View source for Mediterranean Sea

{{Short description|Sea between Africa, Asia, and Europe}}
{{About|the sea between Europe, Africa, and  Asia|the term in general|Mediterranean seas}}
{{Redirect2|Mediterranean|Méditerranée|other uses|Mediterranean (disambiguation)|and|Méditerranée (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name               = Mediterranean Sea
| image              = Mediterranee 02 EN.jpg
| caption            = Map of the Mediterranean Sea
| image_bathymetry   = 
| caption_bathymetry = 
| location           = {{Plainlist|
* [[North Africa]]
* [[Southern Europe]]
* [[West Asia]]
 }}
| coords             = {{Coord|35|N|18|E|region:XZ_type:waterbody_scale:25000000|display=inline,title}}
| type               = [[Sea]]
| inflow             = [[Gulf of Cádiz]], [[Sea of Marmara]], [[Nile]], [[Ebro]], [[Rhône]], [[Chelif River|Chelif]], [[Po (river)|Po]]
| outflow            = [[Strait of Gibraltar]], [[Dardanelles]]
| catchment          = 
| basin_countries    = {{hidden | fw1=normal | headerstyle=text-align:left
  | header  = Coastal countries:<!-- ONLY coastal countries -->
  | content = {{flatlist}}
* [[Albania]]
* [[Algeria]]
* [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]
* [[Croatia]]
* [[Cyprus]]
* [[Egypt]]
* [[France]]
* [[Greece]]
* [[Israel]]
* [[Italy]]
* [[Lebanon]]
* [[Libya]]
* [[Malta]]
* [[Monaco]]
* [[Montenegro]]
* [[Morocco]]
* ''[[Northern Cyprus]]'' {{small|(recognised only by [[Turkey]], see: [[Cyprus problem]])}}
* [[Palestine]] ([[Gaza Strip]])
* [[Slovenia]]
* [[Spain]]
* [[Syria]]
* [[Tunisia]]
* [[Turkey]]
* [[United Kingdom]] ([[Akrotiri and Dhekelia]], and [[Gibraltar]])
For other countries, [[#Hydrography|click here]].
  {{endflatlist}}
 }}
| length             = 
| width              = 
| area               = {{cvt|2500000|km2|sqmi}}
| depth              = {{cvt|1500|m|ft}}
| max-depth          = {{cvt|5109|m|ft}} ±{{cvt|1|m|ft|0}}
| volume             = {{cvt|3750000|km3|cumi}}
| residence_time     = 80–100 years<ref name="Water Flow in Semienclosed Seaways">{{cite periodical|title=Invitation to Oceanography |journal=Paleoceanography |volume=30 |issue=5 |first=Paul R. |last=Pinet |page=220 |publisher=Jones & Barlett Learning |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-7637-5993-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6TCm8Xy-sLUC&pg=PA220}}</ref>
| shore              = 
| temperature_high   = {{cvt|28|C|F}}
| temperature_low    = {{cvt|12|C|F}}
| elevation          = 
| frozen             = 
| islands            = [[List of islands in the Mediterranean|3300+]]
| cities             = [[List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea|Full list]] 
| reference          = 
| mapframe-zoom = 3
}}

The '''Mediterranean Sea''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|m|ɛ|d|ɪ|t|ə|ˈ|r|eɪ|n|i|ən}} {{respell|MED|ih|tə|RAY|nee|ən}}) is an intercontinental [[sea]] situated between Europe, Asia, and Africa. It is surrounded by the [[Mediterranean basin]] and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the [[Levant]] in [[West Asia]], on the north by [[Anatolia]] in [[West Asia]] and [[Southern Europe]], and on the south by [[North Africa]]. To its west it is connected to the [[Atlantic Ocean]] via the [[Strait of Gibraltar]] that separates the [[Iberian Peninsula]] in [[Europe]] from [[Morocco]] in [[Africa]] by only {{convert|14|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}; additionally, it is connected to  the [[Black Sea]] through the [[Bosporus]] strait that intersects Turkey in the northeast and the [[Red Sea]] via the [[Suez Canal]] in the southeast.

The Mediterranean Sea covers an area of about {{convert|2500000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}},<ref name="britannica">{{Britannica URL|author=Boxer, Baruch |title=Mediterranean Sea |url=place/Mediterranean-Sea }}</ref> representing 0.7% of the global [[ocean]] surface; it includes fifteen [[marginal sea]]s, including the [[Aegean Sea|Aegean]], [[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic]], [[Tyrrhenian Sea|Tyrrhenian]], and [[Marmara sea|Marmara]]. Geological evidence indicates that around 5.9 million years ago, the Mediterranean was cut off from the Atlantic and was partly or completely [[desiccation|desiccated]] over a period of some 600,000 years during the [[Messinian salinity crisis]] before being refilled by the [[Zanclean flood]] about 5.3 million years ago.

The [[history of the Mediterranean region]] is crucial to understanding the origins and development of many modern societies; it is sometimes described as an "incubator of [[Western civilization]]". and saw the emergence of some of the earliest and most advanced civilisations, including those of [[Egypt]], [[Greece]], and the [[Fertile Crescent]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-27 |title=Mediterranean Sea {{!}} Facts, History, Islands, & Countries {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Mediterranean-Sea |access-date=2025-10-02 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> The Levant in the [[Eastern Mediterranean]] was among the first regions in the world to display permanent human habitation as early as 12,000 BC. The Mediterranean Sea was an important route for [[merchant]]s, travellers, and migrants in antiquity, facilitating trade and cultural exchange between various peoples as well as colonisation and conquest. The [[Roman Empire]] maintained [[Mare Nostrum|nautical hegemony]] over the sea for centuries and is the only state to have ever controlled all of its coast.

The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of {{convert|1500|m|ft|abbr=on}} and the deepest recorded point is {{Convert|5109|±|1|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} in the [[Calypso Deep]] in the [[Ionian Sea]]. It lies between latitudes [[30th parallel north|30°]] and [[46th parallel north|46° N]] and longitudes [[6th meridian west|6° W]] and [[36th meridian east|36° E]]. Its west–east length, from the Strait of Gibraltar to the [[Gulf of Alexandretta]], on the southeastern coast of [[Turkey]], is about {{Convert|4000|km||abbr=}}. The north–south length varies greatly between different shorelines and whether only straight routes are considered. Also including longitudinal changes, the shortest shipping route between the multinational [[Gulf of Trieste]] and the Libyan coastline of the [[Gulf of Sidra]] is about {{Convert|1900|km||abbr=}}. The water temperatures are mild in winter and warm in summer and give name to the [[Mediterranean climate]] type due to the majority of precipitation falling in the cooler months. Its southern and eastern coastlines are lined with hot deserts not far inland, but the immediate coastline on all sides of the Mediterranean tends to have strong maritime moderation.

The countries surrounding the Mediterranean and its marginal seas in clockwise order are [[Spain]], [[France]], [[Monaco]], [[Italy]], [[Slovenia]], [[Croatia]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Montenegro]], [[Albania]], [[Greece]], [[Turkey]], [[Syria]], [[Lebanon]], [[Israel]], [[Palestine]] ([[Gaza Strip]]), [[Egypt]], [[Libya]], [[Tunisia]], [[Algeria]], and [[Morocco]]; [[Cyprus]] and [[Malta]] are [[island country|island countries]] in the sea. In addition, [[Northern Cyprus]] ([[list of states with limited recognition|de facto state]]) and two [[British Overseas Territories|overseas territories]] of the [[United Kingdom]] ([[Akrotiri and Dhekelia]], and [[Gibraltar]]) also have [[coast]]lines along the Mediterranean Sea. The drainage basin encompasses a large number of other countries, the [[Nile]] being the longest river ending in the Mediterranean Sea.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nile River |url=https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/nile-river |access-date=12 March 2023 |website=Education {{!}} National Geographic Society |language=en |archive-date=8 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308110451/https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/nile-river/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Mediterranean Sea encompasses [[List of islands in the Mediterranean|a vast number of islands]], some of them of volcanic origin. The two largest islands, in both area and population, are [[Sicily]] and [[Sardinia]].

==Names and etymology==
[[File:Greece Orbit Photo 1989 by Atlas STS-34.jpg|thumb|With its highly indented coastline and large number of islands, [[Greece]] has the longest Mediterranean coastline.]]
[[File:Eastern Mediterranean in Katip Çelebi 1656 Mediterranean Sea map from Asfar il-bihar (cropped).jpg|thumb|Eastern Mediterranean in Katip Çelebi's map ({{lang|ota|ﺁق دكز}})]]
{{hiero|[[Wadj-Wer]], or Wadj-Ur, ancient Egyptian name of the Mediterranean Sea|{{center|<hiero>M14-wr-mw</hiero>}}|align=right|era=egypt}}
*[[Roman people|Romans]] called the Mediterranean ''Mare Magnum'' ("Great Sea") or ''Mare Internum'' ("Internal Sea") and, starting with the [[Roman Empire]], ''[[Mare Nostrum]]'' ("Our Sea"). The term ''Mare Mediterrāneum'' appears later: [[Gaius Julius Solinus|Solinus]] apparently used this in the 3rd century, but the earliest extant witness to it is in the 6th century,<ref name="Seirinidou2017">Vaso Seirinidou, [https://books.google.com/books?id=c53vDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA80 "The Mediterranean"] in Diana Mishkova, Balázs Trencsényi, ''European Regions and Boundaries: A Conceptual History'', series ''European Conceptual History'' '''3''', {{isbn|1-78533-585-5}}, 2017, p. 80</ref> in [[Isidore of Seville]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Geoffrey |last=Rickman |chapter=The creation of ''Mare Nostrum'': 300 BC – 500 AD |editor=David Abulafia |title=The Mediterranean in History |isbn=978-1-60606-057-5 |year=2011 |page=133|publisher=Getty Publications }}</ref><ref name="seirinidou" /> It means 'in the middle of land, inland' in [[Latin language|Latin]], a compound of {{lang|la|medius}} ('middle'), {{lang|la|terra}} ('land, earth'), and {{lang|la|-āneus}} ('having the nature of').{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}} The Latin word is a [[calque]] of Greek {{lang|grc|μεσόγειος}} ({{Transliteration|el|mesógeios}}; 'inland'), from {{lang|grc|μέσος}} ({{Transliteration|el|mésos}}, 'in the middle') and {{lang|grc|γήινος}} ({{Transliteration|el|gḗinos}}, 'of the earth'), from {{lang|grc|γῆ}} ({{Transliteration|el|gê}}, 'land, earth'). The original meaning may have been 'the sea in the middle of the earth', rather than 'the sea enclosed by land'.<ref>{{cite web |title=entry μεσόγαιος |url=http://old.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%2366422 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091202133428/http://old.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D |archive-date=2 December 2009 |publisher=[[Liddell & Scott]]}}</ref><ref>''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', 3rd ed, 2001, [http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/115766 ''s.v.'']</ref>
*In [[Modern Standard Arabic|Modern Arabic]], it is known as {{Transliteration|ar|ALA|al-Baḥr [al-Abyaḍ] al-Mutawassiṭ}} ({{lang|ar|البحر [الأبيض] المتوسط}}) 'the [White] Middle Sea'. In Islamic and older Arabic literature, it was {{Transliteration|ar|Baḥr al-Rūm(ī)}} ({{lang|ar|بحر الروم}} or {{lang|ar|بحر الرومي}}) 'the Sea of the Romans' or 'the Roman Sea'. At first, that name referred to only the Eastern Mediterranean, but it was later extended to the whole Mediterranean. Other Arabic names were {{Transliteration|ar|Baḥr al-šām(ī)}} ({{lang|ar|بحر الشام}}) ("the Sea of Syria") and {{Transliteration|ar|Baḥr al-Maghrib}} ({{lang|ar|بحرالمغرب}}) ("the Sea of the West").<ref name="eoi">{{EI2|title=Baḥr al-Rūm|volume=1}}</ref><ref name="seirinidou">Vaso Seirinidou, "The Mediterranean" in Diana Mishkova, Balázs Trencsényi, ''European Regions and Boundaries: A Conceptual History'', series ''European Conceptual History'' '''3''', {{isbn|1-78533-585-5}}, 2017, p. 80</ref>
*The [[Ancient Egyptians]] called the Mediterranean [[Wadj-Wer|''Wadj-wr''/''Wadj-Wer''/''Wadj-Ur'']]. This term ({{lit.|great green}}) was the name given by the Ancient Egyptians to the semi-solid, semi-aquatic region characterized by papyrus forests to the north of the cultivated [[Nile Delta]], and, by extension, the sea beyond.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Golvin |first1=Jean-Claude |title=L'Égypte restituée, Tome 3 |year=1991 |publisher=Éditions Errance |location=Paris |isbn=2-87772-148-5 |page=273}}</ref>
*The [[Carthaginians]] called it the "Syrian Sea". In ancient [[Syriac language|Syriac]] texts, [[Phoenician language|Phoenician]] epics and in the Hebrew [[Bible]], it was primarily known as the "Great Sea", {{lang|he|הים הגדול}}, {{Transliteration|he|HaYam HaGadol}}, ([[Book of Numbers|Numbers]]; [[Book of Joshua]]; [[Book of Ezekiel|Ezekiel]]) or simply as "The Sea" ([[Books of Kings|1 Kings]]).  However, it has also been called the "Hinder Sea" because of its location on the west coast of the [[Syria (region)|region of Syria]] or the [[Holy Land]] (and therefore behind a person facing the east), which is sometimes translated as "Western Sea". Another name was the "Sea of the [[Philistines]]", ([[Book of Exodus]]). In [[Modern Hebrew]], it is called {{lang|he|הים התיכון}} {{Transliteration|he|HaYam HaTikhon}}, 'the Middle Sea'.<ref name="melitensia" />
*The [[Ancient Greece|Ancient Greeks]] called the Mediterranean simply {{lang|grc|ἡ θάλασσα}} ({{Transliteration|el|hē thálassa}}; 'the Sea') or sometimes {{lang|grc|ἡ μεγάλη θάλασσα}} ({{Transliteration|el|hē megálē thálassa}}; 'the Great Sea'), {{lang|grc|ἡ ἡμετέρα θάλασσα}} ({{Transliteration|el|hē hēmetérā thálassa}}; 'Our Sea'), or {{lang|grc|ἡ θάλασσα ἡ καθ'ἡμᾶς}} ({{Transliteration|el|hē thálassa hē kath’hēmâs}}; 'the sea around us').{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}} According to Johann Knobloch, in [[classical antiquity]], cultures in the [[Levant]] used colors to refer to the cardinal points: black referred to the north (explaining the name [[Black Sea]]), yellow or blue to east, red to south (e.g., the [[Red Sea]]), and white to west. This would explain the Greek {{Transliteration|el|Áspri Thálassa}}, the [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]] {{Transliteration|bg|Byalo More}}, the Turkish {{lang|tr|Akdeniz}}, and the Arab nomenclature described above, {{Abbr|lit.|literal translation}} "White Sea".<ref>Johann Knoblock. ''Sprache und Religion'', Vol. 1 (Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, 1979), 18; cf. {{Encyclopaedia Iranica|volume=4|fascicle=3|title=Black Sea|first=Rüdiger|last=Schmitt|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/black-sea|pages=310–313}}</ref>
*The [[Old English]] name for the Mediterranean was the ''Wendel-sæ'', or "Vandal Sea", after the [[Vandals]] who had occupied the shores of North Africa in the [[Migration Period]].<ref>{{cite web |title="Mediterranean" on Etymonline |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/Mediterranean |access-date=27 May 2025}}</ref>
*One name for the Mediterranean in [[Old Norse|Old (West) Norse]] appears to have been ''Jórsalahaf'', the "Sea of Jerusalem".<ref>{{cite web |title=Dictionary of the Old Norwegian Language |url=https://old-norwegian-dictionary.vercel.app/word/jorsalahaf |access-date=27 May 2025}}</ref> The "Hreiðsea", ''Hreiðmarar'', mentioned on the [[Rök runestone]] might also refer to the Mediterranean. 
*[[Ancient Iranian peoples|Ancient Iranians]] called it the "Roman Sea", in Classic Persian texts was called {{Transliteration|fa|Daryāy-e Rōm}} ({{lang|fa|دریای روم}}) which may be from [[Middle Persian]] form, {{Transliteration|pal|Zrēh ī Hrōm}} ({{lang|pal|𐭦𐭫𐭩𐭤 𐭩 𐭤𐭫𐭥𐭬}}).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dehkhoda |first=Ali Akbar |title="دریای روم" entry |url=https://www.parsi.wiki/fa/wiki/247689/%d8%af%d8%b1%db%8c%d8%a7%db%8c-%d8%b1%d9%88%d9%85 |website=Parsi Wiki}}</ref> In [[Persian language|Classic Persian]] texts it was called {{Transliteration|fa|Daryāy-e Šām}} {{lang|fa|دریای شام}}) "The Western Sea" or "Syrian Sea".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dehkhoda |first=Ali Akabar |title="دریای شام" entry |url=https://www.parsi.wiki/fa/wiki/247707/%d8%af%d8%b1%db%8c%d8%a7%db%8c-%d8%b4%d8%a7%d9%85 |website=Parsi Wiki}}</ref>
*In [[Turkish language|Turkish]], it is the {{lang|tr|Akdeniz}} 'the White Sea'; in Ottoman, {{lang|ota|ﺁق دكز}}, which sometimes means only the [[Aegean Sea]].<ref>Diran Kélékian, ''Dictionnaire Turc-Français'', Constantinople, 1911</ref> The name is thought to be coming from the [[Cardinal direction#Northern Eurasia|colors associated with the cardinal directions]] in [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] tradition, where "Ak" (white) stands for the west. It may be to contrast with the [[Black Sea]].<ref name="eoi"/><ref name="melitensia">{{cite journal|journal=Hyphen|last=Vella|first=Andrew P.|date=1985|title=Mediterranean Malta|url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Hyphen/Hyphen.%204(1985)5/02.pdf|volume=4|issue=5|pages=469–472|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329163002/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Hyphen/Hyphen.%204%281985%295/02.pdf|archive-date=29 March 2017|url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref>[[Özhan Öztürk]] claims that in Old Turkish ''ak'' also means "west" and that {{lang|tr|Akdeniz}} hence means "West Sea" and that {{lang|tr|Karadeniz}} (Black Sea) means "North Sea". [[Özhan Öztürk]]. {{cite book|url=http://www.karalahana.com/makaleler/kitap/pontus-antik-cagdan-gunumuze-karadeniz-etnik-siyasi-tarihi.htm |title=Pontus: Antik Çağ'dan Günümüze Karadeniz'in Etnik ve Siyasi Tarihi Genesis Yayınları |place=Ankara |year=2011 |pages=5–9 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915062836/http://www.karalahana.com/makaleler/kitap/pontus-antik-cagdan-gunumuze-karadeniz-etnik-siyasi-tarihi.htm |archive-date=15 September 2012 }}</ref> In Persian, the name was translated as {{Transliteration|fa|Baḥr-i Safīd}}, which was also used in later [[Ottoman Turkish language|Ottoman Turkish]]. It is probably the origin of the colloquial Greek phrase {{langx|grc|Άσπρη Θάλασσα|Áspri Thálassa|White Sea|label=none}}.<ref name="eoi"/>

==History==
{{Main|History of the Mediterranean region}}

===Ancient civilizations===
[[File:AntikeGriechen1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75|Greek (red) and Phoenician (yellow) [[colonies in antiquity]] c. the 6th century BC]]
[[File:Roman Empire Trajan 117AD.png|thumb|upright=1.75|{{legend|#b23938|The [[Roman Empire]] at its farthest extent in AD 117}}]]

Major ancient civilizations were located around the Mediterranean. The sea provided routes for trade, colonization, and war, as well as food (from fishing and the gathering of other seafood) for numerous communities throughout the ages.<ref>{{cite book|author=David Abulafia|title=The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=2011}}</ref> The earliest advanced civilizations in the Mediterranean were the [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptians]] and the [[Minoan civilization|Minoans]], who traded extensively with each other.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}{{original research inline|date=July 2025}} Around 1200 BC the eastern Mediterranean was greatly affected by the [[Bronze Age Collapse]], which resulted in the destruction of many cities and trade routes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Late Bronze Age collapse {{!}} EBSCO Research Starters |url=https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/anthropology/late-bronze-age-collapse |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=www.ebsco.com |language=en}}</ref>

