Mediterranean Basin

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Physical and political map of the Mediterranean Basin

In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (/ˌmɛdɪtəˈreɪniən/; also known as the
Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the
Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool,
rainy winters and warm to hot, dry summers, which supports characteristic
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub vegetation.

Contents
1 Geography
2 Geology and paleoclimatology
3 Flora and fauna
4 Ecoregions
5 History
6 Agriculture
7 See also
8 References
9 Further reading
10 External links
Geography

Köppen–Geiger-based map of the areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Based on

the work of M. C. Peel, B. L. Finlayson and T. A. McMahon at the University of
Melbourne. For a full legend, see Legend of the Köppen–Geiger climate
classification on the Wikimedia Commons.
Desert climate Mediterranean climate
Semi-arid climate Humid subtropical climate
Subarctic climate Humid continental climate
Tundra
The Mediterranean Basin covers portions of three continents: Europe, Africa, and
Asia. It is distinct from the drainage basin, which extends much further south and
north due to major rivers ending in the Mediterranean Sea, such as the Nile and
Rhône. Conversely, the Mediterranean Basin includes regions not in the drainage
basin.[1]

It has a varied and contrasting topography. The Mediterranean Region offers an

ever-changing landscape of high mountains, rocky shores, impenetrable scrub, semi-
arid steppes, coastal wetlands, sandy beaches and a myriad islands of various
shapes and sizes dotted amidst the clear blue sea. Contrary to the classic sandy
beach images portrayed in most tourist brochures, the Mediterranean is surprisingly
hilly. Mountains can be seen from almost anywhere.[2]

By definition, the Mediterranean Basin extends from Macaronesia in the west, to the
Levant in the east, although some places may or may not be included depending on
the view, as is the case with Macaronesia: some definitions only include Madeira
and the Canary Islands[3] while others include the whole Macaronesia (with the
Azores and Cape Verde).[4]

In Western Asia, it covers the western and southern portions of the peninsula of
Anatolia, as far as Iraq,[5] but excluding the temperate-climate mountains of
central Turkey. It includes the Mediterranean Levant at the eastern end of the
Mediterranean, bounded on the east and south by the Syrian and Negev deserts.

The northern portion of the Maghreb region of northwestern Africa has a

Mediterranean climate, separated from the Sahara Desert, which extends across North
Africa, by the Atlas Mountains. In the eastern Mediterranean the Sahara extends to
the southern shore of the Mediterranean, with the exception of the northern fringe
of the peninsula of Cyrenaica in Libya, which has a dry Mediterranean climate.

Europe lies to the north of the Mediterranean. The European portion of the
Mediterranean Basin loosely corresponds to Southern Europe. The three large
Southern European peninsulas, the Iberian Peninsula, Italian Peninsula, and the
Balkan Peninsula, extend into and comprise much of the Mediterranean-climate zone.
A system of folded mountains, including the Pyrenees dividing Spain from France,
the Alps dividing Italy from Central Europe, the Dinaric Alps along the eastern
Adriatic, and the Balkan and Rila-Rhodope mountains of the Balkan Peninsula divide
the Mediterranean from the temperate climate regions of Western, Northwestern or
Northern Europe, Central Europe, and Eastern Europe.

Geology and paleoclimatology

The Mediterranean Basin was shaped by the ancient collision of the northward-moving
African–Arabian continent with the stable Eurasian continent. As Africa–Arabia
moved north, it closed the former Tethys Sea, which formerly separated Eurasia from
the ancient super continent of Gondwana, of which Africa was part. At about the
same time, 170 mya in the Jurassic period, a small Neotethys ocean basin formed
shortly before the Tethys Sea was closed at the eastern end. The collision pushed
up a vast system of mountains, extending from the Pyrenees in Spain to the Zagros
Mountains in Iran. This episode of mountain building, known as the Alpine orogeny,
occurred mostly during the Oligocene (34 to 23 million years ago (mya)) and Miocene
(23 to 5.3 mya) epochs. The Neotethys became larger during these collisions and
associated folding and subduction.

