Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2.5 million km².

The designation Mediterranean derives from the Latin mediterraneus, 'inland' (medius, 'middle' + terra, 'land, earth').

The Mediterranean Sea has been known by a number of alternative names throughout human history. It was, for example, commonly called Mare Nostrum, 'Our Sea', by the Romans. Presently, "The Med" is a common English language contraction for the Mediterranean Sea and its surrounding regions when employed in informal speech. In the Bible, it is referred to as the Great Sea or the Western Sea.