Two other notable Mediterranean civilizations in classical antiquity are the [[Greece|Greek]] [[city-state]]s and [[Phoenicia]]ns, both of whom extensively colonized the coastlines of the Mediterranean.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA |url=https://issuu.com/vikingcruisesau/docs/vikingexplorersn_issue15_mar22_v2/s/15494487 |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=Issuu |language=en}}</ref>

[[Darius I of Persia]], who conquered Ancient Egypt, built a canal linking the [[Red Sea]] to the Nile, and thus the Mediterranean. Darius's canal was wide enough for two [[trireme]]s to pass each other with oars extended and required four days to traverse.<ref>Rappoport, S. (Doctor of Philosophy, Basel). History of Egypt (undated, early 20th century), Volume 12, Part B, Chapter V: "The Waterways of Egypt", pp. 248–257 ([https://archive.org/stream/historyofegyptch12masp#page/248/mode/2up online]). London: The Grolier Society.</ref>

Following the [[Punic Wars]] in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, the [[Roman Republic]] defeated the [[Carthaginians]] to become the preeminent power in the Western Mediterranean region.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Qutub |first=Hamzah |date=2024-02-08 |title=How the Punic Wars Changed the Course of History |url=https://www.culturefrontier.com/punic-wars/ |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=www.culturefrontier.com |language=en-US}}</ref> When [[Augustus]] founded the [[Roman Empire]], the Romans referred to the Mediterranean as ''[[Mare Nostrum]]'' ("Our Sea").<ref>{{Cite web |title=Romans called the Mediterranean "Mare Nostrum" - meaning what? |url=https://brainly.com/question/43233424 |access-date=June 17, 2025 |website=Brainly}}</ref> For the next 400 years, the Roman Empire completely controlled the Mediterranean Sea and virtually all its coastal regions from Gibraltar to the Levant,<ref name=":3" /> giving the lake the nickname "Roman Lake".<ref>{{Cite web |title=[FREE] What did Rome turn into a "Roman lake"? - brainly.com |url=https://brainly.com/question/17540945 |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=brainly.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Middle Ages and empires===
The [[Western Roman Empire]] collapsed around 476 AD.<ref>{{Cite web |last=MD |first=Gerti Tashko |date=2025-05-19 |title=The Fall of the Western Roman Empire (476 CE) |url=https://gertitashkomd.com/the-fall-of-the-western-roman-empire-476-ce/ |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=GT health |language=en-US}}</ref> The east was again dominant as Roman power still existed on in the [[Byzantine Empire]] formed in the 4th century from the eastern half of the [[Roman Empire]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gaudio |first=Andrew |title=Research Guides: Byzantine Empire: A Resource Guide: Introduction |url=https://guides.loc.gov/byzantine-empire/introduction |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=guides.loc.gov |language=en}}</ref> During that time, another power arose in the 7th century, and with it the religion of [[Islam]], which soon swept across from the east; at its greatest extent,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=Cynthia |last2=Parkinson |first2=Brian |date=2023-08-16 |title=Islam – Rise of the Religion and Empires |url=https://pressbooks.oer.hawaii.edu/honcchist151/chapter/9-islam-and-islamic-empires/ |journal=Pressbooks |language=en}}</ref> the Arabs, under the [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyads]], controlled the [[Iberian Peninsula]], making a new phase of art and culture in the region.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Spanish Umayyads (711–1031) |url=https://localhost:5000/learn/educators/curriculum-resources/art-of-the-islamic-world/unit-five/chapter-one/the-spanish-umayyads |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=The Metropolitan Museum of Art }}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

[[File:The port and fleet of Genoa, early 14th century.jpg|thumb|right|The port and fleet of [[Republic of Genoa|Genoa]] in the early 14th century, by [[Quinto Cenni]]]]
A variety of foodstuffs, spices and crops were introduced to the western Mediterranean's Spain and [[Emirate of Sicily|Sicily]] during Arab rule, via the commercial networks of the Islamic world. These include sugarcane,<ref name="spanish-food.org">{{Cite web |title=Arab Influence {{!}} Spanish-food.org |url=https://www.spanish-food.org/spanish-food-history-arab-influence.html |access-date=7 July 2019 |website=www.spanish-food.org}}</ref> rice,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Crist |first=Raymond E. |date=1957 |title=Rice Culture in Spain |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_scientific-monthly_1957-02_84_2/page/66 |journal=The Scientific Monthly |volume=84 |issue=2 |pages=66–74 |bibcode=1957SciMo..84...66C |issn=0096-3771 |jstor=21775}}</ref> cotton, alfalfa, oranges,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The story of Andalusian Oranges in Spain |url=http://www.ft.lk/ft-lite/the-story-of-andalusian-oranges-in-spain/6-579841 |access-date=7 July 2019 |website=www.ft.lk |language=en}}</ref> lemons,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Nibble: Lemon History |url=http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/fruits/lemon-types.asp |access-date=7 July 2019 |website=www.thenibble.com}}</ref> apricots,<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Denker |first1=Joel |date=14 June 2016 |title='Moon Of The Faith:' A History Of The Apricot And Its Many Pleasures |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/06/14/481932829/moon-of-the-faith-a-history-of-the-apricot-and-its-many-pleasures |access-date=7 July 2019 |website=NPR |language=en}}</ref> spinach,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scott |first=Stephen |date=28 February 2014 |title=History of Spinach {{!}} Terroir Seeds |url=https://underwoodgardens.com/history-spinach/ |access-date=7 July 2019 |website=Terroir Seeds {{!}} Underwood Gardens |language=en}}</ref> eggplants,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Marie-Christine Daunay and Jules Janick |date=2007 |title=History and Iconography of Eggplant |url=https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/chronicaeggplant.pdf |journal=Chronica Horticulturae |volume=47 |pages=16–22}}</ref> carrots,<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Carrots{{Snd}} A brief summary and timeline |url=http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/history.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220728070445/http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/history.html |archive-date=28 July 2022 |access-date=7 July 2019 |website=www.carrotmuseum.co.uk}}</ref> [[saffron]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 October 2018 |title=The history of saffron |url=https://cyrussaffron.com/the-history-of-saffron/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707215152/https://cyrussaffron.com/the-history-of-saffron/ |archive-date=7 July 2019 |access-date=7 July 2019 |website=Saffron |language=en-US}}</ref> and bananas.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bananas: an American History |url=https://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/servlet/DCARead?standardNo=1560989661&standardNoType=1&excerpt=true |access-date=6 April 2020 |website=www.worldcat.org}}</ref> The Arabs also continued extensive cultivation and production of olive oil (the Spanish words for 'oil' and 'olive'—''aceite'' and ''aceituna'', respectively—are derived from the Arabic ''al-zait'', meaning 'olive juice'),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Learn All About Spanish Olive Oil |url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/grades-of-spanish-olive-oil-3082923 |access-date=7 July 2019 |website=The Spruce Eats |language=en}}</ref> and pomegranates (the heraldic symbol of Granada) from classical [[Greco-Roman world|Greco-Roman]] times.

The [[Early Muslim conquests|Arab invasions]] disrupted the trade relations between Western and Eastern Europe while disrupting trade routes with Eastern Asian Empires. This, however, had the indirect effect of promoting trade across the [[Caspian Sea]]. The export of grains from [[Egypt]] was re-routed towards the [[Eastern world]]. Products from East Asian empires, like silk and spices, were carried from Egypt to ports like [[Republic of Venice|Venice]] and [[Constantinople]] by sailors and Jewish merchants. The [[Viking expansion|Viking raids]] further disrupted the trade in western Europe and brought it to a halt. However, the [[Norsemen]] developed the trade from Norway to the [[White Sea]], while also trading in luxury goods from [[Al-Andalus|Spain]] and the Mediterranean. The [[Byzantine Empire under the Isaurian dynasty|Byzantines in the mid-8th century]] retook control of the area around the north-eastern part of the Mediterranean. Venetian ships from the 9th century armed themselves to counter the harassment by Arabs while concentrating trade of Asian goods in Venice.<ref>{{cite book|last=Couper |first=Alastair |title=The Geography of Sea Transport|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WFVACwAAQBAJ&q=The+Geography+of+Sea+Transport&pg=PA37|year=2015|isbn=978-1-317-35150-4|pages=33–37|publisher=Routledge }}</ref>[[File:Battle of Lepanto 1571.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Battle of Lepanto]], 1571, ended in victory for the European [[Holy League (1571)|Holy League]] against the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turks]].]]
The [[Fatimids]] maintained trade relations with the [[Italian city-states]] like [[Duchy of Amalfi|Amalfi]] and [[Republic of Genoa|Genoa]] before the Crusades, according to the [[Cairo Geniza]] documents. A document dated 996 mentions Amalfian merchants living in [[Cairo]]. Another letter states that the Genoese had traded with [[Alexandria]]. The caliph [[Ma'ad al-Mustansir Billah|al-Mustansir]] had allowed Amalfian merchants to reside in [[Jerusalem]] about 1060 in place of the Latin [[hospice]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Balard|first=Michel|editor-first1=Marcus Graham|editor-last1=Bull|editor-last2=Edbury|editor-first2=Peter|editor-last3=Phillips|editor-first3=Jonathan|title=The Experience of Crusading, Volume 2 – Defining the Crusader Kingdom|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2003|isbn=978-0-521-78151-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JEN-0A3icQUC&q=amalfi+cairo&pg=PA233|pages=23–35|access-date=17 November 2020|archive-date=1 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101145302/https://books.google.com/books?id=JEN-0A3icQUC&q=amalfi+cairo&pg=PA233#v=snippet&q=amalfi%20cairo&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Crusades]] led to the flourishing of trade between Europe and the ''[[outremer]]'' region.<ref>{{cite book|last=Housley|first=Norman|author-link=Norman Housley|title=Contesting the Crusades|publisher=Blackwell Publishing|year=2006|isbn=978-1-4051-1189-8|pages=152–54}}</ref> Genoa, Venice and [[Republic of Pisa|Pisa]] created colonies in regions controlled by the Crusaders and came to control the trade with the Orient. These colonies also allowed them to trade with the Eastern world. Though the fall of the Crusader states and attempts at banning of trade relations with Muslim states by the Popes temporarily disrupted the trade with the Orient, it however continued.<ref>{{cite book|first=James|last=Brundage|title=Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia|publisher=Routledge|year=2004|isbn=978-1-135-94880-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E2CTAgAAQBAJ&q=through+all+these+military+triumphs+and+reverses,+italian+merchants+constituted+the+mainstay&pg=PT303|page=273|access-date=17 November 2020|archive-date=1 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101145303/https://books.google.com/books?id=E2CTAgAAQBAJ&q=through+all+these+military+triumphs+and+reverses,+italian+merchants+constituted+the+mainstay&pg=PT303#v=snippet&q=through%20all%20these%20military%20triumphs%20and%20reverses%2C%20italian%20merchants%20constituted%20the%20mainstay&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> Europe started to revive, however, when there was gradual centralization of state power in the [[Renaissance of the 12th century]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=University |first=Utah Valley |title=The Twelfth Century |url=https://uen.pressbooks.pub/worldhistory1/chapter/the-twelfth-century-in-western-europe/ |journal=World History: Cultures, States, and Societies to 1500 |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:De Engels-Nederlandse vloot in de Baai van Algiers ter ondersteuning van het ultimatum tot vrijlating van blanke slaven, 26 augustus 1816. Rijksmuseum SK-A-1377.jpeg|thumb|The [[Bombardment of Algiers (1816)|bombardment of Algiers]] by the Anglo-Dutch fleet in support of an ultimatum to release [[Barbary slave trade|European slaves]], August 1816]]

[[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] power based in Anatolia continued to grow, and in 1453 extinguished the Byzantine Empire with the [[Conquest of Constantinople]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-11-03 |title=Ottoman Empire - WWI, Decline & Definition |url=https://www.history.com/articles/ottoman-empire |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=HISTORY |language=en}}</ref> [[Hayreddin Barbarossa]], the Ottoman captain is a symbol of this domination with the victory of the [[Battle of Preveza]] (1538), opening up [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]] and the eastern Mediterranean to Ottoman rule.<ref>{{Cite web |title=From Pirate to Admiral: The Tale of Barbarossa {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/story/from-pirate-to-admiral-the-tale-of-barbarossa |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> As the naval prowess of the European powers increased, they confronted Ottoman expansion in the region when the [[Battle of Lepanto]] (1571) damaging the power of the [[Ottoman Navy]]. This was the last naval battle to be fought primarily between [[galley]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Battle of Lepanto {{!}} EBSCO Research Starters |url=https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/battle-lepanto |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=www.ebsco.com |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Barbary pirates]] of [[Northwest Africa]] preyed on Christian shipping and coastlines in the Western Mediterranean Sea.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/trent_0116405722392 |url-access=registration |title=Christian Slaves, Muslim Masters: White Slavery in the Mediterranean, the Barbary Coast and Italy, 1500–1800 |author=Robert Davis |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |date=5 December 2003|access-date=17 January 2013|isbn=978-0-333-71966-4}}</ref> According to Robert Davis, from the 16th to 19th centuries, pirates captured 1 million to 1.25 million Europeans as slaves.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/white_slaves_01.shtml |title=British Slaves on the Barbary Coast |publisher=BBC |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-date=8 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090208143435/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/white_slaves_02.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

The development of oceanic shipping began to affect the entire Mediterranean. Once, most of the trade between Western Europe and the East was [[Indo-Mediterranean|passing through the region]], but after the 1490s the development of a sea route to the Indian Ocean allowed the importation of Asian [[Spice trade|spices]] and other goods through the Atlantic ports of western Europe.<ref>C.I. Gable – [http://www.boglewood.com/timeline/ottomans.html Constantinople Falls to the Ottoman Turks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029132035/http://www.boglewood.com/timeline/ottomans.html |date=29 October 2014}} – '' Boglewood Timeline'' – 1998 – Retrieved 3 September 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.sephardicstudies.org/ottoemp.html "History of the Ottoman Empire, an Islamic Nation where Jews Lived"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018040430/http://www.sephardicstudies.org/ottoemp.html |date=18 October 2014}} – ''Sephardic Studies and Culture'' – Retrieved 3 September 2011.</ref><ref>Robert Guisepi – {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20150311160503/http://history-world.org/ottoman%20empire.htm The Ottomans: From Frontier Warriors To Empire Builders]}} – 1992 – ''History World International'' – Retrieved 3 September 2011.</ref>
[[File:Cena da Batalha do Nilo, 1 a 3 de Agosto de 1798 (escola europeia, séc. XIX).png|thumb|[[Battle of the Nile]] during the [[French invasion of Egypt and Syria|French campaign in Egypt]], August 1798]]
The sea remained strategically important. British mastery of [[Gibraltar]] ensured their influence in Africa and Southwest Asia. Especially after the naval battles of Abukir (1799, [[Battle of the Nile]]) and [[Battle of Trafalgar|Trafalgar]] (1805), the British had for a long time strengthened their dominance in the Mediterranean.<ref>See: Brian Lavery "Nelson's Navy: The Ships, Men, and Organization, 1793–1815" (2013).</ref> Wars included [[Naval warfare in the Mediterranean during World War I]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mediterranean Theater, Naval Operations / 1.0 / encyclopedic |url=https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/mediterranean-theater-naval-operations/ |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=1914-1918-Online (WW1) Encyclopedia |language=en}}</ref> and [[Mediterranean theatre of World War II]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-18 |title=The 1941 Battle of Cape Matapan Between Britain and Italy |url=http://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2024/9/18/the-1941-battle-of-cape-matapan-between-britain-and-italy |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=History is Now Magazine, Podcasts, Blog and Books {{!}} Modern International and American history |language=en-US}}</ref>

With the opening of the lockless [[Suez Canal]] in 1869, the flow of trade between Europe and Asia changed fundamentally. The fastest route now led through the Mediterranean towards East Africa and Asia. This led to a preference for the Mediterranean countries and their ports like [[Trieste]] with direct connections to Central and Eastern Europe experienced a rapid economic rise. In the 20th century, the 1st and 2nd World Wars as well as the [[Suez Crisis]] and the [[Cold War]] led to a shift of trade routes to the European northern ports, which changed again towards the southern ports through European integration, the activation of the [[Silk Road]] and free world trade.<ref>Mary Pelletier "A brief history of the Suez Canal" In: Apollo 3 July 2018; Harry de Wilt: Is One Belt, One Road a China crisis for North Sea main ports? in World Cargo News, 17. December 2019; Marcus Hernig: Die Renaissance der Seidenstraße (2018), pp 112; Hans Reis "Der Suezkanal – die wichtigste von Menschen geschaffene Wasserstrasse wurde vor 150 Jahren gebaut und war oft umkämpft" In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung 17 November 2019; Bernhard Simon: Can The New Silk Road Compete With The Maritime Silk Road? in The Maritime Executive, 1 January 2020.</ref>

===21st century and migrations===
{{Further|2015 European migrant crisis|List of migrant vessel incidents on the Mediterranean Sea|Timeline of the 2015 European migrant crisis}}{{CSS image crop
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In 2013, the [[Malta|Maltese]] president described the Mediterranean Sea as a "cemetery" due to the large number of migrants who drowned there after their boats capsized.<ref>{{cite web|title=Migrant deaths prompt calls for EU action|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2013/10/13/migrant-deaths-prompt-calls-for-eu-action/|website=Al Jazeera&nbsp;– English|access-date=14 March 2022|date=13 October 2013|archive-date=14 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314151430/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2013/10/13/migrant-deaths-prompt-calls-for-eu-action/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[European Parliament]] president [[Martin Schulz]] said in 2014 that Europe's migration policy "turned the Mediterranean into a graveyard", referring to the number of drowned refugees in the region as a direct result of the policies.<ref>{{cite web|title=Schulz: EU migrant policy 'turned Mediterranean into graveyard'|url=http://euobserver.com/tickers/121894|website=EUobserver|access-date=12 December 2014|date=24 October 2013|archive-date=29 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029130716/http://euobserver.com/tickers/121894|url-status=live}}</ref> An Azerbaijani official described the sea as "a burial ground ... where people die".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://topnews.az/en/news/148766/Novruz-Mammadov-The-Mediterranean-become-a-burial-ground.html|title=Novruz Mammadov: The Mediterranean become a burial ground|access-date=4 May 2015|archive-date=25 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925095650/http://topnews.az/en/news/148766/Novruz-Mammadov-The-Mediterranean-become-a-burial-ground.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Following the [[2013 Lampedusa migrant shipwreck]], the [[Letta Cabinet|Italian government]] decided to strengthen the national system for the patrolling of the Mediterranean Sea by authorizing "[[Operation Mare Nostrum]]", a military and humanitarian mission in order to rescue the migrants and arrest the traffickers of immigrants. In 2015, more than one million migrants crossed the Mediterranean Sea into Europe.<ref>{{cite web |title=Over one million sea arrivals reach Europe in 2015 |url=http://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2015/12/5683d0b56/million-sea-arrivals-reach-europe-2015.html |website=UNHCR – The UN Refugee Agency |date=30 December 2015 |access-date=20 August 2016 |archive-date=24 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224084500/http://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2015/12/5683d0b56/million-sea-arrivals-reach-europe-2015.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Italy was particularly affected by the [[European migrant crisis]]. Between 2013 and 2018, over 700,000 migrants landed in Italy,<ref>{{cite news |title=What will Italy's new government mean for migrants? |url=https://www.thelocal.it/20180521/what-will-italys-new-government-mean-for-migrants |newspaper=The Local Italy |date=21 May 2018 |access-date=6 July 2018 |archive-date=1 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401231010/https://www.thelocal.it/20180521/what-will-italys-new-government-mean-for-migrants |url-status=live }}</ref> mainly sub-Saharan Africans.<ref>{{cite news |title=African migrants fear for future as Italy struggles with surge in arrivals |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-migrants-africa/african-migrants-fear-for-future-as-italy-struggles-with-surge-in-arrivals-idUSKBN1A30QD |work=Reuters |date=18 July 2017 |access-date=6 July 2018 |archive-date=2 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402002627/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-migrants-africa/african-migrants-fear-for-future-as-italy-struggles-with-surge-in-arrivals-idUSKBN1A30QD |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Geography==
{{main|List of islands in the Mediterranean Sea}}
{{multiple image
| width    = 180
| footer   =
| image1   = STS059-238-074 Strait of Gibraltar.jpg
| alt1     =
| caption1 = A satellite image showing the Mediterranean Sea. The [[Strait of Gibraltar]] appears in the bottom left (north-west) quarter of the image; to its left is the [[Iberian Peninsula]] in [[Europe]], and to its right, the [[Maghreb]] in [[Africa]].
| image2   = Gallipoli peninsula from space.jpg
| alt2     =
| caption2 = The [[Dardanelles]] [[Turkish Straits|strait]] in [[Turkey]]. The north (upper) side forms part of [[Europe]] (the [[Gelibolu Peninsula]] in the [[Thrace]] region); on the south (lower) side is [[Anatolia]] in [[Asia]].
}}
The Mediterranean Sea connects
* to the [[Atlantic Ocean]] by the [[Strait of Gibraltar]] (known as the "[[Pillars of Hercules]]") in the west. This also separates Europe from Africa<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vallianatos |first=Evaggelos |date=2013-10-08 |title=Is Western Civilization Becoming Criminal? The Case of the Mediterranean |url=https://truthout.org/articles/is-western-civilization-becoming-criminal-the-case-of-the-mediterranean/ |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=Truthout |language=en-US}}</ref>
* to the [[Sea of Marmara]] and the [[Black Sea]], by the Straits of the [[Dardanelles]] and the [[Bosporus]] respectively, in the east. This separated Europe from Asia<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mediterranean Sea |url=https://dlab.epfl.ch/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/m/Mediterranean_Sea.htm |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=dlab.epfl.ch}}</ref>

