Fascinating Facts on the Mediterranean Sea

• The Mediterranean Sea covers area 180 times larger than the territory of Montenegro
• The Mediterranean Sea, including the Sea of Marmara, has a surface area of approximately 2,510,000 square kilometres, which is 181 times larger than the surface area of the Montenegro (13,812 km2).
• The deepest point of the Mediterranean Sea is more than 2 larger than the highest mountain in Montenegro
• The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500 meters and the deepest recorded point is 5,267 meters in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea. It is more than 2 times larger than the Bobotov Kuk, the highest peak in the Durmitor mountain range, which had been thought to be the highest point in Montenegro.
• Surface covered by the Mediterranean Sea area used to be dry
• The Mediterranean used to be a dry basin until some 5 million years ago during the Zanclean flood—in which water from the Atlantic poured through the Strait of Gibraltar and filled the basin. Theories abound as to how this happened, but one catastrophic interpretation has the basin filling up in only two years, thanks to a massive torrent of water.
• The highest temperature of the Mediterranean Sea is in the Gulf of Sidra, off the coast of Libya, where the average temperature in August is about 31°C
• This compares with average sea temperatures of 26.2°C in Ibiza, Spain, during August.
• One-third of the world’s international tourists are visiting the Mediterranean Sea
• The region that borders the Mediterranean Sea is the most popular tourist destination in the world attracting approximately one third of the world’s international tourists.
• The Mediterranean Sea is saltier than the Atlantic Ocean
• The salinity of the Mediterranean Sea is uniformly high throughout the basin. Surface waters average about 38 parts per thousand except in the extreme western parts, and the salinity can approach 40 parts per thousand in the eastern Mediterranean during the summer. Because of the narrow connection to the Atlantic Ocean and evaporation, the water in the Mediterranean Sea is slightly saltier than that of the Atlantic Ocean.
• The Mediterranean Sea is home to almost 10% of the world’ marine species
• The sparkling blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea are home to over 700 varieties of fish. The Mediterranean Sea’s rocky reefs, seagrass meadows, and upwelling areas are important habitats that supports enormous biodiversity making the sea home to the sperm whales, bottlenose dolphins, tuna, common seahorse etc. The Mediterranean Sea acts as the breeding site for the loggerhead turtle and green turtle. The Mediterranean Sea is home to numerous species of whales, including the fin whale, which happens to be the second largest whale in the world and also the fastest in the whale family.
• The Mediterranean Sea is home to the Flying Fish
• Perhaps the most fascinating Mediterranean species of all is the flying fish. It uses two pairs of elongated pectorals to catch updrafts, sailing out of the water for distances of almost 200 m at heights of over 1 m. This bizarre ability is said to have evolved to escape predators, like mackerel, tuna, swordfish, and marlin.
• In the Mediterranean Sea swords are protruding from the heads of some fishes
• Due to their impressive size, strength, and speed, Mediterranean swordfishes have long held the fascination of sports fishermen. Known for their distinctive “swords”, which protrude from their heads, this feature is used to slash and injure prey rather than spear it. They can grow to about 4,5 m long, from the tip of their bills to the ends of their caudal fins.
• The fastest fish in the Mediterranean Sea is the Atlantic bluefin tuna, accelerating faster than a Porsche
• The Atlantic bluefin tuna is cruising around at 2.8-7.4 km per hour, but can swim double that, nearly 15 km per hour, for some time. But it’s when they’re chasing their prey or avoiding a hungry shark that they really let fly, accelerating faster than a Porsche and reaching speeds of 70, and maybe even 100 km per hour! Atlantic bluefin tuna are not just fast sprinters they are also champion long-distance swimmers. These fish are found on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean, from Brazil to Newfoundland in the west and West Africa to Norway in the east.

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