MEDITERRANEAN SEA. A great inland sea of the Eastern Hemisphere. almost entire ly inclosed by the continents of Europe. Asia. and Africa. and communicating with the Black Sea by the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmora. and the Bosporus ( Map: Europe, D 5). It extends from longitude 5° 21' W. to 36° 1U' E.. a distance of 2320 miles. Its breadth differs widely in differ ent parts, the maximum breadth being 1080 miles. It is connected with the Atlantic by the Strait of Gibraltar. The southern or African coast is comparatively smooth and unindented. The northern or European coast, on the other hand, is extremely broken, with several long peninsulas, deep bays and gulfs, and many isl ands. It abounds in good harbors. which early conduced to extensive commerce. The Balearie Isles, Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, Crete, and Cyprus are the largest islands. The Italian peninsula, with Sicily and the extended shallows that lie between Sicily and Tunis, divide the Mediter ranean into two parts.
The depth of the Mediterranean differs greatly in different parts, the maximum depth being 14,400 feet in the eastern basin south I if the Slorea, and 12.200 feet in the western basin east of Sardinia. The depth at the Strait of Gibraltar is less than 1000 fathoms, while fifty miles outside the water shoals to 200 fathoms. The specific gravity and salinity of the water is slightly greater than that of the Atlantic, the proportions being 1.029 to 1.028. The tempera ture of the surface water in summer is commonly a few degrees higher than that of the Atlantic in the same latitudes, and the temperature at depths is much higher, as is often the case in partly inclosed seas. While the temperature in the greater depths of the Atlantic is very near the freezing point, in the Meditern•anean it reaches only 54° to 56° F. In winter the surface tem peratures do not differ materially. The tides are very slight, at most places being only a few inches in height. In the summer the northeast trades blow over the Mediterranean, while in the winter.
with the shifting of the trades, the prevailing winds are westerly. Specially designated winds are the Bora, in the Adriatic, and the Sirocco, blowing over from the African desert.
The great rivers which flow into the Mediter ranean are few in number, the principal ones being the Ebro, Rhone, and the Po from Europe. and the Nile from Africa. Into the Black Sea flows much more water. hence there is a constant current from the Black Sea into the Mediter ranean. From the Atlantic flows a constant sur face current into the Mediterranean, due prob ably to the excess of evaporation over supply in the latter body of water, while there is a lower current flowing in the contrary direction. The chief divisions of the Mediterranean are known as the Levantine Sea (in the east), the .Egean Sea, Ionian Sea, Adriatic Sea. Tyrrhenian Sea (immediately west of the peninsula of Italy), and Balearic Sea.
Of the European sea fishes over 400 species inhabit the Mediterranean Sea, some of which are peculiar to it. It has a greater number of species than the British and Scandinavian seas, but does not nearly so much abound in useful kinds. The sponge, twiny. and sardine fisheries are important on some parts of its coasts. It is rich in red coral, which is procured in great quantity on the coasts of Provence, of the Balearic Isles. and of Sicily, hut particularly on the coasts of Tunis and Tripoli in Africa.
The shores of the Mediterranean Sea are in many parts subject to frequent earthquakes. Be sides the existing active volcanoes of Etna. Vesu vius. and Stromboli, there are many evidences of recent volcanic action, and instances have oc curred of islands suddenly by it, where volcanic tires have appeared for a short time. Consult: Playfair. "The Physical and Historical," in Smithsonian Institution kc p(mt. 1S90 (Washington. 1891) ; Smyth, The Mediterranean. Mcmoir Physical. Historical, and Natural ( London. 1854 ) .