Facts about the Mediterranean Sea

Top Facts about the Mediterranean Sea

Here are our Top 10 Facts about the Mediterranean Sea for Kids with lots of useful info for school projects, and general knowledge, of course!

What you definitely should know about the Mediterranean Sea, we tell you here:

1. Location: Where is the Mediterranean Sea?

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea in the Mediterranean Basin that is connected to the Atlantic Ocean and borders the countries of three continents: Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east of the sea's basin. To the West, there is the connection to the Atlantic Ocean with the Straits of Gibraltar that separates Spain in Europe from Marocco in Africa.

Below you can see a world map showing the Mediterranean Sea:

Map of the Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a so-called semi-enclosed sea as there are two waterways connecting the sea to the ocean: The Straits of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal, a man-made canal connecting the sea to the Red Sea.

The Mediterranean Sea is also connected to the Black Sea via several waterways called the Turkish Straits system.

2. Countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea:

There are 22 countries on three continents that border the Mediterranean Sea:

Slovenia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Montenegro

Albania

Greece

Cyprus

Turkey

Syria

Lebanon

Palestine (Gaza)

Libya

Western Sahara (disputed)

3. Size of the Mediterranean Sea: How big is the Mediterranean Sea?

The sea covers an area about 2.5 million km²/ 970,000 sq miles which is almost as big as the island of Greenland. The sea measures about 3,800 km from east to west and 800 km from north to south.

Mediterranean Sea seen from space - image by NASA

In size the Mediterranean Sea is about the same east to west length as the USA, but as the north to south extension is much narrower, thus the sea would fit about four times into the land area of the USA!

The coastlines around the Mediterranean add up to about 46,000 km/ 29,000 miles.

Greece has the longest Mediterranean coastline with about 13,676 km/ 8,498 miles, due to its thousands of islands and peninsulas.

Crete's coastline - Preveli Beach

Crete is the largest and most populous island in Greece.

3. Name: What does 'Mediterranean' mean?

The word 'Mediterranean' originates from the Latin language meaning 'in the middle of the world'.

The two Latin terms making up the word are "med(ius)" meaning 'middle' and "terra" meaning 'earth' or 'world'.

Castellammare del Golfo in Sicily

4. Depth: How deep is the Mediterranean Sea?

The deepest point is the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea near Greece, at 5,267 m/ 17,280 ft. Even if the Mediterranean basin is deep in many places, the average depth of the Mediterranean Sea is only about 1,500 m/ 4,920 ft.

5. Temperature: How warm are the waters of the Mediterranean Sea?

The temperatures of the Mediterranean Sea's waters depend on the location and on the season. The Mediterranean Sea is warm year-round. Temperatures range from about 13 °C/ 55 °F in winter to 30 °C/ 86 °F in summer. In general, the water in the eastern basin is warmer than in the western basin.

Did you know that the water of the Mediterranean Sea is saltier than that of the Atlantic Ocean? The salinity is on average 3.8%, especially much higher in the eastern parts of the sea, compared to the ocean’s 3.5%.

Dubrovnik's Old Town

6. Islands in the Mediterranean Sea: Which are the largest islands in the Mediterranean and which Mediterranean Islands should you have heard about?

There are two island countries in the Mediterranean: Malta and Cyprus, both countries are completely located within the Mediterranean.

There are more than 10,000 islands in the Mediterranean Sea, of which only about 250 islands are inhabited.

The largest island in the Mediterranean Sea is Sicily. This Italian island is also the most populous island in the Mediterranean. About 5 million people live in Sicily.

Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea - map

Sicily is about as large in size as Massachusetts/ USA or Albania and a little bigger than Israel.

Sardinia (also belongs to Italy), Cyprus and Corsica (belongs to France) are the next largest islands.

Amongst the ten most well-known Mediterranean island are:

Sicily (Italy): Mount Etna, Europe’s tallest active volcano is located there
Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza (Spain): from dramatic Tramuntana Mountains to party beaches and protected seagrass meadows
Crete, Rhodes and Mykonos (Greece): Crete is Greece's largest island while all islands are rich in Greek mythology and Mykonos known for its windmills
Corsica (France): Birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte
Malta: famous for the Knights of St. John and dramatic sea forts
Cyprus: the island is politically divided between Greece and Turkey which makes it one of the most geopolitically unique islands in the world. Read more about Cyprus on our country page.

Limassol Promenade in Cyprus

More Facts about the Mediterranean Sea

7. Largest Cities bordering the Mediterranean Sea: Which are the largest cities and ports on the Mediterranean Sea?

The largest city directly on the Mediterranean coast is Alexandria in Egypt. About 5.5 million people live in this metropolitan city.

egypt alexandria CK-TravelPhotos / Shutterstock.com

Skyline of Alexandria - image by CK-TravelPhotos / Shutterstock.com

The top 10 metropolitan cities on the Mediterranean Sea further include in 2025:

Barcelona (Spain): 5 million inhabitants
Algiers (Algeria): 4.3 million inhabitants
Tel Aviv (Israel): 4 million inhabitants
Rom (Italy): 4 million inhabitants
Athens (Greece): 3.6 million inhabitants
Naples (Italy): 2.9 million inhabitants
Tunis (Tunesia): 2.9 million inhabitants
Beirut (Lebanon): 2.2 million inhabitants
Marseilles (France): 1.9 million inhabitants

Marseilles in France

Among the major seaports of the Mediterranean Sea are: Piraeus (Greece), Marseilles (France) and Valencia (Spain).

