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The Sea Of The Mediterranean Sea

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The Mediterranean Sea is the largest enclosed sea in the world, surrounded by Europe, Africa, and Asia – the most populated region of the globe. It is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar which separates Spain from Africa, a distance of 8.9 miles. The sea has an average depth of 4,900 feet, but the deepest point is in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Deep, having recorded 17,280 feet. It is bordered by 25 coastlines and is split into seven subdivisions of which are the Aegean, Adriatic, Ionian, Tyrrhenian, Ligurian, Balearic, and Alboran seas. It also contains a shallow submarine ridge (Strait of Sicily) between Sicily and Tunisia, dividing the sea into two main sub regions – the Eastern and Western Mediterranean. It has an annual temperature of 19 degrees Celsius, but waters located near the warmer regions (I.E. Africa) can reach up to 26 degrees Celsius in the summer. The Mediterranean is characterized by its deep blue color which derives from its warm temperatures and higher salt production due to mass evaporation. It is known to have hot, dry summers and wet winters except for the Southern regions considering they have desert-like climates. Early civilizations thought that the Mediterranean was the center of their region considering they had not traveled out of their boundaries yet, therefore giving its Latin name “mediterraneus”, meaning “middle of land.” Its combination of strong winds and an arid climate results in intense

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