The [[coastline length]] is about {{convert|46,000|km|abbr=on}}.<ref name="britannica" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Mediterranean – a sea surrounded by land &#124; WWF |url=https://wwf.panda.org/knowledge_hub/where_we_work/mediterranean/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200907160225/https://wwf.panda.org/knowledge_hub/where_we_work/mediterranean/ |archive-date=7 September 2020 |access-date=7 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Mediterranean coast |url=http://www.fao.org/3/W4347E/w4347e0s.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200907160227/http://www.fao.org/3/W4347E/w4347e0s.htm |archive-date=7 September 2020 |access-date=15 September 2020 |publisher=FAO}}</ref>

The {{convert|163|km|mi|abbr= on}} long artificial [[Suez Canal]] in the southeast connects the Mediterranean Sea to the [[Red Sea]] without ship lock, because the water level is essentially the same. This separated Africa and Asia.<ref name="melitensia"/><ref>Harald Krachler "Alois Negrelli, der Suezkanalplaner" In: Wiener Zeitung 18 January 1999.</ref>

===Marginal seas===
[[File:Lopud island, Croatia (48612709613).jpg|thumb|The [[Elaphiti Islands]] off the coast of Croatia; the Adriatic Sea contains over [[List of islands in the Adriatic|1200 islands and islets]].]]
[[File:Illots d'Eivissa (Pitiüses) 12. Es Malvins.jpg|thumb|Es Malvins, [[Balearic Sea]]]]
[[File:Ionian sea islands, pic1.JPG|thumb|The Ionian Sea, view from the island [[Lefkada]], Greece]]

The Mediterranean Sea includes 15 [[marginal seas]]:<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bai |first1=Yan |last2=He |first2=Xianqiang |last3=Yu |first3=Shujie |last4=Chen |first4=Chen-Tung |date=28 February 2018 |title=Changes in the Ecological Environment of the Marginal Seas along the Eurasian Continent from 2003 to 2014 |journal=Sustainability |language=en |volume=10 |issue=3 |page=635 |doi=10.3390/su10030635 |issn=2071-1050|doi-access=free|bibcode=2018Sust...10..635B }}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=April 2023}}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!rowspan=2|Number
!rowspan=2|Sea
!colspan=2|Area
!rowspan=2|Marginal countries and territories
|-
!km<sup>2</sup>
!sq mi
|-
| align=center|1 || '''[[Libyan Sea]]''' || {{convert|350,000|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}} || [[Libya]], [[Greece]], [[Malta]], [[Italy]]
|-
| align=center|2 || '''[[Levantine Sea]]''' || {{convert|320,000|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}} || [[Turkey]], [[Syria]], [[Lebanon]], [[Israel]], [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], [[Egypt]], [[Greece]], [[Cyprus]], [[Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia|Akrotiri & Dhekelia]]
|-
| align=center|3 || '''[[Tyrrhenian Sea]]''' || {{convert|275,000|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}} || [[Italy]], [[France]]
|-
| align=center|4 || '''[[Aegean Sea]]''' || {{convert|214,000|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}} || [[Greece]], [[Turkey]]
|-
| align=center|5 || '''[[Icarian Sea]]''' || colspan=2 align=center | (Part of Aegean) || [[Greece]], [[Turkey]]
|-
| align=center|6 || '''[[Myrtoan Sea]]''' || colspan=2 align=center | (Part of Aegean) || [[Greece]]
|-
| align=center|7 || '''[[Thracian Sea]]''' || colspan=2 align=center | (Part of Aegean) || [[Greece]], [[Turkey]]
|-
| align=center|8 || '''[[Ionian Sea]]''' || {{convert|169,000|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}} || [[Greece]], [[Albania]], [[Italy]]
|-
| align=center|9 || '''[[Balearic Sea]]''' || {{convert|150,000|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}} || [[Spain]]
|-
| align=center|10 || '''[[Adriatic Sea]]''' || {{convert|138,000|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}} || [[Albania]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Croatia]], [[Italy]], [[Montenegro]], [[Slovenia]]
|-
| align=center|11 || '''[[Sea of Sardinia]]''' || {{convert|120,000|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}} || [[Italy]], [[Spain]]
|-
| align=center|12 || '''[[Sea of Crete]]''' || {{convert|95,000|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}} <small>(Part of Aegean)</small> || [[Greece]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Sea-of-Crete |title=Sea of Crete &#124; sea, Greece |website=Britannica |access-date=28 November 2022 |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326032903/https://www.britannica.com/place/Sea-of-Crete |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| align=center|13 || '''[[Ligurian Sea]]''' || {{convert|80,000|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}} || [[Italy]], [[France]]
|-
| align=center|14 || '''[[Alboran Sea]]''' || {{convert|53,000|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}} || [[Spain]], [[Morocco]], [[Algeria]], [[Gibraltar]]
|-
| align=center|15 || '''[[Sea of Marmara]]''' || {{convert|11,500|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}} || [[Turkey]]
|-
| align=center|– || '''Other''' || ~{{convert|500,000|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}} || Consists of gulfs, straits, channels and other parts that do not have the name of a specific sea.
|-
!Total!!Mediterranean Sea!!~{{convert|2,500,000|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
!
|}Note 1: The [[International Hydrographic Organization]] defines the area as generic Mediterranean Sea, in the Western Basin. It does not recognize the label [[Sea of Sardinia]].<ref name="IHO" />

Note 2: [[Thracian Sea]], [[Icarian Sea]], [[Sea of Crete]] and [[Myrtoan Sea]] are [[seas]] that are part of the [[Aegean Sea]].

Note 3: The [[Black Sea]] is not considered part of it.

===Extent===
{{See also|List of drainage basins by area}}
[[File:Locatie Middellandse Zee.PNG|thumb|Borders of the Mediterranean Sea]]

The [[International Hydrographic Organization]] defines the limits of the Mediterranean Sea as follows:<ref name="IHO">{{cite web|url=https://iho.int/uploads/user/pubs/standards/s-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf|title=Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition|year=1953|publisher=International Hydrographic Organization|access-date=28 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008191433/http://www.iho-ohi.net/iho_pubs/standard/S-23/S23_1953.pdf|archive-date=8 October 2011}}</ref> Stretching from the [[Strait of Gibraltar]] in the west to the entrances to the [[Dardanelles]] and the [[Suez Canal]] in the east, the Mediterranean Sea is bounded by the coasts of Europe, Africa, and Asia and is divided into two deep basins:
* Western Basin:
** On the west: A line joining the extremities of [[Cape Trafalgar]] (Spain) and [[Cape Spartel]] (Africa)
** On the northeast: The west coast of Italy. In the [[Strait of Messina]], a line joining the north extreme of Cape Paci (15°42′E) with [[Cape Peloro]], the east extreme of the Island of [[Sicily]]. The north coast of Sicily
** On the east: A line joining Cape Lilibeo the western point of Sicily ({{coord|37|47|N|12|22|E|display=inline}}), through the Adventure Bank to [[Cape Bon]] (Tunisia)
* Eastern Basin:
** On the west: The northeastern and eastern limits of the Western Basin
** On the northeast: A line joining [[Kumkale, Çanakkale|Kum Kale]] (26°11′E) and [[Cape Helles]], the western entrance to the Dardanelles
** On the southeast: The entrance to the [[Suez Canal]]
** On the east: The coasts of [[Lebanon]], [[Syria]], [[Israel]], and [[Palestine]] (through the [[Gaza Strip]])

===Hydrography===
<!--This section is linked from the Infobox and the [[Mediterranean Basin]] article-->
[[File:Mediterranean Basin.png|thumb|Approximate extent of the Mediterranean drainage basin (dark green). [[Nile]] basin only partially shown]]

The [[drainage basin]] of the Mediterranean Sea is particularly heterogeneous and extends much further than the Mediterranean region.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a2u4HMfAMXoC |title=The Climate of the Mediterranean Region: From the Past to the Future |publisher=[[Elsevier]] |author=Lionello, P. |year=2012 |page=lxii |isbn=978-0-12-391477-4 |quote=Geographically, the Mediterranean catchment is extremely large and heterogeneous, covering an area of approximately 5 millions km<sup>2</sup>. It extends from the equator, where the springs of the White Nile River are located, to the source of the Rhone River at approximately 48°N. In longitude, it spans about 40°, from the middle of the Iberian peninsula, at 4°W, towards southern Turkey and the Middle East coasts facing the Mediterranean Sea (35°E). |access-date=1 May 2022 |archive-date=1 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101145323/https://books.google.com/books?id=a2u4HMfAMXoC |url-status=live }}</ref> Its size has been estimated between {{convert|4000000|and|5500000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}},{{NoteTag|Not including the area of the Mediterranean Sea}} depending on whether non-active parts (deserts) are included or not.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226665381 |title=Advances in the Research of Aquatic Environment |chapter=An insight to the fluvial characteristics of the Mediterranean and Black Sea watersheds |page=191 |publisher=[[Springer Nature]] |author=Poulos, Serafeim |year=2011 |quote=The drainage basin of the Mediterranean Sea, accounting for some 4,184 10<sup>3</sup> km<sup>2</sup> (including the R. Nile)}}</ref><ref name="Margat 2004 p4">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n5CGAAAAIAAJ |title=Mediterranean Basin Water Atlas |publisher=[[UNESCO]] |author=Margat, Jean F. |year=2004 |page=4 |isbn=978-2-9517181-5-9 |quote=A basin of varied geometry: Area of the entire Mediterranean Basin, including the whole of the Nile Basin = 4,562,480 km<sup>2</sup>; Area of the 'conventional' Mediterranean Basin (i.e. counting only part of the Nile Basin in Egypt) = 1,836,480 km<sup>2</sup> [...] There are few rivers with an abundant flow. Only three rivers have a mean discharge of more than 1000 m<sup>3</sup>/s: the Nile (at Aswan), the Rhône and the Po. |access-date=1 May 2022 |archive-date=1 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101145323/https://books.google.com/books?id=n5CGAAAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Hydrological cycle of the Mediterranean-Black Sea system |author=García-García, D. |journal=[[Climate Dynamics]] |year=2022 |volume=59 |issue=7–8 |pages=1919–1938 |doi=10.1007/s00382-022-06188-2 |bibcode=2022ClDy...59.1919G |s2cid=247013753 |quote=In the continents, the drainage basins discharging into the Mediterranean and Black seas are defined according to the global continental runoff pathways scheme (Oki and Sud 1998), and they cover 5.34 × 10<sup>6</sup> and 2.43 × 10<sup>6</sup> km<sup>2</sup>, respectively |doi-access=free|hdl=10045/121760 |hdl-access=free  |issn=0930-7575}}</ref> The longest river ending in the Mediterranean Sea is the [[Nile]], which takes its sources in equatorial Africa. The basin of the Nile constitutes about two-thirds of the Mediterranean drainage basin<ref name="Margat 2004 p4" /> and encompasses areas as high as the [[Ruwenzori Mountains]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gXgyHLT_hwIC |title=Large Rivers: Geomorphology and Management |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |author=Gupta, Avijit |year=2008 |page=275 |isbn=978-0-470-72371-5 |quote=The highest point in the Nile basin is Mount Stanley (5109 m) in the Ruwenzori Mountain range between Lake Edward and Lake Albert |access-date=1 May 2022 |archive-date=1 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101145323/https://books.google.com/books?id=gXgyHLT_hwIC |url-status=live }}</ref> Among other important rivers in Africa, are the [[Moulouya River|Moulouya]] and the [[Chelif River|Chelif]], both on the north side of the [[Atlas Mountains]]. In Asia, are the [[Ceyhan River|Ceyhan]] and [[Seyhan River|Seyhan]], both on the south side of the [[Taurus Mountains]].<ref name="UNEP">{{cite web |url=https://www.medqsr.org/mediterranean-marine-and-coastal-environment |title=The Mediterranean Marine and Coastal Environment: Hydrological and climatic setting. |publisher=Mediterranean Action Plan of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP) |access-date=16 April 2022 |quote=The Mediterranean is an area of transition between a temperate Europe with relatively abundant and consistent water resources, and the arid African and Arabian deserts that are very short of water. |archive-date=24 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024184710/https://www.medqsr.org/mediterranean-marine-and-coastal-environment |url-status=dead }}</ref> In Europe, the largest basins are those of the [[Rhône]], [[Ebro]], [[Po (river)|Po]], and [[Maritsa]].<ref name="UNECE">{{cite book |url=https://unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/env/water/publications/pub76.htm |title=Our Waters: Joining Hands Across Borders: First Assessment of Transboundary Rivers, Lakes and Groundwaters |publisher=[[United Nations Economic Commission for Europe]] |year=2007 |chapter=Drainage basin of the Mediterranean Sea |pages=154–181 |access-date=15 April 2022 |archive-date=15 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415181121/https://unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/env/water/publications/pub76.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> The basin of the Rhône is the largest and extends up as far north as the [[Jura Mountains]], encompassing areas even on the north side of the [[Alps]].<!--Lake Geneva for example--><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4ZiKCgAAQBAJ |title=The Central European Magdalenian: Regional Diversity and Internal Variability |publisher=[[Springer Publishing]] |author=Maier, Andreas |year=2015 |page=187 |isbn=978-94-017-7206-8 |quote=The major geographic features characterizing the landscape are the Rhône-Saône valley, the Jura Mountains, the Molasse basin and the northwestern slopes of the Alps. |access-date=15 April 2022 |archive-date=1 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101145419/https://books.google.com/books?id=4ZiKCgAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> The basins of the Ebro, Po, and Maritsa, are respectively south of the [[Pyrenees]], Alps, and [[Balkan Mountains]], which are the major ranges bordering Southern Europe.

Total annual precipitation is significantly higher on the European part of the Mediterranean basin, especially near the Alps (the 'water tower of Europe') and other high mountain ranges. As a consequence, the [[Discharge (hydrology)|river discharges]] of the Rhône and Po are similar to that of the Nile, despite the latter having a much larger basin.<ref name="UNEP" /> These are the only three rivers with an average discharge of over {{convert|1000|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Margat 2004 p4"/> Among large natural fresh bodies of water are [[Lake Victoria]] (Nile basin), [[Lake Geneva]] (Rhône), and the [[Italian Lakes]] (Po). While the Mediterranean watershed is bordered by other river basins in Europe, it is essentially bordered by [[endorheic basin]]s or deserts elsewhere.<!--Depending on whether or not non-active parts of the drainage basin are included-->

The following countries are in the Mediterranean drainage basin while ''not'' having a coastline on the Mediterranean Sea:

* In Europe, through various rivers:<ref name="UNECE"/> [[Andorra]],{{NoteTag|Through the [[Ebro]]}} [[Bulgaria]],{{NoteTag|Through the [[Struma (river)|Struma]], [[Maritsa]] and [[Nestos (river)|Nestos]], see [[Geography of Bulgaria#Hydrography]]}} [[Kosovo]],{{Notetag|Through the [[Drin (river)|Drin]]}} [[North Macedonia]],{{NoteTag|Through the [[Drin (river)|Drin]] and [[Vardar]]}} [[San Marino]],{{NoteTag|Through the [[Marecchia]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/San-Marino-republic-Europe |title=San Marino |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |access-date=22 April 2022 |archive-date=3 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503170939/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/521449/San-Marino |url-status=live }}</ref>}} [[Serbia]],{{NoteTag|Through the [[Struma (river)|Struma]]}} and [[Switzerland]].{{NoteTag|Through the [[Rhône]], [[Po (river)|Po]] and [[Adige]], see [[Hydrology of Switzerland]]}}
* In Africa, through the Nile:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rti.org/impact/nile-river-basin-initiative |title=The Nile River Basin Initiative |date=23 May 2018 |publisher=[[RTI International]] |access-date=14 March 2022 |quote=The longest river in the world, the Nile spans 35 degrees of latitude, drains three million square kilometers of land (one-tenth of the total surface area of Africa), and runs through 11 countries whose combined population totals over 300 million people: Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Nile's primary water source, Lake Victoria, is the world's second-largest body of fresh water, and the Nile Delta in northern Egypt covers over 150 miles of the Mediterranean coastline. |archive-date=21 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220321232928/https://www.rti.org/impact/nile-river-basin-initiative |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congo]], [[Burundi]], [[Eritrea]], [[Ethiopia]], [[Kenya]], [[Rwanda]], [[South Sudan]], [[Sudan]], [[Tanzania]] and [[Uganda]].

