Mediterranean
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| Mediterranean
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Map of the Mediterranean
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Map of East Mediterranean
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The Mediterranean Sea is a sea off the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. It covers an approximate area of 2.5 million km2 (965,000 sq mi) and and it is approximate 2,080 nM (3,860 km) long, but its connection to the Atlantic (the Strait of Gibraltar) is only 7.6 nM (14 km) wide. Its average depth of 1,500 metres (4,920 ft) and the deepest recorded point is 5,267 meters (about 3.27 miles) in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea. The Mediterranean coastline extends for 24,800 nM (46,000 km or 28,600 mi). In oceanography, it is sometimes called the Eurafrican Mediterranean Sea or the European Mediterranean Sea to distinguish it from mediterranean seas elsewhere.
The Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar on the west and to the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, by the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus respectively, on the east. The Sea of Marmara is often considered a part of the Mediterranean Sea, whereas the Black Sea is generally not. The 88 nM (163 km) long man-made Suez Canal in the southeast connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.
Being nearly landlocked affects the Mediterranean Sea's properties; for instance, tides are very limited as a result of the narrow connection with the Atlantic Ocean. The Mediterranean is characterized and immediately recognized by its deep blue color.
Evaporation greatly exceeds precipitation and river runoff in the Mediterranean, a fact that is central to the water circulation within the basin. Evaporation is especially high in its eastern half, causing the water level to decrease and salinity to increase eastward. This pressure gradient pushes relatively cool, low-salinity water from the Atlantic across the basin; it warms and becomes saltier as it travels east, then sinks in the region of the Levant and circulates westward, to spill over the Strait of Gibraltar. Thus, seawater flow is eastward in the Strait's surface waters, and westward below; once in the Atlantic, this chemically-distinct Mediterranean Intermediate Water can persist thousands of kilometers away from its source.
Charts
- BA
- 4300 Mediterranean and Black Sea
- 4301 Mediterranean — western part
- Mediterranean — eastern part
- NIMA
- W310 Mediterranean Sea
- Turkish
- 2 Mediterranean
See also NIMA Pub. 132 - Eastern Mediterranean.
Weather
The Mediterranean climate is characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters.
Sources for weather forecasts for the Mediteranean:
- Wind Guru A surfer's site with worldwide wind forecasts
- Frank Singleton's weather page
- Passage weather Worldwide Weather Maps
- Weather on Line provides detailed 7 day forecast charts for the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and the Atlantic
- France Coastal weather from MeteoFrance
- Spain Coastal weather from AEMet
- Italy Coastal weather from Il Meteo
- Athens Observatory Gives 3 day (every 6 hrs) detail graphical forecasts for the Greek Seas
- GRIB.US Free download software to access and visualise GRIB data, easy to use.
- zyGrib Free download software to access and visualise GRIB data. Less easy to use but more flexible than grib.us
Passages
These passages can be used for both East to West and for West to East voyages.
See also Mediterranean Distances Table.
Cruising permits/Requirements
- See Med Cruising Regs - for details of what is required for both the yacht (EU registered & non-EU) and crew (EU passports & non-EU)
- Schengen Visas - Official Website - for the OFFICIAL requirements for Schengen countries
Countries, Ports, Anchorages, and Islands
Countries
– featured article || 
– needs data ||Clockwise starting from Gibraltar
|
Gibraltar |
– featured article | Monaco |
– needs data | Italy |
– featured article | |
Croatia |
– featured article | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
– needs data | Greece |
– featured article | |
Turkey |
– featured article | Syria |
– needs data | |
Libya |
– needs data | Algeria |
– needs data | |
Major Islands
Major Seas
Friends
Contact details of "Cruiser's Friends" that can be contacted for local information or assistance.
Forums
List links to discussion threads on partnering forums. (see link for requirements)
Links
- Mediterranean at the Wikipedia
- Mediterranean at the Wikivoyage
References
- Rod Heikell, Mediterranean Cruising Handbook, Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson; 6th Revised edition edition (April 21, 2012), ISBN 978-1846231704
- Rod Heikel and Lu Michell, Mediterranean Almanac, Imray Laurie and Wilson, Cambridgeshire, ISBN 9781846230837
- RCC Pilotage Foundation, John Marchment, Mediterranean Spain - Costa del Sol and Blanca, Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson; 6th Revised edition edition (July 20, 2009), ISBN 9781846231834
- Graham Hutt and RCC Pilotage Foundation, North Africa, including Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Gibraltar, Pantelleria and the Pelagie Islands and Malta, Imray, Laurie, Norie & Wilson, Cambridgeshire, Updated 2010 , ISBN 9781846232817
- Rod Heikell, Mediterranean France & Corsica Pilot, Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson; 4th ed. edition (March 14, 2008), ISBN 9780852889695
- Rod Heikell, Italian Waters Pilot, Imray, Laurie, Norie & Wilson, Cambridgeshire, Updated Edition 8th (2011), ISBN 9781846233326
- Covers the coasts of the Tyrrhenian Sea, Sardinia, Sicily, the Ionian 'heel' and Malta
- Trevor and Dinah Thompson, Adriatic Pilot - Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, East coast of Italy and Albania, Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson; 6th Revised edition edition (March 1, 2012), ISBN 9781846233333
- Rod Heikell, Greek Waters Pilot, Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson; 11th Revised edition edition (July 30, 2011), ISBN 9781846233340
- Rod Heikell, Turkish Waters & Cyprus Pilot, Imray, Laurie and Wilson, Cambridgeshire 10th edition (December 17, 2018)), ISBN 9781846238260
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