Many early civilizations, including those of Egypt, Greece, and Rome, developed around the Mediterranean Sea. By the 1st century AD the Romans controlled so much of the area that they called it Mare Nostrum, which means “our sea.”
The Mediterranean Sea, including the Sea of Marmara, covers about 970,000 square miles (2,510,000 square kilometers). It is about 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) long, and at its widest point it is about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) across. The greatest depth, a point south of Italy and Greece, is about 16,000 feet (4,900 meters).
The Mediterranean Sea is surrounded by Europe to the north and west, Africa to the south, and Asia to the east. Several outlets connect it to other large bodies of water. The western outlet is the Strait of Gibraltar, which connects the sea with the Atlantic Ocean. To the northeast, the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, and the Strait of Bosporus connect the Mediterranean to the Black Sea. And to the southeast, the Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea.
Certain sections of the sea have their own names. These include the Aegean Sea, between Greece and Turkey, and the Adriatic Sea, between the Balkans and the Italian peninsula. The Tyrrhenian Sea lies between Italy and the islands of Sardinia and Corsica.
Only four major rivers feed into the Mediterranean Sea: the Ebro in Spain, the Rhône in France, the Po in Italy, and the Nile in Egypt. However, the amount of water from the rivers cannot make up for the sea's quick rate of evaporation. The greatest source of the Mediterranean's water is the Atlantic Ocean.
The water of the Mediterranean Sea is very low in minerals such as phosphates and nitrates. As a result, marine life cannot flourish, so fishing is not a major occupation of the Mediterranean region. There is some small-scale fishing, however. It produces hake, flounder, sole, turbot, sardines, anchovies, and shellfish among others.
Petroleum deposits have been found off the coasts of Spain, Sicily, Libya, and Tunisia. Natural gas has been discovered in the Adriatic Sea. Crops grown in the Mediterranean region include olives, citrus fruits, and grapes. For many countries in this region, tourism is an important source of income. Popular tourist centers include the islands of Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Malta, Crete, and Cyprus. The sea is also used heavily for shipping goods between Europe and Asia.
The area around the Mediterranean Sea has been called the “cradle of civilization.” Many of the early civilizations thrived on trade. The Phoenicians began trading with Egypt as early as about 2500 BC. Later civilizations used the Mediterranean as a route to expand and spread their influence throughout the area. The Romans did this for almost 1,000 years beginning in about 500 BC. Beginning in the 7th century AD Muslim Arabs began to move from Arabia through North Africa into Spain.
The sea continued to be used as a trading route as well. Trade caravans brought spices and other goods to Middle Eastern cities from Asian cities. Sailing ships then carried the goods across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. During this time, cities such as Genoa, Venice, and Barcelona grew as centers of trade. However, in the 15th century an ocean route around Africa was discovered. That made the Mediterranean area less important. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 revived the area, however. The canal created a passage between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea that allowed for a quicker trip between Europe and the East.
Today, many European countries depend on the Middle East for oil. It is transported through pipelines from the wells to oil tanker ports on the eastern Mediterranean coast. From there, tanker ships ferry the oil to Europe.
Since the 1960s, the growth of industry and cities has increased pollution in the coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea. This problem has been made worse by the fact that the Mediterranean has no strong currents. Such currents can “flush away” the wastes dumped into a body of water. This natural action is missing in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1974 the United Nations Environment Program went into effect, and since then most of the coastal countries have set up methods for controlling pollution in the Mediterranean region.
