Mediterranean

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Mediterranean


Map of the Mediterranean

For more details click on the map, for wiki pages click on the links below:

GibraltarMoroccoSpainAlboran SeaBalearic SeaAlgeriaIbizaMajorcaMenorcaMonacoFranceCorsicaSardiniaTunisiaTyrrhenian SeaItalySicilyMaltaSloveniaCroatiaBosnia and HerzegovinaMontenegroAlbaniaAdriatic SeaGreeceIonian SeaTurkeyLibyaEgyptCreteBlack SeaSea of MarmaraAegean SeaEast Mediterranean
About this image
Map of the Mediterranean - Click on a name or an area

Map of East Mediterranean

For more details click on the map, for wiki pages click on the links below:

34°00.974'N, 031°04.160'E Chart icon.png
TurkeyAegean SeaSyriaLebanonCyprusIsraelEgyptWest Mediterranean
About this image
Map of East Mediterranean - Click on a name or an area

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 Med currents for June

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

Countries, Ports, Anchorages, and Islands

Countries

Key to symbols: |Featured article icon – featured article |Needs data icon – needs data ||

Clockwise starting from Gibraltar

Gibraltar Gibraltar /wiki/Gibraltar Featured article icon – featured article |
SpainSpain/wiki/Mediterranean_coast_of_Spain
FranceFrance/wiki/Mediterranean_coast_of_France
Monaco Monaco /wiki/Monaco Needs data icon – needs data |
Italy Italy /wiki/Italy Featured article icon – featured article |
Malta Malta/wiki/Malta
Slovenia Slovenia/wiki/Slovenia
Croatia Croatia /wiki/Croatia Featured article icon – featured article |
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina /wiki/Bosnia_and_Herzegovina Needs data icon – needs data |
Montenegro Montenegro/wiki/Montenegro
Albania Albania/wiki/Albania
Greece Greece /wiki/Greece Featured article icon – featured article |
Turkey Turkey /wiki/Turkey Featured article icon – featured article |
Cyprus Cyprus /wiki/Cyprus
Syria Syria /wiki/Syria Needs data icon – needs data |
Lebanon Lebanon/wiki/Lebanon
Israel Israel/wiki/Israel
Egypt Egypt/wiki/Egypt
Libya Libya /wiki/Libya Needs data icon – needs data |
Tunisia Tunisia/wiki/Tunisia
Algeria Algeria /wiki/Algeria Needs data icon – needs data |
Morocco Morocco/wiki/Morocco

Major Islands

Sicily Sicily/wiki/Sicily
Sardinia Sardinia/wiki/Sardinia
Cyprus Cyprus /wiki/Cyprus
Corsica Corsica/wiki/Corsica
Crete Crete/wiki/Crete
EviaEvia/wiki/Gulf_of_Evia
Majorca Majorca/wiki/Majorca
Lesvos Lesvos/wiki/Lesvos
Rhodes Rhodes/wiki/Rhodes
Chios Chios/wiki/Chios
Kefalonia Kefalonia/wiki/Kefalonia
Corfu Corfu/wiki/Corfu
Menorca Menorca/wiki/Menorca
Ibiza Ibiza/wiki/Ibiza
DjerbaDjerba/wiki/Djerba_(Houmt_Souk)
Limnos Limnos/wiki/Limnos
Samos Samos/wiki/Samos
Naxos Naxos/wiki/Naxos

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

References

Covers the coasts of the Tyrrhenian Sea, Sardinia, Sicily, the Ionian 'heel' and Malta

Comments

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SailorSmiley.gifContributors to this page

Names: Lighthouse, Nausikaa, JeanneP, Istioploos, Atheneoflymington


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