An almost landlocked sea between three continents, whose shores gave birth to some of the greatest civilisations in history.
Area
2,500,000 km²
Ocean basin
Atlantic
Location
The cradle of Western civilisation
Average depth
about 1,500 m
Maximum depth
Calypso Deep — about 5,267 m
Salinity
~38 ppt (very salty)
Temperature
13°C in winter to 26°C in summer
Region
Between Europe, Africa & Asia
About the Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean is nearly enclosed by Europe, Africa and Asia, linked to the Atlantic by the Strait of Gibraltar and to the Red Sea by the Suez Canal. Warm and very salty, it was the heart of the Phoenician, Greek, Roman and many later civilisations. Its clear blue waters, islands and coastlines remain among the most visited places on Earth.
Did you know?
It is connected to the Atlantic only by the narrow Strait of Gibraltar — and once, millions of years ago, it dried up almost completely.
Highlights
- Birthplace of Western civilisation
- Linked to the Atlantic by the Strait of Gibraltar
- Warm, salty and nearly landlocked
Photo gallery
Life in the Mediterranean Sea
Creatures, seabirds and marine plants — including some of the rarest and strangest — that live in these waters.
Creatures of the deep
Ocean sunfish (mola mola)
The heaviest bony fish alive, basking flat on its side at the sunlit surface.
Leatherback turtle
The largest sea turtle, diving over 1,000 m in pursuit of jellyfish.
Nudibranch (sea slug)
Dazzlingly coloured sea slugs that steal stings — and even sunlight — from the food they eat.
Seabirds
Northern gannet
A big white seabird that folds its wings and dives like an arrow at 100 km/h.
Marine plants & algae
Neptune seagrass (Posidonia)
Forms ancient Mediterranean meadows — one clone may be 100,000 years old.
Coralline algae
Stony pink algae that cement coral reefs together and help them grow.
Surface & deep in the Mediterranean Sea
The sea is warm where the Sun reaches it and cold far below. Flip between the sunlit surface and the deep water to feel the difference — these are typical figures for a sea.
Sunlit surface
22°C
typical surface temperature
Seas warm strongly at the surface in summer, but their deeper water stays cold and still — the sunlight simply never reaches it.
Recorded range for the Mediterranean Sea: 13°C in winter to 26°C in summer