About 6 mya during the late Miocene, the Mediterranean was closed at its western
end by drifting Africa, which caused the entire sea to evaporate. There followed
several (debated) episodes of sea drawdown and re-flooding known as the Messinian
Salinity Crisis, which ended when the Atlantic last re-flooded the basin at the end
of the Miocene.[6] Recent research has suggested that a desiccation-flooding cycle
may have repeated several times [7][8] during the last 630,000 years of the Miocene
epoch, which could explain several events of large amounts of salt deposition.
Recent studies, however, show that repeated desiccation and re-flooding is unlikely
from a geodynamic point of view.[9][10]

The end of the Miocene also marked a change in the Mediterranean Basin's climate.
Fossil evidence shows that the Mediterranean Basin had a relatively humid
subtropical climate with summer rainfall during the Miocene, which supported laurel
forests. The shift to a Mediterranean climate occurred within the last 3.2–2.8
million years, during the Pliocene epoch, as summer rainfall decreased. The
subtropical laurel forests retreated, although they persisted on the islands of
Macaronesia off the Atlantic coast of Iberia and North Africa, and the present
Mediterranean vegetation evolved, dominated by coniferous trees and sclerophyllous
trees and shrubs, with small, hard, waxy leaves that prevent moisture loss in the
dry summers. Much of these forests and shrublands have been altered beyond
recognition by thousands of years of human habitation. There are now very few
relatively intact natural areas in what was once a heavily wooded region.
Flora and fauna
See also: Category:Environment of the Mediterranean
Phytogeographically, the Mediterranean Basin together with the nearby Atlantic
coast, the Mediterranean woodlands and forests and Mediterranean dry woodlands and
steppe of North Africa, the Black Sea coast of northeastern Anatolia, the southern
coast of Crimea between Sevastopol and Feodosiya and the Black Sea coast between
Anapa and Tuapse in Russia forms the Mediterranean Floristic Region, which belongs
to the Tethyan Subkingdom of the Boreal Kingdom and is enclosed between the
Circumboreal, Irano-Turanian, Saharo-Arabian and Macaronesian floristic regions.

The Mediterranean Region was first proposed by German botanist August Grisebach in
the late 19th century.

The monotypic Drosophyllaceae, recently segregated from Droseraceae, is the only

plant family endemic to the region. Among the endemic plant genera are:[dubious –
discuss]

Anagyris
Andryala
Aphyllanthes
Argania
Argantoniella
Bellardia
Biserrula
Bivonaea
Bolanthus
Boleum
Callicotome
Ceratocapnos
Ceratonia
Chamaerops
Chronanthus
Cladanthus
Coridothymus
Didesmus
Dorystoechas
Drosophyllum
Euzomodendron
Fedia
Guiraoa
Gyrocarion
Helicodiceros
Hermodactylus
Hutera
Hymenocarpus
Ionopsidium
Lafuentea
Lagoecia
Leuzea
Lycocarpus
Malope
Morisia
Ortegia
Petagnia
Petromarula
Phillyrea
Preslia
Putoria
Rothmaleria
Rosmarinus
Rupicapnos
Santolina
Staehelina
Soleirolia
Spartium
Tetraclinis
Trachelium
Tremastelma
Triplachne
Vella
The genera Aubrieta, Sesamoides, Cynara, Dracunculus, Arisarum and Biarum are
nearly endemic. Among the endemic species prominent in the Mediterranean vegetation
are the Aleppo pine, stone pine, Mediterranean cypress, bay laurel, Oriental
sweetgum, holm oak, kermes oak, strawberry tree, Greek strawberry tree, mastic,
terebinth, common myrtle, oleander, Acanthus mollis and Vitex agnus-castus.
Moreover, many plant taxa are shared with one of the four neighboring floristic
regions only. According to different versions of Armen Takhtajan's delineation, the
Mediterranean Region is further subdivided into seven to nine floristic provinces:
Southwestern Mediterranean (or Southern Moroccan and Southwestern Mediterranean),
Ibero-Balearian (or Iberian and Balearian), Liguro-Tyrrhenian, Adriatic, East
Mediterranean, South Mediterranean and Crimeo-Novorossiysk.[11]

The Mediterranean Basin is the largest of the world's five Mediterranean forests,
woodlands, and scrub regions. It is home to a number of plant communities, which
vary with rainfall, elevation, latitude, and soils.

Scrublands occur in the driest areas, especially areas near the seacoast where wind
and salt spray are frequent. Low, soft-leaved scrublands around the Mediterranean
are known as garrigar in Catalan, garrigue in French, phrygana in Greek, tomillares
in Spanish, and batha in Hebrew.
Shrublands are dense thickets of evergreen sclerophyll shrubs and small trees, and
are the most common plant community around the Mediterranean. Mediterranean
shrublands are known as màquia in Catalan, macchia in Italian, maquis in French,
and "matorral" in Spanish. In some places shrublands are the mature vegetation
type, and in other places the result of degradation of former forest or woodland by
logging or overgrazing, or disturbance by major fires.
Savannas and grasslands occur around the Mediterranean, usually dominated by annual
grasses.
Woodlands are usually dominated by oak and pine, mixed with other sclerophyll and
coniferous trees.
Forests are distinct from woodlands in having a closed canopy, and occur in the
areas of highest rainfall and in riparian zones along rivers and streams where they
receive summer water. Mediterranean forests are generally composed of evergreen
trees, predominantly oak and pine. At higher elevations Mediterranean forests
transition to mixed broadleaf and tall conifer forests similar to temperate zone
forests.
The Mediterranean Basin is home to considerable biodiversity, including 22,500
endemic vascular plant species. Conservation International designates the region as
a biodiversity hotspot, because of its rich biodiversity and its threatened status.
The Mediterranean Basin has an area of 2,085,292 km2, of which only 98,009 km2
remains undisturbed.

