltar to the Levant for 400 years. The Byzantine and Arab Empires depended heavily on the powers of the Mediterranean Sea. Even today, the Mediterranean Sea is able to have a strong effect on the economies of the entire earth.

The Mediterranean Sea Influence

The Mediterranean Sea has huge Political importance as it is considered a marvelous maritime outlet for the Bosporus Sea of the Marmara Dardanelles, for the Black Sea, the previous Countries of the Union Soviet Socialist Republics, and the access of America to the petroleum of Algeria and Libya. That is not actually what all that can be mentioned regarding the Mediterranean Sea as it used to be a transport superhighway in ancient times and it allowed to expand the cultural & the trade exchange between people who are traveling from a region to another including the Egyptian, Persian, Mesopotamian, Greek, Semitic, and the Roman Cultures.

That sea was opened as a commerce highway by the merchants who were getting their goods from Phoenicia. That is not actually what all that can be mentioned regarding the Mediterranean Sea as it used to be a transport superhighway in ancient times and it allowed to expand the cultural & the trade exchange between people from all over the ancient world. The sea was opened as a commerce highway by the merchants who were getting their goods from Phoenicia and the rest of the world.

 You can also learn a lot about the great ancient Egyptian civilization and culture through checking our blog section where you will find nearly all of what you may want to know about and if you are interested in paying a visit to Egypt, you will find so many variable options and terrific Egypt guided tours to look at and to see the best that matches your needs.

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