===Coastal countries===
{{Main list|List of Mediterranean countries
}}
[[File:Area of the Mediterranean.jpg|thumb|Map of the Mediterranean Sea from open Natural Earth data, 2020]]

The following countries have a coastline on the Mediterranean Sea:<ref>{{Cite web |date=Jun 20, 2023 |title=Mediterranean Sea |url=https://vajiramandravi.com/current-affairs/mediterranean-sea/ |access-date=2025-06-23 |website=Vajiram & Ravi |language=en-IN}}</ref>
* '''European''': [[Spain]], [[France]], [[Italy]], [[Malta]], [[Monaco]], [[Slovenia]], [[Croatia]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Montenegro]], [[Albania]], and [[Greece]]
* '''Middle Eastern''': [[Turkey]], [[Syria]], [[Lebanon]], [[Israel]], [[Palestine]], and the island of [[Cyprus]]
* '''North African''': [[Morocco]], [[Algeria]], [[Tunisia]], [[Libya]], [[Egypt]]

===Exclusive economic zone===
[[Exclusive economic zones]] in Mediterranean Sea:<ref name="Sea Around Us">{{Cite web |title=Sea Around Us &#124; Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity |url=http://www.seaaroundus.org/data/#/eez |access-date=15 September 2020 |website=seaaroundus.org |archive-date=23 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223181456/http://www.seaaroundus.org/data/#/eez |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.seaaroundus.org/data/#/eez/793?chart=catch-chart&dimension=taxon&measure=tonnage&limit=10|title=Sea Around Us &#124; Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity|access-date=27 November 2020|archive-date=23 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223181456/http://www.seaaroundus.org/data/#/eez/793?chart=catch-chart&dimension=taxon&measure=tonnage&limit=10|url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%"
|-
!rowspan=2 width=75|Number
!rowspan=2 width=250|Country<!--As listed in [[List of sovereign states]]-->
!colspan=2 width=200|Area
|-
!width=100|km<sup>2</sup>
!width=100|sq mi
|-
| align=center|1 || '''{{ITA}}''' || {{convert|541,915|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|2 || '''{{GRE}}''' || {{convert|493,708|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|3 || '''{{LBA}}''' || {{convert|355,604|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|4 || '''{{ESP}}''' || {{convert|260,000|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|5 || '''{{EGY}}''' || {{convert|169,125|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|6 || '''{{ALG}}''' || {{convert|128,843|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|7 || '''{{TUN}}''' || {{convert|102,047|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|8 || '''{{FRA}}''' || {{convert|88,389|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|9 || '''{{CYP}}''' || {{convert|80,412|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|10 || '''{{TUR}}''' || {{convert|72,195|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|11|| '''{{CRO}}''' || {{convert|59,032|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|12|| '''{{MLT}}''' || {{convert|55,542|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|13 || '''{{ISR}}''' || {{convert|25,139|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|14 || '''{{LBN}}''' || {{convert|19,265|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|15 || '''{{MAR}}''' || {{convert|18,302|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|16 || '''{{flag|Northern Cyprus}}''' || {{convert|17,676|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|17 || '''{{ALB}}''' || {{convert|13,691|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|18 || '''{{SYR}}''' || {{convert|10,189|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|19 || '''{{MNE}}''' || {{convert|7,745|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|20 || '''{{PLE}}''' || {{convert|2,591|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|21 || '''{{MON}}''' || {{convert|288|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|22 || '''{{SLO}}''' || {{convert|220|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|23 || '''{{BIH}}''' || {{convert|50|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
| align=center|24 || '''{{GBR}}''' || {{convert|6.8 |km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|- style="background:#9acdff;"
!Total
|'''Mediterranean Sea''' || {{convert|2,500,000|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|}

===Subdivisions===
[[File:Bucht & Straße von Gibraltar.jpg|thumb|Africa (left, on horizon) and Europe (right), as seen from Gibraltar]]

The [[International Hydrographic Organization]] (IHO) divides the Mediterranean into a number of smaller waterbodies, each with their own designation (from west to east):<ref name="IHO"/>
* the [[Strait of Gibraltar]]
* the [[Alboran Sea]], between Spain and [[Morocco]]
* the [[Balearic Sea]], between mainland Spain and its [[Balearic Islands]]
* the [[Ligurian Sea]] between [[Corsica]] and [[Liguria]] (Italy)
* the [[Tyrrhenian Sea]] enclosed by [[Sardinia]], [[Corsica]], [[Italian peninsula]] and [[Sicily]]
* the [[Ionian Sea]] between Italy, [[Albania]] and Greece
* the [[Adriatic Sea]] between Italy, [[Slovenia]], [[Croatia]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Montenegro]] and [[Albania]]
* the [[Aegean Sea]] between Greece and Turkey

===Largest islands===
{{Main|List of islands in the Mediterranean}}

[[File:Tunisia - Sicily - South Italy.jpg|thumb|The two biggest islands of the Mediterranean: [[Sicily]] and [[Sardinia]] (Italy)]]
[[File:The Tower of Porto Giunco Beach (Spiaggia Torre Porto Giunco) with a view to the beach and the lake Stagno di Notteri in Sardinia, Italy (48402759012).jpg|thumb|16th century [[watchtower]] on the coast of Sardinia]]

The Mediterranean Sea encompasses about 10,000 islands and islets, of which about 250 are permanently inhabited.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e799DwAAQBAJ |title=The Mediterranean region under climate change: A scientific update |publisher=[[Institut de recherche pour le développement]] |author=Moatti, Jean-Paul |author2=Thiébault, Stéphane |year=2018 |page=363 |isbn=978-2-7099-2220-3 |quote=With about 10,000 islands and islets (approx. 250 inhabited by humans), the Mediterranean Sea can be considered as one of the largest archipelagos in the world. |access-date=15 April 2022 |archive-date=1 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101145303/https://books.google.com/books?id=e799DwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the table below are listed the ten largest by population.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#efefef;"
!rowspan=2|Country
!rowspan=2|Island
!colspan=2|Area
!rowspan=2|Population
|-
!km<sup>2</sup>
!sq mi
|-
|Italy
|[[Sicily]]
|{{convert|25,460|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|5,048,995
|-
|Italy
|[[Sardinia]]
|{{convert|23,821|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|1,672,804
|-
|Cyprus
|[[Cyprus]]
|{{convert|9,251|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|1,088,503
|-
|Spain
|[[Mallorca]]
|{{convert|3,640|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|869,067
|-
|Greece
|[[Crete]]
|{{convert|8,336|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|623,666
|-
|France
|[[Corsica]]
|{{convert|8,680|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|299,209
|-
|Greece
|[[Euboea]]
|{{convert|3,655|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|218,000
|-
|Tunisia
|[[Djerba]]
|{{convert|514|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|182,911
|-
|Spain
|[[Ibiza]]
|{{convert|572|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|159,180
|-
|Greece
|[[Rhodes]]
|{{convert|1,400|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|117,007
|-
|Greece
|[[Corfu]]
|{{convert|641|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|101,600
|-
|Spain
|[[Menorca]]
|{{convert|696|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|99,005
|-
|Greece
|[[Lesbos]]
|{{convert|1,632|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|90,643
|-
|Greece
|[[Chios]]
|{{convert|842|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|51,936
|}

===Climate===
Much of the Mediterranean coast has a [[Mediterranean climate#Hot-summer Mediterranean climate|hot-summer Mediterranean climate]]. The Mediterranean basin has a climate characterised by mild<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite journal |last1=Urdiales-Flores |first1=Diego |last2=Zittis |first2=George |last3=Hadjinicolaou |first3=Panos |last4=Cherchi |first4=Annalisa |last5=Alessandri |first5=Andrea |last6=Peleg |first6=Nadav |last7=Lelieveld |first7=Jos |date=2024 |title=A Global Analysis of Historical and Future Changes in Mediterranean Climate-Type Regions |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/joc.8655 |journal=International Journal of Climatology |language=en |volume=44 |issue=15 |pages=5607–5620 |doi=10.1002/joc.8655 |bibcode=2024IJCli..44.5607U |issn=1097-0088}}</ref> wet winters,<ref name=":7" /> and calm, dry and hot summers.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=2025-06-04 |title=Mediterranean climate {{!}} Definition, Region, Map, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/Mediterranean-climate |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":7" /> Although they are rare, [[Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone|tropical cyclones occasionally form in the Mediterranean Sea]], typically in September–November.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Medicane |url=https://resources.eumetrain.org/satmanu/CMs/Medicane/navmenu.php?page=2.0.0 |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=resources.eumetrain.org}}</ref>

{{wide image|Koppen World Map (Mediterranean Sea area only).png|769px|Map of climate zones in the areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, according to the [[Köppen climate classification]]}}

====Sea temperature====
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+Mean sea temperature in °C (°F)
|-
!
!Jan
!Feb
!Mar
!Apr
!May
!Jun
!Jul
!Aug
!Sep
!Oct
!Nov
!Dec
!Year

|-
|[[Málaga]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.weather2visit.com/europe/spain/malaga.htm|title=Malaga Climate: Monthly Weather Averages – Costa del Sol|website=Weather2Visit.com|access-date=4 November 2021|archive-date=4 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104190643/https://www.weather2visit.com/europe/spain/malaga.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
|{{convert|16|C|F|abbr=values}}
|{{convert|15|C|F|abbr=values}}
|{{convert|16|C|F|abbr=values}}
|{{convert|16|C|F|abbr=values}}
|{{convert|18|C|F|abbr=values}}
|{{convert|20|C|F|abbr=values}}
|{{convert|22|C|F|abbr=values}}
|{{convert|23|C|F|abbr=values}}
|{{convert|22|C|F|abbr=values}}
|{{convert|20|C|F|abbr=values}}
|{{convert|18|C|F|abbr=values}}
|{{convert|17|C|F|abbr=values}}
!{{convert|18.6|C|F|abbr=values}}
|-
|[[Barcelona]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/spain/barcelona.php|title=Barcelona Climate: Monthly Weather Averages – Spain|website=Weather2Travel.com|access-date=11 August 2010|archive-date=18 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718005932/http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/spain/barcelona.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
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|[[Marseille]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/france/marseille.php|title=Marseille Climate: Monthly Weather Averages – France|website=Weather2Travel.com|access-date=11 August 2010|archive-date=16 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100916025328/http://weather2travel.com/climate-guides/france/marseille.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
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|[[Naples]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/italy/neapolitan-riviera/naples.php|title=Naples Climate: Monthly Weather Averages – Neapolitan Riviera|website=Weather2Travel.com|access-date=11 August 2010|archive-date=31 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531065556/http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/italy/neapolitan-riviera/naples.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
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|[[Malta]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/malta/valletta.php|title=Valletta Climate: Monthly Weather Averages – Malta – Malta|website=Weather2Travel.com|access-date=11 August 2010|archive-date=3 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101003085828/http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/malta/valletta.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
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|[[Venice]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/italy/venetian-riviera/venice.php|title=Venice Climate: Monthly Weather Averages – Venetian Riviera|website=Weather2Travel.com|access-date=20 August 2012|archive-date=16 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616170441/http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/italy/venetian-riviera/venice.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
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|[[Athens]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/greece/athens.php|title=Athens Climate: Monthly Weather Averages – Greece – Greece|website=Weather2Travel.com|access-date=11 August 2010|archive-date=27 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527035347/http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/greece/athens.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
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|[[Heraklion]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/greece/crete/iraklion.php|title=Iraklion Climate: Monthly Weather Averages – Crete – Crete|website=Weather2Travel.com|access-date=11 August 2010|archive-date=26 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141026150816/http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/greece/crete/iraklion.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
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|[[Antalya]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.weather2travel.com/antalya-coast/antalya/climate/|title=Antalya: Monthly Weather Averages – Antalya Coast – Turkey|website=Weather2Travel.com|access-date=5 October 2020|archive-date=8 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008080543/https://www.weather2travel.com/antalya-coast/antalya/climate/|url-status=live}}</ref>
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|[[Limassol]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/cyprus/limassol.php|title=Limassol Climate: Monthly Weather Averages – Cyprus|website=Weather2Travel.com|access-date=11 August 2010|archive-date=29 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130529205915/http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/cyprus/limassol.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
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|[[Mersin]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.seatemperature.org/middle-east/turkey/mercin.htm|title=Mercin (alternate names – Mersin, Mersina, Mersine): Monthly Weather Averages – Turkey|last=Seatemperature.org|access-date=5 October 2020|archive-date=8 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008193335/https://www.seatemperature.org/middle-east/turkey/mercin.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
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|[[Tel Aviv]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/israel/tel-aviv.php|title=Tel Aviv Climate: Monthly Weather Averages – Israel|website=Weather2Travel.com|access-date=18 December 2010|archive-date=27 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527183424/http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/israel/tel-aviv.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
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|[[Alexandria]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.seatemperature.org/africa/egypt/alexandria.htm|title=Alexandria Climate: Monthly Weather Averages – Egypt|last=Seatemperature.org|access-date=5 October 2020|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308120342/https://www.seatemperature.org/africa/egypt/alexandria.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
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|}

== Seabed ==
The Mediterranean Sea has numerous [[Underwater environment|underwater]] [[Geology|geological]] features formed by the [[subduction]] of the [[African plate|African Plate]] beneath the [[Eurasian plate|Eurasian Plate]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tugend |first1=J. |last2=Chamot-Rooke |first2=N. |last3=Arsenikos |first3=S. |last4=Blanpied |first4=C. |last5=Frizon de Lamotte |first5=D. |date=2019 |title=Geology of the Ionian Basin and Margins: A Key to the East Mediterranean Geodynamics |url=https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2018TC005472 |journal=Tectonics |volume=38 |issue=8 |pages=2668–2702 |doi=10.1029/2018TC005472 |bibcode=2019Tecto..38.2668T |issn=1944-9194}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/figure/A-Seismotectonic-map-of-the-Central-Mediterranean-area-Topography-and-bathymetry-are_fig1_234072715 |page=29, Figure 1 |first1=Flora |last1=Gallais |first2=Marc-Andre |last2=Gutscher |first3=Dirk |last3=Klaeschen |first4=David |last4=Graindorge |date=2012 |title=Two-stage growth of the Calabrian accretionary wedge in the Ionian Sea (Central Mediterranean): Constraints from depth-migrated multichannel seismic data |journal=Marine Geology |volume=326-328 |issue=28–45 |doi=10.1016/j.margeo.2012.08.006|bibcode=2012MGeol.326...28G }}</ref> The sea is divided naturally into western and [[Eastern Mediterranean|eastern]] regions by the [[Malta Escarpment]] that runs from the island of [[Sicily]] to the [[Africa]]n coast.<ref name=":0">{{Cite encyclopedia |date=3 January 2025 |title=Mediterranean Sea - Geology, Climate, Biodiversity {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Mediterranean-Sea/Physiographic-and-geologic-features |access-date=5 January 2025 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |edition=Online}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite book |last1=Vanney |first1=JR. |last2=Gennesseaux |first2=M. |date=1985 |chapter=Mediterranean Seafloor Features: Overview and Assessment |editor-last1=Stanley |editor-first1=D. J. |editor-last2=Wezel |editor-first2=FC |title=Geological Evolution of the Mediterranean Basin |publisher=Springer |location=New York, NY |url=https://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/261914.pdf |pages=3–32}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite journal |last1=Mascle |first1=Jean |last2=Chaumillon |first2=Eric |date=1998 |title=An overview of Mediterranean Ridge collisional accretionary complex as deduced from multichannel seismic data |journal=Geo-Marine Letters |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=81–89 |doi=10.1007/s003670050056 |bibcode=1998GML....18...81M |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225774193}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Morpho-structural-map-of-the-Calabrian-accretionary-wedge-and-its-adjacent-regions-Black_fig11_234072715 |first1=Flora |last1=Gallais |first2=Marc-Andre |last2=Gutscher |first3=Dirk |last3=Klaeschen |first4=David |last4=Graindorge |date=2012 |title=Two-stage growth of the Calabrian accretionary wedge in the Ionian Sea (Central Mediterranean): Constraints from depth-migrated multichannel seismic data |journal=Marine Geology |volume=326-328 |issue=28–45 |page=31, Figure 3 |doi=10.1016/j.margeo.2012.08.006|bibcode=2012MGeol.326...28G }}</ref>

The '''western Mediterranean region''' may be separated into three main underwater basins:<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Schematic-structural-map-of-the-western-Mediterranean-region-showing-the-main-orogenic_fig1_359801917 |title=Palaeostrait tectono-sedimentary facies during late Cenozoic microplate rifting and dispersal in the western Mediterranean |last1=Cavazza |first1=William |last2=Longhitano |first2=Sergio |date=2022  |journal=Geological Society Special Publications |volume=523 |issue=1 |page=2, Figure 1 |doi=10.1144/SP523-2021-95|hdl=11563/196876 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

* the '''[[Alboran Sea|Alboran]] Basin''' lies between the [[Morocco|Moroccan]] and [[Spain|Spanish]] coasts, east of [[Gibraltar]], west of [[Sardinia]] and [[Corsica]], which acts as a gateway between the [[Atlantic Ocean]] and the Mediterranean Sea and is a [[biodiversity hotspot]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Marine Protected Areas and key biodiversity areas of the Alboran Sea and adjacent areas |url=https://europe.oceana.org/reports/marine-protected-areas-and-key-biodiversity-areas-of-the-alboran-sea-and-adjacent-areas/ |access-date=7 January 2025 |website=Oceana Europe |language=en-US}}</ref>
* the '''Algerian Basin''' stretches from the [[Algeria]]n coast to the [[France|French]] coast, and includes depths of up to {{convert|2800|m}}.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bouyahiaoui |first1=B. |last2=Sage |first2=F. |last3=Abtout |first3=A. |last4=Klingelhoefer |first4=F. |last5=Yelles-Chaouche |first5=K. |last6=Schnürle |first6=P. |last7=Marok |first7=A. |last8=Déverchère |first8=J. |last9=Arab |first9=M. |last10=Galve |first10=A. |last11=Collot |first11=J.Y. |date=1 June 2015 |title=Crustal structure of the eastern Algerian continental margin and adjacent deep basin: implications for late Cenozoic geodynamic evolution of the western Mediterranean |url=https://academic.oup.com/gji/article/201/3/1912/771442 |journal=Geophysical Journal International |volume=201 |issue=3 |pages=1912–1938 |doi=10.1093/gji/ggv102 |doi-access=free |issn=0956-540X}}</ref> There has been significant [[hydrocarbon exploration]], particularly off the coasts of Algeria, [[Libya]], and [[Tunisia]];<ref>{{cite report |vauthors=Smith, CJ, Dailianis, T, Papadopoulou, K-N, Gerovasileiou, V, Sevastou, K, Grehan, A, Billett, B, McOwen, C, Amaro, T, Bakran-Petricioli, T, Bekkby, T, Bilan, M, Boström, C, Carriero-Silva, M, Carugati, L, Cebrian, E, Cerrano, C, Christie, H, Danovaro, R, Eronat, EGT, Fiorentino, D, Fraschetti, S, Gagnon, K, Gambi, C, Hereu, B, Kipson, S, Kotta, J, Linares, C, Morato, T, Ojaveer, H, Orav-Kotta, H, Pham, CK, Rinde, E, Sarà, A, Scrimgeour, R |date=2017 |title=Current marine pressures and mechanisms driving changes in marine habitats |page=64 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322226825}}</ref> The [[Campi Flegrei Mar Sicilia|Campi Flegrei del Mar di Sicilia]] is a field of [[submarine volcano]]es located about {{convert|40|km}} southwest of Sicily very close to [[sea level]] and which temporarily emerge above sea level during significant [[Types of volcanic eruptions|eruptions]]. These include [[Graham Island (Mediterranean Sea)|Ferdinandea]], also known as [[Graham Island (Mediterranean Sea)|Graham Island]], and [[Empedocles (volcano)|Empedocles]];<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Volcanism Program {{!}} Campi Flegrei del Mar di Sicilia |url=https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=211070 |access-date=9 January 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution {{!}} Global Volcanism Program}}</ref>
* the '''Tyrrhenian Basin''', also referred to as the [[Tyrrhenian Sea]], between [[Italy]] and the islands of Sardinia and Corsica.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> The basin includes [[Marsili]], a large [[undersea volcano]] in the Tyrrhenian Sea, about {{convert|175|km}} south of [[Naples]], and the [[Palinuro Seamount]], one of the largest in the Tyrrhenian Sea and lies about {{convert|30|km}} northeast from Marsili. Marsili is one of the largest volcanoes in [[Europe]], with a length of {{convert|70|km}} and a width of 30 kilometres, larger than [[Mount Etna]] and part of the [[Aeolian Islands]] [[volcanic arc]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Volcanism Program {{!}} Marsili |url=https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=211080 |access-date=9 January 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution {{!}} Global Volcanism Program}}</ref>

The '''[[eastern Mediterranean]]''' region may also be subdivided into the following underwater basins:

* the '''Ionian Basin''', which is a deep and narrow oceanic basin, stretches south of [[Italy]], [[Albania]], and [[Greece]] and contains the [[Calypso Deep]], also known as the Oinousses or Vavilov Deep, featuring the deepest point in the Mediterranean Sea, located in the [[Hellenic Trench]], {{convert|62.6|km}} southwest of [[Pylos]], Greece, with a maximum depth of approximately {{convert|16000|ft|m|order=flip}};<ref name=":0" />
* the '''[[Levantine Sea|Levantine Basin]]''' to the south of [[Anatolia]] separated from the Ionian Basin by the [[Mediterranean Ridge]]. The {{convert|1300|km|adj=on|}}-long [[Mid-ocean ridge|submarine ridge]] running from [[Calabria]] along the south of [[Crete]], to the southwest corner of [[Turkey]] is a {{convert|150|to|300|km|adj=on}}-wide curved feature, which is also known for its [[mud volcano]]es and dome-like structures and has been the subject of studies on the [[Messinian salinity crisis]].<ref name=":2" /> The [[Eratosthenes Seamount]], a [[Carbonate platform|carbonate]] [[seamount]] is found in the Levantine basin about {{convert|100|km}} south of western [[Cyprus]].
* the island of Crete delineates the Levantine Basin from the '''Aegean Sea''', which is that portion of the Mediterranean Sea north of Crete and is bordered on the east by the coast of Turkey and on the west and north by the coast of Greece. Numerous [[List of islands of Greece|Greek islands]] and seamounts are located in the [[Aegean Sea]];<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Sakellariou |first1=Dimitris |last2=Drakopoulou |first2=Paraskevi |last3=Rousakis |first3=Grigoris |last4=Livanos |first4=Isidoros |last5=Loukaidi |first5=Vassiliki |last6=Kyriakidou |first6=Chara  |last7=Morfis |first7=Ioannis |last8=Panagiotopoulos |first8=Ioannis |last9=Tsampouraki-Kraounaki |first9=Konstantina |last10=Manta |first10=Kyriaki |last11=Leontopoulou |first11=Georgia |date=2022 |chapter=Geomorphological Features |url=https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Location-of-the-seamount-areas-in-the-South-Aegean-Sea-discussed-in-this-chapter_fig5_360554511 |title=Deep-sea Atlas of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea - Current Knowledge |publisher=IUCN |location=Gland, Switzerland |page=51, Figure 2.21}}</ref> and 
* the '''Adriatic Sea''', which is northwest of the eastern Mediterranean Sea's main body, is bordered to the east by [[Slovenia]], [[Croatia]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Montenegro]], and Albania, and to the west and north by Italy.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