Endangered mammals of the Mediterranean Basin include the Mediterranean monk seal,
the Barbary macaque, and the Iberian lynx.

Ecoregions
The WWF identifies 22 Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregions in the
Mediterranean Basin, most of which featuring sclerophyll plant species:
Aegean and Western Turkey sclerophyllous and mixed forests (Greece, Turkey, North
Macedonia, Bulgaria)
Anatolian conifer and deciduous mixed forests (Turkey)
Canary Islands dry woodlands and forests (Spain)
Corsican montane broadleaf and mixed forests (France)
Crete Mediterranean forests (Greece)
Cyprus Mediterranean forests (Cyprus)
Eastern Mediterranean conifer–sclerophyllous–broadleaf forests (Lebanon, Iraq,
Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Turkey)
Iberian conifer forests (Spain)
Iberian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests (Portugal, Spain)
Illyrian deciduous forests (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece,
Italy, Montenegro, Slovenia)
Italian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests (France, Italy, San Marino)
Mediterranean acacia–argania dry woodlands (Western Sahara, Morocco, Canary Islands
(Spain))
Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia)
Mediterranean woodlands and forests (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia)
Northeastern Spain and Southern France Mediterranean forests (France, Monaco,
Spain)
Northwest Iberian montane forests (Portugal, Spain)
Pindus Mountains mixed forests (Albania, Greece, North Macedonia)
South Apennine mixed montane forests (Italy)
Southeastern Iberian shrubs and woodlands (Spain)
Southern Anatolian montane conifer and deciduous forests (Lebanon, Israel, Jordan,
Syria, Turkey)
Southwest Iberian Mediterranean sclerophyllous and mixed forests (Portugal, Spain)
Tyrrhenian–Adriatic sclerophyllous and mixed forests (Croatia, France, Italy,
Malta)

Map of the Mediterranean Basin's ecoregions. 1201: Aegean and Western Turkey
sclerophyllous and mixed forests. 1202: Anatolian conifer and deciduous mixed
forests. 1203: Canary Islands dry woodlands and forests. 1204: Corsican montane
broadleaf and mixed forests. 1205: Crete Mediterranean forests. 1206: Cyprus
Mediterranean forests. 1207: Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-broadleaf
forests. 1208: Iberian conifer forests. 1209: Iberian sclerophyllous and semi-
deciduous forests. 1210: Illyrian deciduous forests. 1211: Italian sclerophyllous
and semi-deciduous forests. 1212: Mediterranean acacia-argania dry woodlands and
succulent thickets. 1213: Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe. 1214:
Mediterranean woodlands and forests. 1215: Northeastern Spain and Southern France
Mediterranean forests. 1216: Northwest Iberian montane forests. 1217: Pindus
Mountains mixed forests. 1218: South Apeninne mixed montane forests. 1219:
Southeastern Iberian shrubs and woodlands. 1220: Southern Anatolian montane conifer
and deciduous forests. 1221: Southwest Iberian Mediterranean sclerophyllous and
mixed forests. 1222: Tyrrhenian-Adriatic sclerophyllous and mixed forests
.

History
Main article: History of the Mediterranean region
Neanderthals inhabited western Asia and the non-glaciated portions of Europe
starting about 230,000 years ago. Modern humans moved into western Asia from Africa
less than 100,000 years ago. Modern humans, known as Cro-Magnons, moved into Europe
approximately 50–40,000 years ago.

The most recent glacial period, the Wisconsin glaciation, reached its maximum
extent approximately 21,000 years ago, and ended approximately 12,000 years ago. A
warm period, known as the Holocene climatic optimum, followed the ice age.
Food crops, including wheat, chickpeas, and olives, along with sheep and goats,
were domesticated in the eastern Mediterranean in the 9th millennium BCE, which
allowed for the establishment of agricultural settlements. Near Eastern crops
spread to southeastern Europe in the 7th millennium BCE. Poppy and oats were
domesticated in Europe from the 6th to the 3rd millennium BCE. Agricultural
settlements spread around the Mediterranean Basin. Megaliths were constructed in
Europe from 4500 – 1500 BCE.