The Port of Piraeus is Europe's largest passenger port and handles over 25 million passengers per year.

The Port of Valencia is the biggest container port in the Mediterranean Sea and is the main port in the Mediterranean for trade between Europe, North Africa, and Asia. Valencia is home to about 1.6 million inhabitants.

Port of Valencia in Spain

Note: Istanbul is located more exactly on the Bosporus Strait and not directly located along the Mediterranean Sea's coastline.

8. Important Waterways: Which are the most important rivers and deltas?

Important rivers that flow into the Mediterranean include the Nile (Egypt), Po (Italy's longest river), Ebro (Spain's longest river), and Rhône (France).

The Po Delta is one of the most important wetlands in Europe and rich in biodiversity.

Po Delta National Park

The Po Basin and the Po Valley are home to almost one third of the Italian population. This is the most productive agricultural region of Italy as well as location of the main industrial hubs of the country such as Milan and Turin.

The Nile delta forms one of the largest fertile regions along the Mediterranean and is crucial for agriculture and human settlement since ancient times.

Nile delta

9. Facts about the Mediterranean Sea: Which are some of the most famous landmarks on the Mediterranean Sea's coastline?

Gibraltar

The Rock of Gibraltar in Spain is a massive limestone promontory in the western Mediterranean Sea and famous for the Barbary macaques which are the only wild monkeys in Europe.

Acropolis

The Acropolis of Athens in Greece is a famous landmark that overlooks the Aegean part of the Mediterranean Sea.

Amalfi Coast

Positano on the Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi Coast in Southern Italy is A UNESCO World Heritage Site with scenic roads leading to colorful cliffside villages such as Positano, Ravello and Amalfi.

Venice Lagoon

Venice

Venice in Northern Italy is a city built in a lagoon on 118 islands and is famous for the canals that are best seen on gondolas.

Bonifacio Cliffs

The Bonifacio Cliffs, chalk white limestone cliffs on southern tip of the French island of Corsica, have been undercut by the ocean.

Mount Etna

Taormina with ruins of the Greek Theatre and Mount Etna

Mount Etna on the island of Sicily is Europe's highest volcano and one of the most active stratovolcanos in the world.

Cabo del Gata

Cabo del Gata National Park

Cabo de Gata National Park near Almería in Spain has a uniquely rugged volcanic coastline with dramatic dark rock formations and golden beaches.

10. Biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea: Which animals are unique to the Mediterranean Sea?

The Mediterranean Sea only makes up about 1% of the world’s ocean surface but it hosts about 8% of all marine species in the world.

There are about 17,000 marine species and up to one third of these species are only found in the Mediterranean Sea which means they are endemic to this sea.

Mediterranean monk seal

Unique species include the Mediterranean monk seal and the loggerhead sea turtle or the Mediterranean Rainbow Wrasse, a brightly colored fish commonly seen in the unique Mediterranean seagrass meadows.

The so-called Neptune grass is important for the Mediterranean ecosystem and the marine biodiversity and protects the coast from flooding and erosion as they dampen the pressure from strong waves.

Mediterranean Sea grass

The monk seal, the loggerhead sea turtle and blue fin tuna are amongst many endangered species. Many other species are also endangered due to pollution, overfishing, and climate change that bring in invasive tropical species to this part of the world.

More fascinating facts about the Mediterranean Sea
Superlatives

Spain’s Costa del Sol is famous for 320 days of sunshine per year and is thus one of the top beach destinations in Europe.
Monaco is the second smallest country in the world and has one of the busiest luxury yacht harbours on the Mediterranean.

Monaco yacht harbour

Bosnia and Herzegovina has the shortest coastline of all Mediterranean countries with only 20 km/ 12.4 miles of Mediterranean coastline.
Greece has the most Mediterranean islands. Of the 6,000 islands only 227 are inhabited. Greece also has the longest coastline in the Mediterranean, but Libya has the longest Mediterranean coastline in Africa - with about 1,770 km/ 1,100 miles.
Morocco is the only African country with coastlines on both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
The Camargue wetlands in France are home to pink flamingos and wild white horses and is a rare coastal ecosystem in Europe.

Wild horses in Sainte Marie de la Mer in the Camargue

Last but not least: Did you know...?

The Mediterranean Sea gave its name to the "Mediterranean climate" which is a climate that is known for hot and dry summers as well as mild and wet winters.

Last but not least, the Mediterranean loses more water through evaporation than it gains from rivers and rainfall. This means that the inflow of water from the Atlantic Ocean at Gibraltar is essential to keep the sea from shrinking.

Excursion: Other Marginal Seas of the Atlantic Ocean

Did you know that the Atlantic Ocean also feeds other inland seas on the European continent such as the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea? Read more facts here:

Baltic Sea Facts

Black Sea Facts

Popular Pages

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Resources: Facts about the Mediterranean Sea

I love Po Delta. "Information." PoDelta.eu Last accessed 4 September 2025
European Commission. "Map of the Week. Seagrass Meadows" EMODnet. Last accessed 4 September 2025
Tobias Jones. "Quiet flows the Po". The Guardian Published 10 July 2022. Last accessed 4 September 2025

Image Credits for Facts about the Mediterranean Sea Page: Shutterstock.com

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