In ancient times, people only knew that this sea was located between three continents, so it was called "Mediterranean". The full name means "the sea in the middle of the land", and this name began to appear in ancient books in the 3rd century. In the 7th century, a Spanish scholar first took "Mediterranean" as a geographical name.
Climate environment
The Mediterranean climate in Xia Dong is quite different between the two seasons. Affected by the westerlies in winter, the climate is warm and humid, and the average temperature in Leng Yue is between 4℃ and 10℃, with abundant precipitation. In summer, controlled by subtropical high, the airflow sinks, the climate is dry and hot, the cloud cover is thin and the sunshine is sufficient. The annual precipitation is 300 ~ 1000mm, accounting for 60% ~ 70% in winter and only 30% ~ 40% in summer. The climatic characteristics of winter rain and summer dryness are very rare among various climatic types in the world, which can be described as unique.
The Mediterranean climate is mainly distributed on the west coast of the mainland between 30 and 40 degrees north and south latitude. Except Antarctica, the Mediterranean climate is the only climate type that exists on all continents in the world. Among all the distribution areas of Mediterranean climate, the most obvious one is the Mediterranean coast. Other areas such as California coast in North America, central Chile in South America, Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa and the southwest and southeast coasts of Australia. Its distribution areas are mostly economically developed areas.
strategic position
The Mediterranean plays a vital role in transportation and strategy. It is not only an important waterway between Europe, Asia and Africa, but also an important channel connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean. Important coastal seaports include Gibraltar, Marseille, Genoa, Naples, Split, Rijeka, Durres, Algiers and Port Said.
Military significance
The Mediterranean has always been of great economic, political and military significance. Since ancient times, the Mediterranean has become a place where great powers compete. /kloc-At the beginning of the 8th century, Britain designated the Mediterranean as its own "inner lake". /kloc-At the beginning of the 0/9th century, Napoleon sailed to Europe to regain control of the Mediterranean. During the First World War, the Mediterranean became an active place for the navies of the warring parties. In World War II, the German and Italian navies fought against the British navy in the Mediterranean. Nowadays, the competition for the Mediterranean by western powers is becoming increasingly fierce. Since World War II, the US Sixth Fleet has been based in the Mediterranean Sea. However, naval vessels of other western powers often cruise here, which makes the situation even more tense. In order to protect national sovereignty and security, coastal countries put forward that "the Mediterranean belongs to the Mediterranean coastal countries" and demanded that all the fleets and military bases of military powers withdraw from the Mediterranean in order to maintain peace in the Mediterranean.
Economy and trade
After the completion of the Suez Canal, the Southeast Mediterranean Sea is connected with the Red Sea via the Suez Canal and leaves the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea. From then on, the shortcut from western Europe to the Indian Ocean, via the Strait of Gibraltar-Mediterranean Sea-Suez Canal-Red Sea, is about 8,000 kilometers shorter than that around the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa, making the Mediterranean the busiest sea route in the world. Up to now, ships from more than 65,438+000 countries and regions around the world are transported by sea through the Suez Canal, and the goods transported through the canal account for 65,438+04% of world shipping's trade volume every year. Two thirds of the oil imported from western Europe is transported through the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean plays an important role in the world's maritime transport.
natural resource
The Mediterranean Sea is the main producing area of subtropical fruits in Europe, rich in citrus, figs, grapes, and woody oil crops olive. Due to the lack of phosphate and nitrate necessary for marine life in seawater, the fish resources in the Mediterranean are relatively poor and there is a small-scale fishing industry. The most important fish are: hake, flounder, sole, halibut, sardine, anchovy, bluefin tuna, silver carp and mackerel. Shellfish, corals, sponges and seaweeds also grow in the Mediterranean, with a certain output every year. In addition, oil and natural gas have been found along the Mediterranean coast. Tourism is the economic pillar of many countries along the Mediterranean coast.
Important islands
There are many islands along the Mediterranean coast. The big islands are Mahoka, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Crete, Cyprus and Rhode Island.
1. Sicily
As can be seen from the map of the world, Sicily seems to be a football on Italy's boots stretching to the Mediterranean. It is located in the center of the Mediterranean, with an area of 25,000 square kilometers and a population of 5 million. It is the largest and most densely populated island in the Mediterranean. Because there is a good natural environment for developing agriculture and forestry, people call it the "golden basin".
Sicily is a vast island, but there are three places worth visiting. One is Palermo, the capital, the largest city and the largest port. Goethe once praised it as the most beautiful cape in the world. The second is Catania, known as Milan in southern Italy, the hometown of Italian composer Bei Lini. There is a small mountain town of Taurfan in the north and Saracusa in the south. Thirdly, Gerye Town Tuo and Temple Valley are definitely worth a visit, which is recognized as the residence of the gods.
2.sardinia
Sardinia, formerly known as Sardinia, is located in the middle of the Mediterranean and is the second largest island after Sicily. It is 0/2km away from Sardinia/Kloc-2 in the north and 200km away from the coast of Africa in the south. 186 1 year, Victor? Emanuel was made king of Italy, and the island became a part of a unified Italian country with Cagliari as its capital.
Sardinia has a coastline of 1600 km, and the northeast coast has soft beaches and green seawater. In its vast inland area, there are many beautiful and charming scenery, and this beautiful island has become a world-famous tourist paradise. In Europe, it is a holiday resort for royal dignitaries and celebrities.
The quiet lifestyle of Sardinian residents is an important reason for their longevity. The family structure of the island residents is relatively large, and family members can share the fun of life and solve various problems, so the elderly in the family will not feel lonely because of aging. It is this positive attitude that has enabled many local elderly people to have a strong body and spend more than a hundred years calmly.
3. Cyprus
Cyprus is located in the eastern Mediterranean and southern Turkey. Cyprus is 24 1km long from east to west and 97km wide from north to south, with an area of 925 1km. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean and the birthplace of the goddess Venus.
Cyprus, with warm sunshine and blue sea, well-equipped hotels and tourist facilities, is a popular tourist destination all over the world. Just in March, tourists came to Cyprus to travel. In summer and even in winter, many Russians come here to enjoy the sunshine. In winter, it becomes a paradise for skiers.
Corsica i.
Corsica is 0/93km away from the coast. Located on the southeast coast of France, the island is185km long and about 85km wide, with an area of 8680 square kilometers and a population of 550,000. Relying on lush mountains and blue sea, Corsica has become a good holiday destination. Corsica is full of turmoil. It was first colonized by Phoenicians, once occupied by Romans, then occupied by Pisa and Genoa, and 1769 became French territory, which continues to this day. This island is not only the hometown of Napoleon, Columbus and other celebrities, but also produces many navigators and mapmakers, including Arabs. Visitors who stop here will be pleasantly surprised to find that there is also a world-famous cultural heritage here.
4. malta island
Malta is also a small island that cannot be ignored in the Mediterranean. The whole territory consists of five islands, of which malta island is the largest, with an area of 3 16 square kilometers. It is located at the junction of the eastern and western Mediterranean, and is called "the heart of the Mediterranean". The coastline is long180km, which belongs to subtropical Mediterranean climate. The annual average temperature is 265438 0.3℃, the highest temperature is 40℃, and the lowest temperature is 5℃. The average annual precipitation is 560mm. The population of the island is mainly composed of Arabs, sicilian, Normans, Spaniards, Italians and British. The sea around Malta is recognized as the clearest and purest part of the whole Mediterranean, a world-famous tourist attraction and known as the "village of Europe".