A strengthening of the summer monsoon 9000–7000 years ago increased rainfall across
the Sahara, which became a grassland, with lakes, rivers, and wetlands. After a
period of climatic instability, the Sahara settled into a desert state by the 4th
millennium BCE.

Agriculture
Further information: Mediterranean cuisine
Wheat is the dominant grain grown around the Mediterranean Basin. Pulses and
vegetables are also grown. The characteristic tree crop is the olive. Figs are
another important fruit tree, and citrus, especially lemons, are grown where
irrigation is present. Grapes are an important vine crop, grown for fruit and to
make wine. Rice and summer vegetables are grown in irrigated areas.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mediterranean.

Ancient Egypt
Ancient Greece
Life zones of the Mediterranean region
Mediterranean wine climate
MISTRALS
Ottoman Empire
Phoenicia
Roman Empire
Zanclean flood
References
Portugal, Jordan and Iraq
Natura 2000 in the Mediterranean Region (PDF). European Commission of the European
Union. 2009. ISBN 9789279115875. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
The Status and Distribution of Reptiles and Amphibians of the Mediterranean Basin.
Neil Cox, Janice Chanson, Simon Stuart. 2006. ISBN 9782831709123. Retrieved 29
November 2020.
"Mediterranean Basin". CEPF. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
Hegazy, Ahmad; Lovett-Doust, Jonathan (2016). "2.18 Iraq". Plant Ecology in the
Middle East. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-107874-3. the Eastern
Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-broadleaf forest ecoregion, which extends
slightly into Iraq
W. Krijgsman; A. R. Fortuinb; F. J. Hilgenc; F. J. Sierrod (2001).
"Astrochronology for the Messinian Sorbas basin (SE Spain) and orbital
(precessional) forcing for evaporite cyclicity" (PDF). Sedimentary Geology. 140
(1): 43–60. Bibcode:2001SedG..140...43K. doi:10.1016/S0037-0738(00)00171-8.
hdl:1874/1632.
Gargani J., Rigollet C. (2007). "Mediterranean Sea level variations during the
Messinian Salinity Crisis". Geophysical Research Letters. 34 (L10405): L10405.
Bibcode:2007GeoRL..3410405G. doi:10.1029/2007GL029885.
Gargani J.; Moretti I.; Letouzey J. (2008). "Evaporite accumulation during the
Messinian Salinity Crisis : The Suez Rift Case" (PDF). Geophysical Research
Letters. 35 (2): L02401. Bibcode:2008GeoRL..35.2401G. doi:10.1029/2007gl032494.
S2CID 129573384.
Govers, Rob (1 February 2009). "Choking the Mediterranean to dehydration: The
Messinian salinity crisis". Geology. 37 (2): 167–170. Bibcode:2009Geo....37..167G.
doi:10.1130/G25141A.1. ISSN 0091-7613.
Garcia-Castellanos, D.; Villaseñor, A. (2011). "Messinian salinity crisis
regulated by competing tectonics and erosion at the Gibraltar Arc". Nature. 480
(7377): 359–63. Bibcode:2011Natur.480..359G. doi:10.1038/nature10651. PMID
22170684. S2CID 205227033. Retrieved 2011-12-15 – via sites.google.com.
Тахтаджян, А. Л. "Флористические деления суши и океана". Древнесредиземноморское
подцарство (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2008-06-16. Retrieved 26
January 2019.
Further reading
Attenborough, David (1987). The First Eden: The Mediterranean world and man.
Boston, MA: Little Brown and Company.
Borutta, Manuel, Mediterraneum, EGO - European History Online, Mainz: Institute of
European History, 2021, retrieved: March 8, 2021.
Dallman, Peter F. (1998). Plant Life in the World's Mediterranean Climates.
California Native Plant Society. Berkeley, California: University of California
Press.
Suc, J.-P. (1984). "Origin and evolution of the Mediterranean vegetation and
climate in Europe". Nature. 307 (5950): 429–432. Bibcode:1984Natur.307..429S.
doi:10.1038/307429a0. S2CID 4318726.
Wagner, Horst-Günter (2011). Mittelmeerraum, Geography, History, Economy.
Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft. ISBN 978-3-534-23179-9.

External links
Mediterranean Basin biodiversity hotspot (Conservation International)
Are wildfires a disaster in the Mediterranean basin? – A review
MedTrees: Trees and large shrubs of the Mediterranean Basin.
vte
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Floristic regions of the world
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Categories: Drainage basins of the Mediterranean SeaEnvironment of the
MediterraneanMediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrubPalearctic realmPalearctic
ecoregionsNatural history of EuropeLevantFloristic regionsRegions of
EuropeGeography of North AfricaGeography of Southern EuropeGeography of Western
AsiaGeography of the Middle EastRegions of EurasiaRegions of Africa
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