Until the 1960s, the Mediterranean was believed to be the primary remaining portion of the earlier (200 million years old) [[Mesozoic]] [[Tethys Ocean]], which once encircled the [[Eastern Hemisphere]]. However, since the late 20th century, research using the theory of seafloor spreading has indicated that most of the current Mediterranean seafloor is not a portion of the Tethys sea floor.<ref name=":0" /> Some researchers consider the Ionian Basin, to the east of the Malta Escarpment, to be the remnant of the Tethys Ocean.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Micallef |first1=Aaron |last2=Camerlenghi |first2=Angelo |last3=Georgiopoulou |first3=Aggeliki |last4=Garcia-Castellanos |first4=Daniel |last5=Gutscher |first5=Marc-André |last6=Lo Iacono |first6=Claudio |last7=AI Huvenne |first7=Veerle |last8=Mountjoy |first8=Joshu J. |last9=Paull |first9=Charles K. |last10=Le Bas |first10=Timothy |last11=Spatola |first11=Daniele |last12=Facchin |first12=Lorenzo |last13=Accettella |first13=Daniela |date=2019 |title=Geomorphic evolution of the Malta Escarpment and implications for the Messinian evaporative drawdown in the eastern Mediterranean Sea |url=https://oceanrep.geomar.de/48710/7/Micallef%20et%20al.%20preprint.pdf |journal=Geomorphology |language=en |volume=327 |issue=327 |pages=264–283 |doi=10.1016/j.geomorph.2018.11.012|hdl=10261/172776 }}</ref> Over the course of the last 44 million years, the continental plates of Africa and [[Eurasia]] have converged and receded, resulting in the current tectonically active basin and its surrounding mountain chains. According to the interpretation of geologic data, there are currently several major places where Africa and Eurasia collide, causing land submergence, mountain building, and volcanism.<ref name=":0" />

[[Sediment core]]s drilled in 1970 and 1975 led to theories that about 6 million years ago, the Mediterranean was around {{convert|10000|ft|m|order=flip}} below the current sea level and included arid deserts blanketed with evaporite salts. It was thought that Gibraltar's high ridges prevented Atlantic waters from entering until roughly 5.5 million years ago, when they broke through and flooded the Mediterranean. According to more recent seismic and microfossil research, the seafloor was never entirely dry. Rather, approximately 5 million years ago, the seafloor was made up of many basins with varying topography and sizes, spanning in depth from {{convert|650|to|5000|ft|order=flip}}. Salts were likely accumulated on the bottom of highly salinised waters of widely differing depths. The uncertainty of the timing and nature of sea-bottom salt formation and evidence from later seismic research and [[core sample]]s has been the subject of intense scientific debate.<ref name=":0" />

=== Malta Escarpment ===
The [[Malta Escarpment]] is a {{convert|250|km|adj=on}} [[Underwater environment|undersea]] [[limestone]] [[escarpment]] that stretches south from Sicily's eastern coast to the [[Malta|Maltese islands]]' eastern coast and beyond, primarily formed due to tectonic activities.<ref name=":0" /> There are more than 500 undersea canyons along the cliffs, which can reach heights of {{convert|3.5|km}} in some locations. Rich biological communities may be found in the canyons, which also serve as channels for contaminants and nutrients due to underwater currents. These deep valleys are special due to the fact that they were not carved out by surface rivers. Underwater [[landslide]]s are among the natural hazards found on the Malta Escarpment. The [[University of Malta]], [[National Oceanography Centre Southampton|UK National Oceanography Centre]], [[National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research|New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research]], [[University College Dublin]] and [[National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics|Italy's Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e Geofisica]] collaborated on a recent study financed by the [[European Union]] that focused on the Escarpment.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Malta |first=Times of |date=14 September 2014 |title=Massive canyon found in Mediterranean sea cliff |url=https://timesofmalta.com/article/Massive-canyon-found-in-Mediterranean-sea-cliff.535575 |access-date=7 January 2025 |website=Times of Malta |language=en-gb}}</ref>

==Oceanography==
[[File:MEDCURR.GIF|thumb|upright=1.65|Predominant surface currents for June]]

[[Evaporation]] greatly exceeds [[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] and river runoff in the Mediterranean, a fact that is central to the water circulation within the basin.<ref>{{cite book|last=Pinet|first=Paul R.|year=1996|title=Invitation to Oceanography|location=St Paul, Minnesota|publisher=West Publishing Co.|isbn=978-0-314-06339-7|edition=3rd|page=202}}</ref> Evaporation is especially high in its eastern half, causing the water level to decrease and [[salinity]] to increase eastward.{{sfn|Pinet|1996|p=206}} The average salinity in the basin is 38 [[Salinity|PSU]] at {{Convert|5|m|abbr=on}} depth.<ref name="tempandsal">{{cite journal |year=2000 |title=Temperature and salinity variations of Mediterranean Sea surface waters over the last 16,000 years from records of planktonic stable oxygen isotopes and alkenone unsaturation ratios |citeseerx=10.1.1.378.4964 |journal=Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |volume=158 |issue=3–4 |pages=259–280 |doi=10.1016/s0031-0182(00)00053-5 |last1=Emeis |first1=Kay-Christian |last2=Struck |first2=Ulrich |last3=Schulz |first3=Hans-Martin |last4=Rosenberg |first4=Reinhild |last5=Bernasconi |first5=Stefano |last6=Erlenkeuser |first6=Helmut |last7=Sakamoto |first7=Tatsuhiko |last8=Martinez-Ruiz |first8=Francisca |bibcode=2000PPP...158..259E |display-authors=4}}</ref>

The temperature of the water in the deepest part of the Mediterranean Sea is {{convert|13.2|°C}}.<ref name="tempandsal" />

The net water influx from the Atlantic Ocean is ca. {{Convert|70,000|m3/s|e6cuft/s|abbr=unit}} or {{convert|2.2e12|m3/a|cuft/a|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Ellenberg | first=L. | title=Die Meerenge von Gibraltar : Küstenmorphologie zwischen Mittelmeer und Atlantik | journal=Geographica Helvetica | volume=36 | issue=3 | date=30 September 1981 | issn=2194-8798 | doi=10.5194/gh-36-109-1981 | doi-access=free | pages=109–120}}</ref> Without this Atlantic water, the sea level of the Mediterranean Sea would fall at a rate of about {{Convert|1|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} per year.<ref>{{cite book | last=Hofrichter | first=R. | title=Das Mittelmeer: Geschichte und Zukunft eines ökologisch sensiblen Raums | publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg | year=2020 | isbn=978-3-662-58929-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u1vrDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA530 | language=de | page=530 | access-date=1 May 2024 | archive-date=1 May 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240501210608/https://books.google.com/books?id=u1vrDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA530 | url-status=live }}</ref>

In [[oceanography]], it is sometimes called the ''Eurafrican Mediterranean Sea'', the ''European Mediterranean Sea'' or the ''African Mediterranean Sea'' to distinguish it from [[mediterranean sea (oceanography)|mediterranean seas]] elsewhere,<ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.ifremer.fr/lobtln/OTHER/ext_abstr_East_Sea_workshop_TLM.pdf|title=Recent results and new ideas about the Eurafrican Mediterranean Sea. Outlook on the similarities and differences with the Asian Mediterranean Sea |first1=Isabelle |last1=TAUPIER-LETAGE |first2=Claude |last2=MILLOT|access-date=23 April 2010|archive-date=11 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511180948/http://www.ifremer.fr/lobtln/OTHER/ext_abstr_East_Sea_workshop_TLM.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> like the [[Baltic Sea]], and the North-east Atlantic Ocean.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 2022 |title=Regional seas around Europe - version 2, Oct. 2022 |url=https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/external/regional-seas-around-europe-version |access-date=June 20, 2025 |website=EEA}}</ref>

===General circulation===
[[Water circulation]] in the Mediterranean can be attributed to the surface waters entering from the [[Atlantic]] through the [[Strait of Gibraltar]] (and also low salinity water entering the Mediterranean from the Black Sea through the Bosphorus). The cool and relatively low-salinity Atlantic water circulates eastwards along the North African coasts. A part of the surface water does not pass the Strait of Sicily, but deviates towards [[Corsica]] before exiting the Mediterranean. The surface waters entering the eastern Mediterranean Basin circulate along the Libyan and Israeli coasts. Upon reaching the [[Levantine Sea]], the surface water, having warmed and increased its salinity from its initial Atlantic state, is now denser and sinks to form the Levantine Intermediate Waters (LIW). Most of the water found anywhere between {{Convert|50 and 600|m|abbr=on|sigfig=2}} deep in the Mediterranean originates from the LIW.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1007/b107143 |chapter=Circulation in the Mediterranean Sea |title=The Mediterranean Sea |volume=5K |pages=29–66 |series=Handbook of Environmental Chemistry |year=2005 |last1=Millot |first1=Claude |last2=Taupier-Letage |first2=Isabelle |isbn=978-3-540-25018-0 |s2cid=55831361 |url=https://hal.science/hal-01191856 |chapter-url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01191856/file/Millot_Taupier-Letage_Circulation_Med_Handbook_2005_HAL%20%281%29.pdf |access-date=5 July 2019 |archive-date=16 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216184420/https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01191856/file/Millot_Taupier-Letage_Circulation_Med_Handbook_2005_HAL%20%281%29.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

LIW are formed along the coasts of Turkey and circulate westwards along the Greek and south Italian coasts. LIW are the only waters passing the Sicily Strait westwards. After the Strait of Sicily, the LIW circulate along the Italian, French and Spanish coasts before exiting the Mediterranean through the depths of the Strait of Gibraltar. Deep water in the Mediterranean originates from three main areas: the [[Adriatic Sea]], from which most of the deep water in the eastern Mediterranean originates, the [[Aegean Sea]], and the [[Gulf of Lion]]. Deep water formation in the Mediterranean is triggered by strong winter [[convection]] fuelled by intense cold winds like the [[Bora (wind)|Bora]]. When new deep water is formed, the older waters mix with the overlaying intermediate waters and eventually exit the Mediterranean. The [[Water cycle#Residence times|residence time of water]] in the Mediterranean is approximately 100 years, making the Mediterranean especially sensitive to climate change.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Millot |first1=C. |year=1989 |title=La Circulation Générale En Méditerranée Occidentale : Aperçu De Nos Connaissances Et Projets D'études |trans-title=General Circulation in the Western Mediterranean: Overview of Our Knowledge and Study Projects |language=fr |journal=Annales de Géographie |volume=98 |issue=549 |pages=497–515 |jstor=23452851 |doi=10.3406/geo.1989.20925}}</ref>

===Other events affecting water circulation===
Being a semi-enclosed basin, the Mediterranean experiences transitory events that can affect the water circulation on short time scales. In the mid-1990s, the Aegean Sea became the main area for deep water formation in the eastern Mediterranean after particularly cold winter conditions. This transitory switch in the origin of deep waters in the eastern Mediterranean was termed Eastern Mediterranean Transient (EMT) and had major consequences on water circulation of the Mediterranean.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gasparini |first1=G.P. |last2=Ortona |first2=A. |last3=Budillon |first3=G. |last4=Astraldi |first4=M. |last5=Sansone |first5=E. |title=The effect of the Eastern Mediterranean Transient on the hydrographic characteristics in the Strait of Sicily and in the Tyrrhenian Sea |journal=Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers |date=June 2005 |volume=52 |issue=6 |pages=915–935 |doi=10.1016/j.dsr.2005.01.001 |bibcode=2005DSRI...52..915G}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lascaratos |first1=Alex |last2=Roether |first2=Wolfgang |last3=Nittis |first3=Kostas |last4=Klein |first4=Birgit |title=Recent changes in deep water formation and spreading in the eastern Mediterranean Sea: a review |journal=Progress in Oceanography |date=August 1999 |volume=44 |issue=1–3 |pages=5–36 |doi=10.1016/S0079-6611(99)00019-1 |bibcode=1999PrOce..44....5L}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Theocharis |first1=Alexander |last2=Nittis |first2=Kostas |last3=Kontoyiannis |first3=Harilaos |last4=Papageorgiou |first4=Emanuel |last5=Balopoulos |first5=Efstathios |title=Climatic changes in the Aegean Sea influence the eastern Mediterranean thermohaline circulation (1986–1997) |journal=Geophysical Research Letters |date=1 June 1999 |volume=26 |issue=11 |pages=1617–1620 |doi=10.1029/1999GL900320 |bibcode=1999GeoRL..26.1617T |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Another example of a transient event affecting the Mediterranean circulation is the periodic inversion of the North Ionian Gyre, which is an [[Anticyclonic rotation|anticyclonic]] [[ocean gyre]] observed in the northern part of the [[Ionian Sea]], off the Greek coast. The transition from anticyclonic to cyclonic rotation of this gyre changes the origin of the waters fuelling it; when the circulation is anticyclonic (most common), the waters of the gyre originate from the Adriatic Sea. When the circulation is cyclonic, the waters originate from the [[Levantine Sea]]. These waters have different physical and chemical characteristics, and the periodic inversion of the North Ionian Gyre (called Bimodal Oscillating System or BiOS) changes the Mediterranean circulation and biogeochemistry around the Adriatic and Levantine regions.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Civitarese | first1=G. | last2=Gačić | first2=M. | last3=Lipizer | first3=M. | last4=Eusebi Borzelli | first4=G. L. | title=On the impact of the Bimodal Oscillating System (BiOS) on the biogeochemistry and biology of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas (Eastern Mediterranean) | journal=Biogeosciences | publisher=Copernicus GmbH | volume=7 | issue=12 | date=15 December 2010 | issn=1726-4189 | doi=10.5194/bg-7-3987-2010 | doi-access=free | pages=3987–3997| bibcode=2010BGeo....7.3987C }}</ref>

===Climate change===
Because of the short residence time of its waters, the Mediterranean Sea is considered a hot-spot for climate change records,<ref name="Giorgi, F. 2006">{{cite journal | last=Giorgi | first=F. | title=Climate change hot-spots | journal=Geophysical Research Letters | volume=33 | issue=8 | date=2006 | issn=0094-8276 | doi=10.1029/2006GL025734 | article-number=2006GL025734 | bibcode=2006GeoRL..33.8707G }}</ref> registering indeed marked increases in temperature across the entire water column since the 1950s.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Bethoux | first1=J. P. | last2=Gentili | first2=B. | last3=Raunet | first3=J. | last4=Tailliez | first4=D. | title=Warming trend in the western Mediterranean deep water | journal=Nature | publisher=Springer Science and Business Media LLC | volume=347 | issue=6294 | year=1990 | issn=0028-0836 | doi=10.1038/347660a0 | pages=660–662| bibcode=1990Natur.347..660B }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Climate warming and related changes in Mediterranean marine biota - an overview |journal=CIESM Monographs |date=2008 |volume=35 |pages=5–21 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233883451}}</ref> According to climate projections, the decrease in precipitation over the region will lead to more evaporation, ultimately increasing marine salinity.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Adloff | first1=Fanny | last2=Somot | first2=Samuel | last3=Sevault | first3=Florence | last4=Jordà | first4=Gabriel | last5=Aznar | first5=Roland | last6=Déqué | first6=Michel | last7=Herrmann | first7=Marine | last8=Marcos | first8=Marta | last9=Dubois | first9=Clotilde | last10=Padorno | first10=Elena | last11=Alvarez-Fanjul | first11=Enrique | last12=Gomis | first12=Damià | title=Mediterranean Sea response to climate change in an ensemble of twenty first century scenarios | journal=Climate Dynamics | volume=45 | issue=9–10 | date=2015 | issn=0930-7575 | doi=10.1007/s00382-015-2507-3 | pages=2775–2802 | bibcode=2015ClDy...45.2775A |display-authors=4| hdl=10261/132771 | hdl-access=free }}</ref> As a result of both temperature and salinity increases, the Mediterranean Sea is likely to become more stratified by the end of the 21st century, with notable consequences on water circulation and [[biogeochemistry]]. The stratification and warming have already led the eastern Mediterranean to become a net source of CO<sub>2</sub> to the atmosphere.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sisma-Ventura |first1=Guy |last2=Bialik |first2=Or M. |last3=Yam |first3=Ruth |last4=Herut |first4=Barak |last5=Silverman |first5=Jacob |title=p CO 2 variability in the surface waters of the ultra-oligotrophic Levantine Sea: Exploring the air–sea CO 2 fluxes in a fast warming region |journal=Marine Chemistry |date=November 2017 |volume=196 |pages=13–23 |doi=10.1016/j.marchem.2017.06.006|bibcode=2017MarCh.196...13S}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wimart-Rousseau |first1=Cathy |last2=Wagener |first2=Thibaut |last3=Álvarez |first3=Marta |last4=Moutin |first4=Thierry |last5=Fourrier |first5=Marine |last6=Coppola |first6=Laurent |last7=Niclas-Chirurgien |first7=Laure |last8=Raimbault |first8=Patrick |last9=D'Ortenzio |first9=Fabrizio |last10=Durrieu de Madron |first10=Xavier |last11=Taillandier |first11=Vincent |last12=Dumas |first12=Franck |last13=Conan |first13=Pascal |last14=Pujo-Pay |first14=Mireille |last15=Lefèvre |first15=Dominique |title=Seasonal and Interannual Variability of the {{CO2}} System in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: A Case Study in the North Western Levantine Basin |journal= Frontiers in Marine Science|date=2021 |volume=8 |doi=10.3389/fmars.2021.649246 |issn=2296-7745|doi-access=free|bibcode=2021FrMaS...849246W |display-authors=4 |article-number=649246 }}</ref> 
 
Human-induced climate change appears to play a growing role in the development of [[marine heatwaves]] that have become a prominent subject of research in recent years, particularly in the Mediterranean where a number of areas in both western and eastern sub-basins now experience peaks of temperatures, along with more frequent, more intense, more prolonged warming events than ever seen on record. These events, mainly driven by a combination of oceanic and atmospheric factors, are often triggered by high pressure systems that will reduce cloud cover and increase solar absorption by the sea surface.  Their impacts on marine ecosystems, such as mass mortality in benthic communities, coral bleaching events, disruptions in fishery catches and shifts in species distributions, can be devastating.<ref>Marine heatwaves in the Mediterranean Sea and beyond - an overview. 2024. pp. 5–24 in ''CIESM Monograph 51'' (F. Briand, Ed.) ISSN 1726-5886 [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/384727584]</ref> Extreme warming can lead to [[biodiversity loss]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Verdura |first1=Jana |last2=Linares |first2=Cristina |last3=Ballesteros |first3=Enric |last4=Coma |first4=Rafel |last5=Uriz |first5=María J. |last6=Bensoussan |first6=Nathaniel |last7=Cebrian |first7=Emma |title=Biodiversity loss in a Mediterranean ecosystem due to an extreme warming event unveils the role of an engineering gorgonian species |journal=Scientific Reports |date=December 2019 |volume=9 |issue=1 |page=5911 |doi=10.1038/s41598-019-41929-0|pmid=30976028 |pmc=6459914 |bibcode=2019NatSR...9.5911V |s2cid=108292968|display-authors=4}}</ref> and presents an existential threat to some habitats<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jordà |first1=Gabriel |last2=Marbà |first2=Núria |last3=Duarte |first3=Carlos M. |title=Mediterranean seagrass vulnerable to regional climate warming |journal=Nature Climate Change |date=November 2012 |volume=2 |issue=11 |pages=821–824 |doi=10.1038/nclimate1533|bibcode=2012NatCC...2..821J}}</ref> while making conditions more hospitable to invasive tropical species.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Grossowicz |first1=Michal |last2=Bialik |first2=Or M. |last3=Shemesh |first3=Eli |last4=Tchernov |first4=Dan |last5=Vonhof |first5=Hubert B. |last6=Sisma-Ventura |first6=Guy |title=Ocean warming is the key filter for successful colonization of the migrant octocoral Melithaea erythraea (Ehrenberg, 1834) in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea |journal=PeerJ |date=24 June 2020 |volume=8 |article-number=e9355 |doi=10.7717/peerj.9355|pmid=32612887 |pmc=7320722 |doi-access=free |display-authors=4}}</ref>

==Biogeochemistry==
[[File:Cycling of marine phytoplankton.png|thumb|alt=A detailed description of the cycling of marine phytoplankton in the ocean's photic zone. Phytoplankton's role in photosynthesis, oxygen production, and marine food webs highlighted.|Cycling of marine phytoplankton]]
In spite of its great [[biodiversity]], concentrations of [[chlorophyll]] and nutrients in the Mediterranean Sea are very low, making it one of the most [[oligotrophic]] ocean regions in the world. The Mediterranean Sea is commonly referred to as an [[Low-nutrient, low-chlorophyll region|LNLC (Low-Nutrient, Low-Chlorophyll) area]]. The Mediterranean Sea fits the definition of a [[desert]] in which its nutrient contents are low, making it difficult for plants and animals to develop.

