LESSON

The Mediterranean Sea is a nearly landlocked sea that covers 2.5 million km, and it connects 22 countries across Europe, Africa, and Asia. It hosts 18% of all described marine species, and has a rich history as the cradle of Western civilization. It is connected to the Atlantic Ocean only by the 14 km wide Strait of Gibraltar It covers roughly 970,000 square miles and reaches its greatest depth of 5,267 meters in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea. About 6 million years ago, the Mediterranean dried up and became a giant salt flat during the Messinian Salinity Crisis, later refilling around 5.3 million years ago.

A map of the Mediterranian Sea