Strait of Gibraltar

The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. It also separates Europe from Africa. At its narrowest point, the two continents are only 7.7 nautical miles apart, which is about 14.2 kilometers or 8.9 statute miles. Ferries cross this distance every day in just 35 minutes.

The Strait of Gibraltar lies in the waters of Morocco, Spain, and Gibraltar, which is a British overseas territory. The water in the strait is deep, ranging from 300 to 900 metres (about 980 to 2,950 feet). Because of international rules under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, ships and airplanes from many countries can freely travel through the strait in case of continuous transit.

Names and etymology

The Strait of Gibraltar is named after the Rock of Gibraltar. The rock's name comes from an Arabic phrase meaning "Tariq's Mount", after a person named Tariq ibn Ziyad. People have used many names for the strait over time. In Arabic, it is sometimes called "Gate of the West" or "Gate of the sunset". The Romans called it the Strait of Cádiz, and in Latin, it was the "Sea of the Passage". The ancient Greeks and Romans also called it the "Pillars of Hercules" because of the tall mountains on each side.

Location

On the north of the Strait of Gibraltar are Spain and Gibraltar (a British overseas territory in the Iberian Peninsula). On the south are Morocco and Ceuta (a Spanish city in northern Africa).

Extent

The International Hydrographic Organization says the limits of the Strait of Gibraltar are:

• On the West. A line joining Cape Trafalgar to Cape Spartel.
• On the East. A line joining Europa Point to the Almina Point.

Geology

The bottom of the Strait of Gibraltar is made of special kinds of rock and sand, shaped by strong currents.

About 6 million years ago, the water connection between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean closed off. This caused the Mediterranean to become much saltier, leaving thick layers of salt on the sea floor.

Around 5.3 million years ago, the connection opened again in a big flood called the Zanclean flood. The strong waters from the flood carved out the deep channel we see today.

Biodiversity

The Strait of Gibraltar is very important for many birds. Hundreds of thousands of seabirds fly through it every year between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Some of these birds are Scopoli's and Balearic shearwaters, Audouin's and lesser black-backed gulls, razorbills, and Atlantic puffins.

There is also a group of orcas near the Strait. These orcas are one of the few groups left in Western European waters. They might face problems in the future because of pollution.

History

Main articles: History of Gibraltar, History of Spain, and History of Morocco

People lived near the Strait of Gibraltar a very long time ago. Scientists think early humans called Neanderthals lived there up to 125,000 years ago. Later, around 40,000 years ago, modern humans, known as Homo sapiens, also lived there.

Because the water between the two sides is very narrow, many different groups have crossed here throughout history. These include ancient groups like the Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Moors, Berbers, and later Spain and Portugal.

In 1492, Spain took control from the last Muslim rulers. After that, the north side, including Spain, developed a Christian-European culture with the Spanish language. The south side, including areas like Morocco, developed a Muslim-Arabic culture with the Arabic language. The small British city of Gibraltar added another cultural group to the area.

Communications

The Strait of Gibraltar is an important route for ships traveling between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Ferries regularly travel between Spain, Morocco, Ceuta, and Gibraltar across the water. There have been ideas to build a bridge or tunnel to connect the two sides.

Tunnel across the Strait

People from Spain and Morocco started talking about building a tunnel under the Strait in the 1980s. In 2003, they agreed to look into making an undersea rail tunnel to connect their train systems. The plans stayed in the planning stage, with officials meeting sometimes, like in 2012. In April 2021, ministers from both countries agreed to meet again in Casablanca to talk about the tunnel more. Earlier, in January 2021, the UK looked at plans for a tunnel linking Gibraltar with Tangiers.

Special flow and wave patterns

The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. This link makes special patterns in how water moves and makes waves. These patterns happen because of forces like evaporation, water temperature, tides, and wind.

Water flows through the Strait all the time, both eastwards and westwards. Deeper, saltier water moves westwards, while a larger amount of surface water with less salt moves eastwards. Sometimes, temporary tidal flows can change this for short periods. The balance of water flow is mostly eastwards because the Mediterranean loses more water through evaporation than it gains from rivers and rain.

The Mediterranean waters are much saltier than Atlantic waters, so they sink below the incoming water and form a layer of very salty water at the bottom. This layer flows out into the Atlantic and can be traced for thousands of kilometers before it mixes completely.

Territorial waters

See also: Status of Gibraltar § Territorial waters

Most of the Strait of Gibraltar is inside the territorial waters of Spain and Morocco. The United Kingdom claims waters around Gibraltar on the northern side, but this area is smaller than allowed. Part of the Strait is in international waters. Spain and Morocco disagree about ownership of land and waters in the area, including small islands like Isla Perejil.

Ships and airplanes can travel through the Strait under rules that let them pass through freely. This is different from most other waters near land.

Power generation

Some ideas have suggested building places to make electricity from the strong water flow in the Strait using a special kind of power called tidal power.

Long ago, in the 1920s and 1930s, a big plan called Atlantropa wanted to build a wall across the Strait. This would make a lot of electricity and change the sea level of the Mediterranean Sea. But this could hurt the weather and nature.

History of Strait crossings

Some brave people have crossed the Strait of Gibraltar in different ways, such as swimming, powered paragliding, and paddleboarding.

Mercedes Gleitze was the first person known to swim across the Strait of Gibraltar on April 6, 1928. It took her a long time to make the journey. This was one of many tries she made.

Francesco Stipo was the first person known to cross the Strait of Gibraltar using a powered paraglider on July 11, 1995. Stipo crossed from Tarifa to Ceuta, and landed near the Port of Ceuta.

Chris Ziaja and Nik Benner were the first people known to cross the Strait of Gibraltar on a stand up paddleboard on October 4, 2010. They started from Punta Carnero and reached Ceuta a few hours later.