There are steep gradients in nutrient concentrations, chlorophyll concentrations and primary productivity in the Mediterranean. Nutrient concentrations in the western part of the basin are about double the concentrations in the eastern basin. The [[Alboran Sea]], close to the [[Strait of Gibraltar]], has a daily [[primary productivity]] of about 0.25 g C (grams of carbon) m<sup>−2</sup> day<sup>−1</sup> whereas the eastern basin has an average daily productivity of 0.16 g C m<sup>−2</sup> day<sup>−1</sup>.<ref name="Uitz Stramski Gentili DOrtenzio 2012 p.">{{cite journal | last1=Uitz | first1=Julia | last2=Stramski | first2=Dariusz | last3=Gentili | first3=Bernard | last4=D'Ortenzio | first4=Fabrizio | last5=Claustre | first5=Hervé | title=Estimates of phytoplankton class-specific and total primary production in the Mediterranean Sea from satellite ocean color observations | journal=Global Biogeochemical Cycles | volume=26 | issue=2 | date=2012 | issn=0886-6236 | doi=10.1029/2011GB004055 | article-number=2011GB004055 | bibcode=2012GBioC..26.2024U }}</ref> For this reason, the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea is termed "ultraoligotrophic". The productive areas of the Mediterranean Sea are few and small. High (i.e. more than 0.5 grams of [[chlorophyll a|Chlorophyll ''a'']] per cubic metre) productivity occurs in coastal areas, close to the river mouths which are the primary suppliers of dissolved nutrients. The [[Gulf of Lion]] has a relatively high productivity because it is an area of high vertical mixing, bringing nutrients to the surface waters that can be used by [[phytoplankton]] to produce Chlorophyll ''a''.<ref name="Bosc, E. 2004">{{cite journal | last1=Bosc | first1=E. | last2=Bricaud | first2=A. | last3=Antoine | first3=D. | title=Seasonal and interannual variability in algal biomass and primary production in the Mediterranean Sea, as derived from 4 years of SeaWiFS observations | journal=Global Biogeochemical Cycles | volume=18 | issue=1 | date=2004 | issn=0886-6236 | doi=10.1029/2003GB002034 | article-number=2003GB002034 | bibcode=2004GBioC..18.1005B }}</ref>

Primary productivity in the Mediterranean is also marked by an intense seasonal variability. In winter, the strong winds and precipitation over the basin generate [[Convective mixing|vertical mixing]], bringing nutrients from the deep waters to the surface, where phytoplankton can convert it into [[Biomass (ecology)|biomass]].<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Lebeaupin Brossier | first1=Cindy | last2=Béranger | first2=Karine | last3=Deltel | first3=Charles | last4=Drobinski | first4=Philippe | title=The Mediterranean response to different space–time resolution atmospheric forcings using perpetual mode sensitivity simulations | journal=Ocean Modelling | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=36 | issue=1–2 | year=2011 | issn=1463-5003 | doi=10.1016/j.ocemod.2010.10.008 | pages=1–25| bibcode=2011OcMod..36....1L }}</ref> However, in winter, light may be the limiting factor for primary productivity. Between March and April, spring offers the ideal trade-off between light intensity and nutrient concentrations in surface for a [[spring bloom]] to occur. In summer, high atmospheric temperatures lead to the warming of the surface waters. The resulting [[density]] difference virtually isolates the surface waters from the rest of the water column and nutrient exchanges are limited. As a consequence, primary productivity is very low between June and October.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=D'Ortenzio | first1=F. | last2=Ribera d'Alcalà | first2=M. | title=On the trophic regimes of the Mediterranean Sea: a satellite analysis | journal=Biogeosciences | publisher=Copernicus GmbH | volume=6 | issue=2 | date=5 February 2009 | issn=1726-4189 | doi=10.5194/bg-6-139-2009 | doi-access=free | pages=139–148| bibcode=2009BGeo....6..139D }}</ref><ref name="Bosc, E. 2004"/>

Oceanographic expeditions uncovered a characteristic feature of the Mediterranean Sea biogeochemistry: most of the chlorophyll production does not occur on the surface, but in sub-surface waters between 80 and 200 metres deep.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Moutin | first1=T. | last2=Van Wambeke | first2=F. | last3=Prieur | first3=L. | title=Introduction to the Biogeochemistry from the Oligotrophic to the Ultraoligotrophic Mediterranean (BOUM) experiment | journal=Biogeosciences | publisher=Copernicus GmbH | volume=9 | issue=10 | date=8 October 2012 | issn=1726-4189 | doi=10.5194/bg-9-3817-2012 | doi-access=free | pages=3817–3825| bibcode=2012BGeo....9.3817M }}</ref> Another key characteristic of the Mediterranean is its high nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratio (N:P). [[Alfred C. Redfield|Redfield]] demonstrated that most of the world's oceans have an average N:P ratio around 16. However, the Mediterranean Sea has an average N:P between 24 and 29, which translates a widespread phosphorus limitation.{{clarify|date=August 2019}}<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Berland | first1=Br | last2=Bonin | first2=Dj | last3=Maestrini | first3=Sy | title=Azote ou phosphore ? Considérations sur le paradoxe nutritionnel de la mer méditerranée | journal=Oceanologica Acta | publisher=Gauthier-Villars | volume=3 | issue=1 | date=1 January 1980 | issn=0399-1784 | pages=135–141 | url=https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00121/23257/ | language=fr | access-date=1 May 2024 | archive-date=1 May 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240501212014/https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00121/23257/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1=Bethoux | first1=J.P. | last2=Morin | first2=P. | last3=Madec | first3=C. | last4=Gentili | first4=B. | title=Phosphorus and nitrogen behaviour in the Mediterranean Sea | journal=Deep Sea Research Part A. Oceanographic Research Papers | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=39 | issue=9 | year=1992 | issn=0198-0149 | doi=10.1016/0198-0149(92)90053-v | pages=1641–1654| bibcode=1992DSRA...39.1641B }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1=Kress | first1=Nurit | last2=Herut | first2=Barak | title=Spatial and seasonal evolution of dissolved oxygen and nutrients in the Southern Levantine Basin (Eastern Mediterranean Sea): chemical characterization of the water masses and inferences on the N:P ratios | journal=Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=48 | issue=11 | year=2001 | issn=0967-0637 | doi=10.1016/s0967-0637(01)00022-x | pages=2347–2372| bibcode=2001DSRI...48.2347K }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1=Krom | first1=M.D. | last2=Thingstad | first2=T.F. | last3=Brenner | first3=S. | last4=Carbo | first4=P. | last5=Drakopoulos | first5=P. | last6=Fileman | first6=T.W. | last7=Flaten | first7=G.A.F. | last8=Groom | first8=S. | last9=Herut | first9=B. | last10=Kitidis | first10=V. | last11=Kress | first11=N. | last12=Law | first12=C.S. | last13=Liddicoat | first13=M.I. | last14=Mantoura | first14=R.F.C. | last15=Pasternak | first15=A. | last16=Pitta | first16=P. | last17=Polychronaki | first17=T. | last18=Psarra | first18=S. | last19=Rassoulzadegan | first19=F. | last20=Skjoldal | first20=E.F. | last21=Spyres | first21=G. | last22=Tanaka | first22=T. | last23=Tselepides | first23=A. | last24=Wassmann | first24=P. | last25=Wexels Riser | first25=C. | last26=Woodward | first26=E.M.S. | last27=Zodiatis | first27=G. | last28=Zohary | first28=T. | title=Summary and overview of the CYCLOPS P addition Lagrangian experiment in the Eastern Mediterranean | journal=Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=52 | issue=22–23 | year=2005 | issn=0967-0645 | doi=10.1016/j.dsr2.2005.08.018 | pages=3090–3108 | bibcode=2005DSRII..52.3090K |display-authors=4}}.</ref>

Because of its low productivity, plankton assemblages in the Mediterranean Sea are dominated by small organisms such as [[picophytoplankton]] and [[bacteria]].<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Sammartino | first1=M. | last2=Di Cicco | first2=A. | last3=Marullo | first3=S. | last4=Santoleri | first4=R. | title=Spatio-temporal variability of micro-, nano- and pico-phytoplankton in the Mediterranean Sea from satellite ocean colour data of SeaWiFS | journal=Ocean Science | publisher=Copernicus GmbH | volume=11 | issue=5 | date=25 September 2015 | issn=1812-0792 | doi=10.5194/os-11-759-2015 | doi-access=free | pages=759–778| bibcode=2015OcSci..11..759S }}</ref><ref name="Uitz Stramski Gentili DOrtenzio 2012 p."/>

==Geology==
{{see also|Geology and paleoclimatology of the Mediterranean Basin}}
[[File:Vrulja kod Omiša.jpg|thumb|A submarine [[karst spring]], called ''vrulja'', near [[Omiš]]; observed through several ripplings of an otherwise calm sea surface.]]

The [[geology|geologic history]] of the Mediterranean Sea is complex. Underlain by [[oceanic crust]], the sea basin was once thought to be a tectonic remnant of the ancient [[Tethys Ocean]]; it is now known to be a structurally younger basin, called the [[Neotethys]], which was first formed by the convergence of the [[African Plate]] and [[Eurasian Plate]] during the Late [[Triassic]] and Early [[Jurassic]]. Because it is a near-landlocked body of water in a normally dry climate, the Mediterranean is subject to intensive evaporation and the precipitation of [[evaporites]]. The [[Messinian salinity crisis]] started about six million years ago (mya) when the Mediterranean became landlocked, and then essentially dried up. There are salt deposits accumulated on the bottom of the basin of more than a million cubic kilometres—in some places more than three kilometres thick.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1111/j.1365-3091.2008.01031.x |title=Decoding the Mediterranean salinity crisis |journal=Sedimentology |volume=56 |issue=1 |pages=95–136 |year=2009 |last1=Ryan |first1=William B. F. |bibcode=2009Sedim..56...95R |s2cid=52266741}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author1=William Ryan|title=Modeling the magnitude and timing of evaporative drawdown during the Messinian salinity crisis|journal=Stratigraphy|date=2008|volume=5|issue=3–4|page=229|doi=10.29041/strat.05.3.02 |bibcode=2008Strat...5..227R |url=http://eesc.ldeo.columbia.edu/courses/w4937/Readings/Ryan_Messinian_Stratigraphy_2008.pdf|access-date=5 November 2014|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304093103/http://eesc.ldeo.columbia.edu/courses/w4937/Readings/Ryan_Messinian_Stratigraphy_2008.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Scientists estimate that the sea was last filled about 5.3 million years ago (mya) in less than two years by the [[Zanclean flood]]. Water poured in from the Atlantic Ocean through a newly breached gateway now called the [[Strait of Gibraltar]] at an estimated rate of about three orders of magnitude (one thousand times) larger than the current flow of the [[Amazon River]].<ref name="GCetal2009">{{cite journal |doi=10.1038/nature08555 |pmid=20010684 |title=Catastrophic flood of the Mediterranean after the Messinian salinity crisis |journal=Nature |volume=462 |issue=7274 |pages=778–781 |year=2009 |last1=Garcia-Castellanos |first1=D. |last2=Estrada |first2=F. |last3=Jiménez-Munt |first3=I. |last4=Gorini |first4=C. |last5=Fernàndez |first5=M. |last6=Vergés |first6=J. |last7=De Vicente |first7=R. |bibcode=2009Natur.462..778G |s2cid=205218854|display-authors=4}}</ref>

The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of {{convert|1500|m|ft|abbr=on}} and the deepest recorded point is {{convert|5267|m|ft|abbr=on}} in the [[Calypso Deep]] in the [[Ionian Sea]]. The coastline extends for {{convert|46000|km|mi|abbr=on}}. A shallow submarine ridge (the [[Strait of Sicily]]) between the island of [[Sicily]] and the coast of [[Tunisia]] divides the sea in two main subregions: the Western Mediterranean, with an area of about {{convert|850,000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}; and the Eastern Mediterranean, of about {{convert|1.65|e6km2|sqmi|abbr=unit}}. Coastal areas have submarine [[karst spring]]s or {{lang|hr|vrulja}}s, which discharge pressurised groundwater into the water from below the surface; the discharge water is usually fresh, and sometimes may be thermal.<ref name="LaMoreaux2001">{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sjEoBmfUka0C&pg=PA58 |chapter=Geologic/Hydrogeologic Setting and Classification of Springs |page=57 |title=Springs and Bottled Waters of the World: Ancient History, Source, Occurrence, Quality and Use |first=Philip |last=Elmer LaMoreaux |year=2001 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-540-61841-6 |access-date=28 September 2020 |archive-date=1 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101145303/https://books.google.com/books?id=sjEoBmfUka0C&pg=PA58#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://zgs.zrc-sazu.si/Portals/8/Geografski_obzornik/go_2004_2.pdf|journal=Geografski Obzornik|year=2004|volume=51|issue=2|issn=0016-7274|language=sl|first=Jože|last=Žumer|title=Odkritje podmorskih termalnih izvirov|trans-title=Discovery of submarine thermal springs|pages=11–17|access-date=4 May 2012|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001643/http://zgs.zrc-sazu.si/Portals/8/Geografski_obzornik/go_2004_2.pdf|url-status=live}} {{in lang|sl}}</ref>

=== Messinian salinity crisis ===

[[File:Etapa3muda.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Messinian salinity crisis before the [[Zanclean flood]]]]
[[File:Crisis salina del Messiniense.ogv|thumb|upright=1.2|Animation: Messinian salinity crisis]]During [[Mesozoic]] and [[Cenozoic]] times, as the northwest corner of Africa converged on Iberia, it lifted the Betic-Rif [[mountain belt]]s across southern Iberia and northwest Africa. There the development of the intramontane Betic and Rif basins created two roughly parallel marine gateways between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Dubbed the [[Betic corridor|Betic]] and Rifian corridors, they gradually closed during the middle and late Miocene: perhaps several times.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=de la Vara |first1=Alba |last2=Topper |first2=Robin P.M. |last3=Meijer |first3=Paul Th. |last4=Kouwenhoven |first4=Tanja J. |year=2015 |title=Water exchange through the Betic and Rifian corridors prior to the Messinian Salinity Crisis: A model study |journal=Paleoceanography |volume=30 |issue=5 |pages=548–557 |doi=10.1002/2014PA002719 |bibcode=2015PalOc..30..548D |hdl=1874/326590 |s2cid=134905445 |hdl-access=free}}</ref> In the late Miocene the closure of the [[Betic Corridor]] triggered the so-called "[[Messinian salinity crisis]]" (MSC), characterised by the deposition of a thick evaporitic sequence – with salt deposits up to 2&nbsp;km thick in the Levantine sea – and by a massive drop in water level in much of the Basin. This event was for long the subject of acute scientific controversy, now much appeased,<ref>Briand, F. (ed.) (2008). The Messinian Salinity Crisis Mega-Deposits to Microbiology – A consensus report. CIESM Publishers, Paris, Monaco. 168 p.[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240612581]</ref> regarding its sequence, geographic range, processes leading to evaporite facies and salt deposits. The start of the MSC was recently estimated astronomically at 5.96 mya, and it persisted for some 630,000 years until about 5.3 mya;<ref>{{cite journal |title=Astrochronology for the Messinian Sorbas basin (SE Spain) and orbital (precessional) forcing for evaporite cyclicity |year=2001 |doi=10.1016/S0037-0738(00)00171-8 |first1=W. |last1=Krijgsman |first2=A.R. |last2=Fortuin |first3=F.J. |last3=Hilgen |first4=F.J. |last4=Sierro |journal=[[Sedimentary Geology (journal)|Sedimentary Geology]] |volume=140 |issue=1 |pages=43–60 |bibcode=2001SedG..140...43K |hdl=1874/1632 |url=https://dspace.library.uu.nl/bitstream/1874/1632/1/Krijgsman01.pdf |archive-date=1 January 2024 |access-date=23 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101150300/https://dspace.library.uu.nl/bitstream/handle/1874/1632/Krijgsman01.pdf;jsessionid=EB9895C5447EC3BC0694C40094EE6BBE?sequence=1 |url-status=dead }}</ref> see Animation: Messinian salinity crisis, at right.

After the initial drawdown{{clarify|date=August 2019}} and re-flooding, there followed more episodes—the total number is debated—of sea drawdowns and re-floodings for the duration of the MSC. It ended when the Atlantic Ocean last re-flooded the basin—creating the [[Strait of Gibraltar]] and causing the [[Zanclean flood]]—at the end of the Miocene (5.33 mya). Some research has suggested that a desiccation-flooding-desiccation cycle may have repeated several times, which could explain several events of large amounts of salt deposition.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Gargani J., Rigollet C.|title=Mediterranean Sea level variations during the Messinian Salinity Crisis.|journal=Geophysical Research Letters|date=2007|volume=34|issue=L10405|page=L10405|article-number=2007GL029885 |doi=10.1029/2007GL029885|bibcode=2007GeoRL..3410405G|s2cid=128771539|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author1=Gargani J.|author2=Moretti I.|author3=Letouzey J.|title=Evaporite accumulation during the Messinian Salinity Crisis: The Suez Rift Case.|journal=Geophysical Research Letters|date=2008|volume=35|issue=2|page=L02401|doi=10.1029/2007gl032494|bibcode=2008GeoRL..35.2401G|s2cid=129573384|url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00357241/file/2007GL032494.pdf|access-date=19 May 2021|archive-date=7 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507122326/https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00357241/file/2007GL032494.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Recent studies, however, show that repeated desiccation and re-flooding is unlikely from a [[geodynamic]] point of view.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Govers |first1=Rob |title=Choking the Mediterranean to dehydration: The Messinian salinity crisis |journal=Geology |date=February 2009 |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=167–170 |doi=10.1130/G25141A.1 |bibcode=2009Geo....37..167G |s2cid=34247931 }}</ref><ref name=GCV>{{cite journal |last1=Garcia-Castellanos |first1=D. |last2=Villaseñor |first2=A. |title=Messinian salinity crisis regulated by competing tectonics and erosion at the Gibraltar arc |journal=Nature |date=15 December 2011 |volume=480 |issue=7377 |pages=359–363 |doi=10.1038/nature10651 |pmid=22170684 |bibcode=2011Natur.480..359G |s2cid=205227033}}</ref>

=== Desiccation and exchanges of flora and fauna ===
{{See also|Pleistocene megafauna|Dwarf elephant}}
The present-day Atlantic gateway, the [[Strait of Gibraltar]], originated in the early Pliocene via the [[Zanclean Flood]]. As mentioned, there were two earlier gateways: the [[Betic Corridor]] across southern Spain and the Rifian Corridor across northern Morocco. The Betic closed about 6 mya, causing the Messinian salinity crisis (MSC); the Rifian or possibly both gateways closed during the earlier [[Tortonian]] times, causing a "Tortonian salinity crisis" (from 11.6 to 7.2 mya), long before the MSC and lasting much longer. Both "crises" resulted in broad connections between the mainlands of Africa and Europe, which allowed migrations of flora and fauna—especially large mammals including primates—between the two continents. The [[Vallesian|Vallesian crisis]] indicates a typical extinction and replacement of mammal species in Europe during Tortonian times following climatic upheaval and overland migrations of new species.<ref>{{Cite book
 | last1 = Agusti | first1 = J
 | last2 = Moya-Sola | first2 = S
 | title = Mammal extinctions in the Vallesian (Upper Miocene)
 | volume = 30 | year = 1990 | pages = 425–432
 | issn = 1613-2580 | doi = 10.1007/BFb0011163
 | series = Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences
 | isbn = 978-3-540-52605-6
 }} (Abstract)</ref>

Today, evaporation of surface seawater (output) is more than the supply (input) of fresh water by precipitation and coastal drainage systems, causing the salinity of the Mediterranean to be much higher than that of the Atlantic—so much so that the saltier Mediterranean waters sink below the waters incoming from the Atlantic, causing a two-layer flow across the Strait of Gibraltar: that is, an outflow [[Strait of Gibraltar#Inflow and outflow|''submarine current'']] of warm saline Mediterranean water, counterbalanced by an inflow surface current of less saline cold oceanic water from the Atlantic. In the 1920s, Herman Sörgel proposed the building of a hydroelectric dam (the [[Atlantropa]] project) across the Straits, using the inflow current to provide a large amount of hydroelectric energy. The underlying energy grid was also intended to support a political union between Europe and, at least, the Maghreb part of Africa (compare [[Eurafrique|Eurafrika]] for the later impact and [[Desertec]] for a later project with some parallels in the planned grid).<ref>Politische Geographien Europas: Annäherungen an ein umstrittenes Konstrukt, Anke Strüver, LIT Verlag Münster, 2005, p. 43</ref>

==Paleoclimate==
Because of its latitude and its landlocked position, the Mediterranean is especially sensitive to astronomically induced climatic variations, which are well documented in its sedimentary record. Since the Mediterranean is subject to the deposition of [[eolian dust]] from the [[Sahara]] during dry periods, whereas riverine [[detritus (geology)|detrital]] input prevails during wet ones, the Mediterranean marine [[sapropel]]-bearing sequences provide high-resolution climatic information. These data have been employed in reconstructing astronomically calibrated time scales for the last 9 Ma of the Earth's history, helping to constrain the time of past [[geomagnetic reversal]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |author=F.J. Hilgen |title=Astronomical calibration of Gauss to Matuyama sapropels in the Mediterranean and implication for the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale |journal=Earth and Planetary Science Letters |volume=104 |year=1991 |issue=2–4 |pages=226–244 |doi=10.1016/0012-821X(91)90206-W |bibcode=1991E&PSL.104..226H |hdl=1874/19041 |url=http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/geo/2007-0119-200857/hilgen_91_astronomical.pdf |access-date=4 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724171928/http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/geo/2007-0119-200857/hilgen_91_astronomical.pdf |archive-date=24 July 2011}}</ref>

==Biodiversity==
[[File:Eunicella.jpg|thumb|Soft coral ''[[Eunicella cavolini]]'']]
Unlike the vast multidirectional [[ocean current]]s in open [[ocean]]s within their respective [[oceanic zone]]s; [[Marine ecosystem|biodiversity]] in the Mediterranean Sea is stable due to the subtle but strong locked nature of [[Ocean current|currents]] which is favourable to life, even the smallest macroscopic type of [[Hydrothermal vent|volcanic life form]]. The stable [[marine ecosystem]] of the Mediterranean Sea and [[Sea surface temperature|sea temperature]] provides a nourishing environment for [[Marine biology|life in the deep sea]] to flourish while assuring a balanced [[aquatic ecosystem]] excluded from any external [[Deep sea|deep]] [[Ocean|oceanic factors]]. It is estimated that there are more than 17,000 [[Marine life|marine species]] in the Mediterranean Sea with generally higher marine [[biodiversity]] in [[Coast|coastal areas]], [[Continental shelf|continental shelves]], and decreases with depth.<ref>Coll, Marta, et al., "The biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea: estimates, patterns, and threats". ''PLOS ONE 5.8'', 2010.</ref>

As a result of the drying of the sea during the [[Messinian salinity crisis]],<ref>[[Kenneth J. Hsu|Hsu K.J.]], "When the Mediterranean Dried Up" ''Scientific American'', Vol. '''227''', December 1972, p. 32</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2020-07-03 |title=7 Facts You Didn't Know About Mediterranean |url=https://www.maritimebusinessworld.com/7-facts-you-didnt-know-about-mediterranean-1462h.htm |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=Maritime Business World |language=tr}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Mediterranean Sea Ecosystem {{!}} EBSCO Research Starters |url=https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/science/mediterranean-sea-ecosystem |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=www.ebsco.com |language=en}}</ref> the marine biota of the Mediterranean is derived primarily from the Atlantic Ocean. The North Atlantic is considerably colder and more nutrient-rich than the Mediterranean,<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":4" /> and the marine life of the Mediterranean has had to adapt to its differing conditions in the five million years since the basin was reflooded later.<ref name=":4" />

The [[Alboran Sea]] is a transition zone between the two seas, containing a mix of Mediterranean and Atlantic species.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cristina |first1=Ruiz |last2=Domingo |first2=Samo |last3=José Luís |first3=Ruiz |last4=Cristina |first4=Ciércoles |last5=Luís |first5=Simarro |title=Exploring diversity and distribution of demersal fish species from the Northern Alboran Sea and Gulf of Vera (Western Mediterranean Sea) |journal=Frontiers in Marine Science |date=2016 |volume=3 |page=107 |doi=10.3389/conf.fmars.2016.05.00107 |bibcode=2016FrMaS...3Q.107C |doi-access=free }}</ref> The [[Mediterranean monk seal]]s live in the Aegean Sea in Greece.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Dendrinos |first1=Panagiotis |title=The Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus) in the Aegean Sea. "The Living Myth of the Sirens" |date=2024 |work=The Aegean Sea Environment: The Biodiversity of the Natural System |pages=211–233 |editor-last=Anagnostou |editor-first=Christos L. |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2022_897 |access-date=2025-06-20 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer Nature Switzerland |language=en |doi=10.1007/698_2022_897 |isbn=978-3-031-59415-1 |last2=Adamantopoulou |first2=Styliani |last3=Tounta |first3=Eleni |last4=Koemtzopoulos |first4=Kimon |last5=Karamanlidis |first5=Alexandros A. |editor2-last=Kostianoy |editor2-first=Andrey G. |editor3-last=Mariolakos |editor3-first=Ilias D. |editor4-last=Panayotidis |editor4-first=Panayotis|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

There was a resident population of [[orca]]s in the Mediterranean until the 1980s, when they went extinct, probably due to long-term PCB exposure. There are still annual sightings of orca vagrants.<ref>Carrington, Damian. [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jan/14/uks-last-resident-killer-whales-doomed-to-extinction "UK's last resident killer whales 'doomed to extinction'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220003210/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jan/14/uks-last-resident-killer-whales-doomed-to-extinction |date=20 February 2019}}, ''[[The Guardian]]'', London, 14 January 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2019.</ref>

{{See also|Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance|List of fishes of the Mediterranean Sea|List of fishes of the Black Sea}}

==Environmental issues==
For 4,000 years, human activity has transformed most parts of Mediterranean Europe, and the "humanisation of the landscape" overlapped with the appearance of the present Mediterranean climate. The image of a simplistic, environmental determinist notion of a Mediterranean paradise on Earth in antiquity, which was destroyed by later civilisations, dates back to at least the 18th century and was for centuries fashionable in archaeological and historical circles. Based on a broad variety of methods, e.g. historical documents, analysis of trade relations, [[floodplain]] sediments, [[pollen]], tree-ring and further archaeometric analyses and population studies, [[Alfred Thomas Grove]]'s and [[Oliver Rackham]]'s work on "The Nature of Mediterranean Europe" challenges this common wisdom of a Mediterranean Europe as a "Lost Eden", a formerly fertile and forested region, that had been progressively degraded and desertified by human mismanagement. The belief stems more from the failure of the recent landscape to measure up to the imaginary past of the [[classics]] as idealised by artists, poets and scientists of the early modern [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]].<ref name="Yale" />

[[File:Palomares H-Bomb Incident.jpg|thumb|The [[thermonuclear bomb]] that fell into the sea recovered off [[Palomares, Almería]], 1966]]
The historical evolution of climate, vegetation and landscape in southern Europe from prehistoric times to the present is much more complex and underwent various changes. For example, some of the deforestation had already taken place before the Roman age. While in the Roman age large enterprises such as the [[Latifundium|latifundia]] took effective care of forests and agriculture, the largest depopulation effects came with the end of the empire. The major deforestation might have taken place in modern times—the later usage patterns were also quite different e.g. in southern and northern Italy. Also, the climate has usually been unstable and there is evidence of various ancient and modern "[[Little Ice Age]]s",<ref>Jean M. Grove (2004). ''Little Ice Ages: Ancient and Modern''. Taylor & Francis.</ref>{{page needed|date=April 2023}} and plant cover accommodated to various extremes and became resilient to various patterns of human activity.<ref name="Yale" />

Even Grove considered that human activity could be the cause of climate change. Modern science has been able to provide clear evidence of this. The wide ecological diversity typical of Mediterranean Europe is predominantly based on human behaviour, as it is and has been closely related to human usage patterns.<ref name="Yale" /> The diversity range{{clarify|date=August 2019}} was enhanced by the widespread exchange and interaction of the longstanding and highly diverse local agriculture, intense transport and trade relations, and the interaction with settlements, pasture and other land use. The greatest human-induced changes, however, came after [[World War II]], in line with the "1950s syndrome"<ref>Christian Pfister (editor), ''Das 1950er Syndrom: Der Weg in die Konsumgesellschaft'', Berne 1995</ref> as rural populations throughout the region abandoned traditional subsistence economies. Grove and Rackham suggest that the locals left the traditional agricultural patterns and instead became scenery-setting agents{{clarify|date=August 2019}} for tourism. This resulted in more uniform, large-scale formations.{{Fix|text=of what?}} Among further current important threats to Mediterranean landscapes are overdevelopment of coastal areas, abandonment of mountains and, as mentioned, the loss of variety via the reduction of traditional agricultural occupations.<ref name="Yale" >The Nature of Mediterranean Europe: An Ecological History, by Alfred Thomas Grove, Oliver Rackham, Yale University Press, 2003, [http://yalepress.yale.edu/book.asp?isbn=9780300100556 review at Yale university press] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006140735/http://yalepress.yale.edu/book.asp?isbn=9780300100556 |date=6 October 2014}} [https://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/journal_of_interdisciplinary_history/v032/32.3fagan.pdfThe Nature of Mediterranean Europe: An Ecological History (review)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006073018/https://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=%2Fjournals%2Fjournal_of_interdisciplinary_history%2Fv032%2F32.3fagan.pdfThe |date=6 October 2014}}, [[Brian M. Fagan]], Journal of Interdisciplinary History, Volume 32, Number 3, Winter 2002, pp. 454–455</ref>

===Natural hazards===
[[File:Aerial image of Stromboli (view from the northeast).jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|[[Stromboli]] volcano in Italy]]
The Mediterranean region is one of the most geologically active maritime area of the globe, sitting on a complex tectonic boundary zone between the European and African plates. The geology of the region, with the presence of plate boundaries and active faults, makes it prone to quite frequent earthquakes, tsunamis and submarine landslides with can have devastating consequences in densely populated coastal areas. In addition climate change now intensifies the frequency and impacts of storm surges and coastal flooding, putting additional human lives and property at risk.<ref>Marine hazards and coastal vulnerabilities in the Mediterranean - realities and perceptions. 2024. pp. 5–25 in ’’ CIESM Monograph 52’’ (F. Briand, Ed.) ISSN 1726-5886 [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/388029017]</ref>

[[Earthquakes]] are relatively frequent in the Mediterranean Basin, starting in the Mediterranean 70 million years ago. They are still ongoing. From the boundary of tectonic plates, the Mediterranean territory is called two distinct parts: the Eastern Mediterranean (from Italy to Turkey), which is characterised by intense seismicity with earthquakes whose magnitude can rise to 7.5 Richter with more than 350 recorded tsunamis, and the Western Mediterranean. During the 20th century, 198,548 earthquake victims were recorded.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Natural hazards in the Mediterranean Basin |url=https://www.mededuc.eu/en/resource-center/pedagogical-reference/22-natural-hazards-in-the-mediterranean-basin.html |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=www.mededuc.eu}}</ref>

[[Volcanic eruptions]] are not uncommon either and left their mark in historical and archaeological records. The largest include the [[Thera eruption]], dated around 1600 BC, and the eruptions of [[Mount Vesuvius]] in 217 BC and AD 79 - the latter famously known for the destruction and the burying of the ancient cities of [[Pompeii]] and [[Herculaneum]].<ref name=mcguire2003>{{cite news|first=Bill|last=McGuire|title=In the shadow of the volcano|date=16 October 2003 |newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2003/oct/16/research.highereducation2|access-date=8 May 2010|archive-date=12 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112041053/https://www.theguardian.com/education/2003/oct/16/research.highereducation2|url-status=live}}</ref> In the same region the [[Phlegraean Fields]] west of Naples constitute one of the most significant volcanic systems in the world, still very active. In the same general area, volcanoes like Mt. Etna and Stromboli are considered in a state of permanent activity, with frequent eruptions and lava emissions through the past 1500 years.

[[Tsunamis]], usually triggered by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and submarine landslides, have caused a number of documented disasters in the Mediterranean Basin in the past 2500 years. Historical examples include the 365 and 1303 tsunamis in the Hellenic Arc, more recently the disastrous 1908 event that destroyed the cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria, and the large tsunami that occurred off the Algerian margin in 2003.

On the diplomatic front, the experience of coastal countries and regional authorities is leading to exchange{{Fix|text=of what?}} at the international level with the cooperation of NGOs, states, regional and municipal authorities.<ref name=evch>{{cite web|url=http://www.infopuntveiligheid.nl/Infopuntdocumenten/7._Eric_van_der_Horst.pdf|title=Alle kennisdossiers van het Instituut Fysieke Veiligheid|access-date=20 September 2014|archive-date=5 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205041217/http://www.infopuntveiligheid.nl/Infopuntdocumenten/7._Eric_van_der_Horst.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Greek–Turkish earthquake diplomacy]] is a quite positive example of natural hazards leading to improved relations between traditional rivals in the region after earthquakes in İzmit and Athens in 1999. The European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) was set up to respond to major natural disasters and express European solidarity to disaster-stricken regions within all of Europe.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/home/en|title=Press corner|website=European Commission|access-date=15 September 2020|archive-date=25 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200825095835/https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/home/en|url-status=live}}</ref> The largest amount of funding requests in the EU relates to [[forest fire]]s, followed by floods and earthquakes. Forest fires, whether human-made or natural, are a frequent and dangerous hazard in the Mediterranean region.<ref name=evch/> [[Tsunami]]s are also an often-underestimated hazard in the region. For example, the [[1908 Messina earthquake]] and tsunami took more than 123,000 lives in Sicily and Calabria and were among the deadliest natural disasters in modern Europe.

===Invasive species===
[[File:Himantura uarnak egypt.jpg|thumb|The [[reticulate whipray]] is one of the species that colonised the Eastern Mediterranean through the [[Suez Canal]] as part of the ongoing [[Lessepsian migration]].]]

Invasive species have become a major component of the Mediterranean ecosystem and have serious impacts on the Mediterranean ecology, endangering a number of local and [[endemism|endemic]] Mediterranean species. A first look at some groups of marine species shows that over 70% of exotic [[Decapoda|decapod]]s<ref name="Briand">{{cite book |editor-last1=Briand |editor-first1=Frederic |last1=Galil |first1=Bella |last2=Froglia |first2=Carlo |last3=Noël |first3=Pierre |title=CIESM Atlas of Exotic Species in the Mediterranean: Vol 2 Crustaceans |date=2002 |publisher=CIESM Publishers |location=Paris, Monaco |isbn=978-92-990003-2-8 |page=192 |url=https://ciesm.org/catalog/index.php?article=2002 |access-date=2 January 2023 |archive-date=23 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221223120847/https://ciesm.org/catalog/index.php?article=2002 |url-status=live }}</ref> and some 2/3 of exotic fishes<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.issg.org/infpaper_invasive.pdf |title=IUCN Guidelines for the Prevention of Biodiversity Loss Caused by Alien Invasive Species |access-date=11 August 2009 |year=2000 |publisher=International Union for Conservation of Nature |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115235640/http://www.issg.org/infpaper_invasive.pdf |archive-date=15 January 2009}}</ref> found in the Mediterranean are of [[Indo-Pacific]] origin, [[introduced species|introduced]] from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal. This makes the Canal the first pathway of arrival of [[Introduced species|alien]] species into the Mediterranean. The impacts of some Lessepsian species have proven to be considerable, mainly in the Levantine basin of the Mediterranean, where they are replacing native species and becoming a familiar sight.

According to definitions by the [[Mediterranean Science Commission]] and the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]], and to [[Convention on Biological Diversity]] (CBD) and [[Ramsar Convention]] terminologies, they are alien species, as they are non-native (non-indigenous) to the Mediterranean Sea, and are found outside their normal, non-adjacent area of distribution. When these species succeed in establishing populations in the Mediterranean Sea, compete with and begin to replace native species they are "Alien Invasive Species", as they are an agent of change and a threat to the native biodiversity. In the context of CBD, "introduction" refers to the movement by human agency, indirect or direct, of an alien species outside of its natural range (past or present). The Suez Canal, being an artificial (human-made) canal, is a human agency. Lessepsian migrants are therefore "introduced" species (indirect, and unintentional). Whatever wording is chosen, they represent a threat to the native Mediterranean biodiversity, because they are non-indigenous to this sea. In recent years, the Egyptian government's announcement of its intentions to deepen and widen the Canal<ref>{{Cite web |title=Egypt to deepen, widen Suez Canal after blockage |website=Al-Monitor |date=21 May 2021 |url=https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/05/egypt-deepen-widen-suez-canal-after-blockage |access-date=12 July 2022 |language=en |archive-date=12 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712155837/https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/05/egypt-deepen-widen-suez-canal-after-blockage |url-status=live }}</ref> raised concerns from [[marine biologist]]s, fearing that such an act will only worsen the invasion of Red Sea species into the Mediterranean, and lead to even more species passing through the Canal.<ref>{{cite book | last1=Galil | first1=Bella S. | last2=Zenetos | first2=Argyro | title=Invasive Aquatic Species of Europe. Distribution, Impacts and Management | chapter=A Sea Change — Exotics in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea | publisher=Springer Netherlands | publication-place=Dordrecht | date=2002 | isbn=978-90-481-6111-9 | doi=10.1007/978-94-015-9956-6_33 | pages=325–336}}</ref>

====Arrival of new tropical Atlantic species====
In recent decades, the arrival of exotic species from the tropical Atlantic has become noticeable. In many cases this reflects an expansion – favoured by a warming trend of sub-tropical Atlantic waters, and also by a fast-growing maritime traffic – of the natural range of species that now enter the Mediterranean through the [[Strait of Gibraltar]]. While not as intense as [[Lessepsian migration]], the process is of importance and is therefore receiving increased levels of scientific coverage.<ref>{{cite book | last1=Golani | first1=Daniel | last2=Azzurro | first2=Ernesto | last3=Dulčić | first3=Jakov | last4=Massutí | first4=Enric | last5=Briand | first5=Frederic | title=Atlas of Exotic Fishes in the Mediterranean Sea |edition=2nd | publisher=CIESM publishers | series=CIESM Atlases | year=2021 | isbn=978-92-990003-5-9 | page=}}</ref>

===Sea-level rise===
By 2100 the overall level of the Mediterranean could rise between {{convert|3|and|61|cm|1|abbr=on}} as a result of the [[effects of global warming|effects of climate change]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Mediterranean Sea Level Could Rise By Over Two Feet, Global Models Predict|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090303084057.htm|website=[[Science Daily]]|date=3 March 2009|access-date=9 March 2018|archive-date=23 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623133113/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090303084057.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> This could have adverse effects on populations across the Mediterranean:
* Rising sea levels will submerge parts of [[Malta]]. Rising sea levels will also mean rising salt water levels in Malta's groundwater supply and reduce the availability of drinking water.<ref>{{cite news|title=Briny future for vulnerable Malta|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6525069.stm|date=4 April 2007|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=23 November 2011|archive-date=23 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523094353/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6525069.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>
* A {{convert|30|cm|0|abbr=on}} rise in sea level would flood {{convert|200|km2|0|abbr=out}} of the [[Nile Delta]], displacing over 500,000 [[Egyptians]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Egypt fertile Nile Delta falls prey to climate change |url=http://news.egypt.com/en/201001288902/news/-egypt-news/egypt-fertile-nile-delta-falls-prey-to-climate-change.html |date=28 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110209093815/http://news.egypt.com/en/201001288902/news/-egypt-news/egypt-fertile-nile-delta-falls-prey-to-climate-change.html |archive-date=9 February 2011}}</ref>
* [[Cyprus]] wetlands are also in danger of being destroyed by the rising temperatures and sea levels.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cyprus wetlands in danger of being destroyed by climate change|url=https://cyprus-mail.com/2019/11/08/cyprus-wetlands-in-danger-of-being-destroyed-by-climate-change/|website=cyprus-mail.com|date=8 November 2019|access-date=8 November 2019|archive-date=24 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224181517/https://cyprus-mail.com/2019/11/08/cyprus-wetlands-in-danger-of-being-destroyed-by-climate-change/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Coastal ecosystems also appear to be threatened by [[sea level rise]], especially enclosed seas such as the [[Baltic Sea|Baltic]], the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. These seas have only small and primarily east–west movement [[Habitat corridor|corridors]], which may restrict northward displacement of organisms in these areas.<ref>Nicholls, R.J.; Klein, R.J.T. (2005). Climate change and coastal management on Europe's coast, in: Vermaat, J.E. et al. (Ed.) (2005). Managing European coasts: past, present and future. pp. 199–226.</ref> Sea level rise for the next century (2100) could be between {{convert|30|and|100|cm|in|abbr=on}} and temperature shifts of a mere {{convert|0.05–0.1|C-change||2}} in the deep sea are sufficient to induce significant changes in species richness and functional diversity.<ref name="greenpeace.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/oceans/marine-reserves/the-mediterranean/mediterranean-other-threats|title=Other threats in the Mediterranean &#124; Greenpeace International|publisher=Greenpeace|access-date=23 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100416071023/http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/oceans/marine-reserves/the-mediterranean/mediterranean-other-threats|archive-date=16 April 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Pollution===
[[Marine pollution|Pollution]] in this region has been extremely high in recent years.{{When|date=May 2012}} The [[United Nations Environment Programme]] has estimated that {{convert|650000000|t|ST|abbr=on}} of [[sewage]], {{convert|129000|t|ST|abbr=on}} of [[mineral oil]], {{convert|60000|t|ST|abbr=on}} of mercury, {{convert|3800|t|ST|abbr=on}} of lead and {{convert|36000|t|ST|abbr=on}} of [[phosphate]]s are dumped into the Mediterranean each year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.explorecrete.com/nature/mediterranean.html|title=Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea. Environmental issues|publisher=Explore Crete|access-date=23 April 2010|archive-date=13 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113033738/http://explorecrete.com/nature/mediterranean.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Barcelona Convention]] aims to 'reduce pollution in the Mediterranean Sea and protect and improve the marine environment in the area, thereby contributing to its sustainable development.'<ref>{{cite web|url=http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/l28084.htm |title=EUROPA |publisher=Europa |access-date=23 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090409220807/http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/l28084.htm |archive-date=9 April 2009}}</ref>

Many marine species have been almost wiped out because of the sea's pollution. One of them is the [[Mediterranean monk seal]] which is considered to be among the world's most [[endangered]] [[marine mammal]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.monachus-guardian.org/factfiles/medit01.htm|title=Mediterranean Monk Seal Fact Files: Overview|publisher=Monachus-guardian.org|date=5 May 1978|access-date=23 April 2010|archive-date=12 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190912082329/https://www.monachus-guardian.org/factfiles/medit01.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Mediterranean is also plagued by [[marine debris]]. A 1994 study of the [[seabed]] using [[trawl net]]s around the coasts of Spain, France and Italy reported a particularly high mean concentration of debris; an average of 1,935 items per km<sup>2</sup> ({{convert|1,935|/km2|disp=out}}).<ref name="nep.org/regionalseas/ma">{{cite web |url=http://www.unep.org/regionalseas/marinelitter/publications/docs/anl_oview.pdf |title=Marine Litter: An Analytical Overview |access-date=1 August 2008 |year=2005 |publisher=United Nations Environment Programme |archive-date=17 July 2007 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20070717141400/http://www.unep.org/regionalseas/marinelitter/publications/docs/anl_oview.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Shipping===
{{Location map+
| Mediterranean
| width          = 700
| float          = right
| border         =
| caption        = Largest ports of the Mediterranean area per total vessel traffic as of 2016.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/508771540319329808/pdf/131217-PUB-PUBLIC-publication-date-is-10-23-18.pdf|last1=Arvis|first1=Jean-François|first2=Vincent|last2=Vesin|first3=Robin|last3=Carruthers|page=41|first4=César|last4=Ducruet|first5=Peter|last5=de Langen|year=2019|title=Maritime Networks, Port Efficiency, and Hinterland Connectivity in the Mediterranean. International Development in Focus|location=Washington, DC|publisher=[[World Bank]]|isbn=978-1-4648-1274-3|doi=10.1596/978-1-4648-1274-3|hdl=10398/08c83467-00f6-4f56-9833-1beda9f7734f|s2cid=134161640|access-date=8 September 2020|archive-date=13 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613085117/https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/508771540319329808/pdf/131217-PUB-PUBLIC-publication-date-is-10-23-18.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
| alt            =
| relief         =
| AlternativeMap = Relief Map of Mediterranean Sea.png
| overlay_image  =
| places =
{{Location map~ | Mediterranean
    | label = [[Port of Valencia|Valencia]]
    | position =
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    | lat_deg = 39 | lat_min = 26 | lat_sec = 39 | lat_dir = N
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}}
{{Location map~ | Mediterranean
    | label = [[Port of Barcelona|Barcelona]]
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{{Location map~ | Mediterranean
    | label = [[Port of Genoa|Genoa]]
    | position = left
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{{Location map~ | Mediterranean
    | label = [[Port of Ambarlı|Ambarlı]]
    | position = top
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{{Location map~ | Mediterranean
    | label = [[Port of Piraeus|Piraeus]]
    | position = bottom
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}}
{{Location map~ | Mediterranean
    | label = [[Port of Limassol|Limassol]]
    | position = Top
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{{Location map~ | Mediterranean
    | label = [[Marseille-Fos Port|Fos]]
    | position = bottom
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{{Location map~ | Mediterranean
    | label = [[Malta Freeport|Marsaxlokk]]
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{{Location map~ | Mediterranean
    | label = [[Port of La Spezia|La Spezia]]
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{{Location map~ | Mediterranean
    | label = [[Port of Algeciras|Algeciras]]
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{{Location map~ | Mediterranean
    | label = [[Port of Gioia Tauro|Gioia Tauro]]
    | position =
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{{Location map~ | Mediterranean
    | label = [[Tanger-Med]]
    | position = right
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{{Location map~ | Mediterranean
    | label = [[Port of Livorno|Leghorn]]
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{{Location map~ | Mediterranean
    | label = [[Evyapport|Evyap]]
    | position = right
    | background =
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    | lat_deg = 40 | lat_min = 47 | lat_dir = N
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}}
{{Location map~ | Mediterranean
    | label = [[Port of Mersin|Mersin]]
    | position =
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    | marksize = 12
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    | lat_deg = 36 | lat_min = 48 | lat_dir = N
    | lon_deg = 34 | lon_min = 38 | lon_dir = E
}}
{{Location map~ | Mediterranean
    | label = [[Port of Haifa|Haifa]]
    | position =
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    | lon_deg = 35 | lon_min = 00 | lon_dir = E
}}
{{Location map~ | Mediterranean
    | label = [[Port of Ashdod|Ashdod]]
    | position =
    | background =
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    | marksize = 12
    | link =
    | lat_deg = 31 | lat_min = 49 | lat_dir = N
    | lon_deg = 34 | lon_min = 39 | lon_dir = E
}}
{{Location map~ | Mediterranean
    | label = [[Port of Beirut|Beirut]]
    | position =
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}}
{{Location map~ | Mediterranean
    | label = [[Port of Gemlik|Gemlik]]
    | position = bottom
    | background =
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    | marksize = 12
    | link =
    | lat_deg = 40 | lat_min = 25 | lat_dir = N
    | lon_deg = 29 | lon_min = 5 | lon_dir = E
}}
{{Location map~ | Mediterranean
    | label = [[Port of Nemrut Bay|Nemrut Bay]]
    | position = right
    | background =
    | mark = Legenda port.svg
    | marksize = 12
    | link =
    | lat_deg = 38 | lat_min = 26 | lat_dir = N
    | lon_deg = 26 | lon_min = 55 | lon_dir = E
}}
}}
Approximately {{convert|370000000|t|LT|abbr=on}} of oil are transported annually in the Mediterranean Sea (more than 20% of the world total), with around 250–300 [[oil tanker]]s crossing the sea every day. An important destination is the [[Port of Trieste]], the starting point of the [[Transalpine Pipeline]], which covers 40% of Germany's oil demand (100% of the federal states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg), 90% of Austria and 50% of the Czech Republic.<ref>Thomas Fromm "Pipeline durch die Alpen: Alles im Fluss" In: Süddeutsche Zeitung, 26 December 2019.</ref> Accidental [[oil spill]]s happen frequently with an average of 10 spills per year. A major oil spill could occur at any time in any part of the Mediterranean.<ref name="greenpeace.org"/>
[[File:Portacontainer MSC in navigazione nello stretto di Messina.jpg|thumb|A cargo ship cruises towards the [[Strait of Messina]]]]
[[File:Porto nuovo di Trieste 1.4.2012.jpg|thumb|Port of [[Trieste]]]]

===Tourism===
[[File:Kemer beach, Antalya.jpg|thumb|[[Kemer]] Beach in [[Antalya]] on the [[Turkish Riviera|Turkish Riviera (Turquoise Coast)]]. In 2019, Turkey [[World Tourism rankings#Most visited destinations by international tourist arrivals|ranked sixth in the world]] in terms of the number of international tourist arrivals, with 51.2 million foreign tourists visiting the country.<ref name="WTO Tourism Highlights 2019 Edition">{{Cite book|title=UNWTO Tourism Highlights: 2019 Edition {{!}} World Tourism Organization|year=2019|doi=10.18111/9789284421152|isbn=978-92-844-2115-2|s2cid=240665765}}</ref>]]
The coast of the Mediterranean has been used for tourism since ancient times, as the Roman villa buildings on the [[Amalfi Coast]] or in [[Barcola]] show. From the end of the 19th century, in particular, the beaches became places of longing for many Europeans and travellers. From then on, and especially after World War II, [[mass tourism]] to the Mediterranean began with all its advantages and disadvantages. While initially, the journey was by train and later by bus or car, today the plane is increasingly used.<ref>Rüdiger Hachtmann "Tourismus-Geschichte". (2007); Attilio Brilli "Quando viaggiare era un'arte. Il romanzo del grand tour." (1995).</ref>

Tourism is today one of the most important sources of income for many Mediterranean countries, despite the human-made geopolitical conflicts{{clarify|date=August 2019}} in the region. The countries have tried to extinguish rising human-made chaotic zones{{clarify|date=August 2019}} that might affect the region's economies and societies in neighbouring coastal countries, and [[shipping route]]s. Naval and rescue components in the Mediterranean Sea are considered to be among the best{{citation needed|date=August 2019}} due to the rapid cooperation between various [[List of fleets|naval fleets]]. Unlike the vast open oceans, the sea's closed position facilitates effective naval and rescue missions{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}, considered the safest{{citation needed|date=August 2019}} and regardless of{{clarify|date=August 2019}} any human-made or [[natural disaster]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://cor.europa.eu/en/engage/studies/Documents/sustainable-tourism-mediterranean/sustainable-tourism-mediterranean.pdf#:~:text=Within%20the%20wider%20Mediterranean%20region%2C%20the%20Mediterranean%20countries,is%20likely%20to%20resume%20when%20the%20situation%20stabilises. |title=Sustainable tourism in the Mediterranean |access-date=1 March 2023 |archive-date=1 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301224423/https://cor.europa.eu/en/engage/studies/Documents/sustainable-tourism-mediterranean/sustainable-tourism-mediterranean.pdf#:~:text=Within%20the%20wider%20Mediterranean%20region%2C%20the%20Mediterranean%20countries,is%20likely%20to%20resume%20when%20the%20situation%20stabilises. |url-status=live }}</ref>

Tourism is a source of income for small coastal communities, including islands, independent of urban centres. However, tourism has also played a major role in the [[environmental degradation|degradation]] of the coastal and [[marine environment]]. Rapid development has been encouraged by Mediterranean governments to support the large numbers of tourists visiting the region, but this has caused serious disturbance to [[marine habitat]]s by erosion and [[#Pollution|pollution]] in many places along the Mediterranean coasts.

Tourism often concentrates in areas of high natural wealth{{clarify|date=August 2019}}, causing a serious threat to the habitats of endangered species such as [[sea turtle]]s and [[monk seal]]s. Reductions in natural wealth may reduce the incentive for tourists to visit.<ref name="greenpeace.org"/>

{{see also|Environmental impact of tourism}}

===Overfishing===
{{main|Overfishing}}

[[Fish stocks|Fish stock]] levels in the Mediterranean Sea are alarmingly low.<ref>{{Cite web |last=CORDIS |title=The worrying state of Mediterranean fish stocks |url=https://phys.org/news/2017-04-state-mediterranean-fish-stocks.html |access-date=2025-06-23 |website=phys.org |language=en}}</ref> The European Environment Agency says that more than 65% of all fish stocks in the region are outside safe biological limits. Some of the most important fisheries are threatened.{{date missing}} There are clear indications that catch size and quality have declined, often dramatically, and in many areas, larger and longer-lived species have disappeared entirely from commercial catches.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=April 2014 |title=Factors affecting the fishing impact on cartilaginous fishes in southeastern Spain (western Mediterranean Sea) |doi=10.3989/SCIMAR.04025.21A |s2cid=39347699 |last1=Mendoza |first1=Manuel |last2=Garrido |first2=Diego |last3=Bellido |first3=Jose M. |journal=Scientia Marina |volume=78 |issue=S1 |pages=67–76 |bibcode=2014ScMar..78S..67M |doi-access=free }}</ref>

===Marine heatwaves===
{{Main|Marine heatwave}}

A study showed that [[Effects of climate change on oceans|climate change-related]] exceptional [[marine heatwave]]s in the Mediterranean Sea during 2015–2019 resulted in widespread mass sealife die-offs in five consecutive years.<ref>{{cite news |title=Marine heatwave: Record sea temperatures seen in the Mediterranean could devastate marine life |url=https://interestingengineering.com/science/marine-heatwave-sea-temperaturesmediterranean |access-date=21 August 2022 |work=interestingengineering.com |date=20 August 2022 |archive-date=20 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220820164944/https://interestingengineering.com/science/marine-heatwave-sea-temperaturesmediterranean |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Garrabou |first1=Joaquim |last2=Gómez-Gras |first2=Daniel |last3=Medrano |first3=Alba |last4=Cerrano |first4=Carlo |last5=Ponti |first5=Massimo |last6=Schlegel |first6=Robert |last7=Bensoussan |first7=Nathaniel |last8=Turicchia |first8=Eva |last9=Sini |first9=Maria |last10=Gerovasileiou |first10=Vasilis |title=Marine heatwaves drive recurrent mass mortalities in the Mediterranean Sea |journal=Global Change Biology |date=18 July 2022 |volume=28 |issue=19 |pages=5708–5725 |doi=10.1111/gcb.16301 |pmid=35848527 |pmc=9543131 |bibcode=2022GCBio..28.5708G |hdl=10754/679702 |s2cid=250622761 |language=en |issn=1354-1013|display-authors=4}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<!--Please limit the images in this gallery to only 1 image per country/territory-->
<gallery mode="packed" heights="120px" style="text-align:center">
File:Gibraltar-Europa-Point-LH-from-the-sea.jpg|[[Europa Point]], Gibraltar
File:ForbysIbizaTown 02.jpg|Old city of [[Ibiza Town]], Spain
File:Monaco City 001.jpg|Panoramic view of [[La Condamine]], Monaco
File:Plage-de-la-courtade.jpg|The beach of la Courtade in the [[Îles d'Hyères]], France
File:Chia beach, Sardinia, Italy.jpg|[[Sardinia]]'s south coast, Italy
File:Panagiotis wreck.jpg|[[Navagio]], Greece
File:Malta - Birzebbuga - Triq il-Bajja s-Sabiha + Pretty Bay + Gnien Mons. Guzeppi Minuti 03 ies.jpg|Pretty Bay in [[Birżebbuġa]], Malta
File:Piran Stadtpanorama.jpg|Panoramic view of [[Piran]], Slovenia
File:Cavtat Croatia 2008-10-07.JPG|Panoramic view of [[Cavtat]], Croatia
File:Neum02451.JPG|View of [[Neum]], Bosnia and Herzegovina
File:svetistefan1756.JPG|A view of [[Sveti Stefan]], Montenegro
File:Ksamill-1.jpg|[[Ksamil Islands]], Albania
File:Blue_Lagoon_-_2014.10_-_panoramio.jpg|[[Ölüdeniz]], [[Turkish Riviera|Turquoise Coast]], Turkey
File:Petra tou romiou beach.jpg|[[Paphos]], Cyprus
File:Burjeslam.jpg|[[Burj Islam]] Beach, [[Latakia]], Syria
File:BeirutRaouche1.jpg|A view of [[Raouché]] off the coast of [[Beirut]], Lebanon
File:Bat Galim neighborhood and Haifa Bay.jpg|A view of [[Haifa]], Israel
File:شاطئ دير البلح horizon adjusted.jpg|Sunset at the [[Deir al-Balah]] beach, Gaza Strip, Palestine
File:Coast of Alexandria, A view From Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt.jpg|Coast of [[Alexandria]], view From [[Bibliotheca Alexandrina]], Egypt
File:Ras Elhilal Coast Sea Cave's.jpg|Ras El Hilal sea caves, Libya
File:Hammametgolf.jpg|Beach of [[Hammamet, Tunisia|Hammamet]], Tunisia
File:Les Aiguades.jpg|Les Aiguades near [[Béjaïa]], Algeria
File:EL Jebha1.jpg|El Jebha, a port town in Morocco
</gallery>

==See also==
{{portal|Oceans}}
{{div col}}
* {{annotated link|Aegean dispute}}
* {{annotated link|Atlantropa}}
* {{annotated link|Babelmed}}, the site of the Mediterranean cultures
* {{annotated link|Cyprus dispute}}
* {{annotated link|Cyprus–Turkey maritime zones dispute}}
* {{annotated link|Eastern Mediterranean}}
* {{annotated link|Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly}}
* {{annotated link|Exclusive economic zone of Greece}}
* {{annotated link|Familial Mediterranean fever}}
* {{annotated link|History of the Mediterranean region}}
* {{annotated link|Holy League (1571)}}
* {{annotated link|Libya–Turkey maritime deal}}
* {{annotated link|List of islands in the Mediterranean}}
* {{annotated link|List of Mediterranean countries}}
* {{annotated link|Mediterranean diet}}
* {{annotated link|Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub}}
* {{annotated link|Mediterranean Games}}
* {{annotated link|Mediterranean race}}
* {{annotated link|Mediterranean sea (oceanography)}}
* {{annotated link|Piri Reis}} – Early cartographer of the Mediterranean
* {{annotated link|Qattara Depression Project}}
* {{annotated link|Seto Inland Sea}} – also known as the Japanese Mediterranean Sea
* [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/73849 The Mediterranean: Seaports and sea routes including Madeira, the Canary Islands, the coast of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia; handbook for travellers] (1911), by [[Karl Baedeker]]
* {{annotated link|Tyrrhenian Basin}}
* {{annotated link|Union for the Mediterranean}}
{{div col end}}

==Notes==
{{NoteFoot}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Mediterranean Sea |volume=18 |last1=Dickson |first1=Henry Newton |author1-link=Henry Newton Dickson |pages=67–69 |short=1}}
* [http://www.foraminifera.eu/querydb.php?area=Mediterranean+Sea&aktion=suche Mediterranean Sea Microorganisms: 180+ images of Foraminifera] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511142659/http://www.foraminifera.eu/querydb.php?area=Mediterranean+Sea&aktion=suche |date=11 May 2011 }}
* [http://med-lter.haifa.ac.il/index.php/about Eastern Mediterranean Sea Long Term Ecological Research Station] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205184556/http://med-lter.haifa.ac.il/index.php/about |date=5 February 2018 }}
* [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/73849 The Mediterranean : Seaports and sea routes including Madeira, the Canary Islands, the coast of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia; handbook for travellers]. Written and published in Leipzig by Karl Baedeker in 1911.

{{Countries and territories bordering the Mediterranean Sea}}
{{List of seas}}
{{Marginal seas of the Atlantic Ocean}}
{{Regions of the world}}

{{subject bar|portal3=Geography |voy=y |commons=y |wikt=y |n=y |q=y |s=y|v=y}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mediterranean|*]]
[[Category:Mediterranean Sea| ]]
[[Category:Marine ecoregions]]
[[Category:Marginal seas of the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Geography of North Africa]]
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[[Category:Natural history of Europe]]
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