Mediterranean basin

The Mediterranean basin is a special area of land that surrounds the Mediterranean Sea. In the study of plants and animals, scientists call this place the Mediterranean region or sometimes Mediterranea. This area has a special kind of weather called a Mediterranean climate. The winters here are mild and rainy, while the summers are warm to hot and very dry.

Because of this unique weather, the Mediterranean basin is home to a very special type of plants and trees. These plants have adapted to survive with little water during the dry summers. This mix of plants is known as Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub. Many of these plants and animals are found only in this area, making the Mediterranean basin very important for nature lovers and scientists who study how living things survive in different climates.

Geography

The Mediterranean basin includes parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe. It is different from the area where rivers flow into the Mediterranean Sea. Some rivers, like the Nile and Rhône, go beyond this area, while places like Iraq, Jordan, and Portugal are part of the Mediterranean basin but not the river area.

The landscape here is very different in many places. You can find tall mountains, rocky coasts, dry lands, wet areas near the water, sandy beaches, and many islands in the sea. Even though many pictures show sandy beaches, the land is often hilly, and mountains can be seen almost everywhere.

Geology and paleoclimatology

The Mediterranean basin was formed when the African–Arabian continent moved north and collided with the Eurasian continent. This movement closed the old Tethys Sea, which used to separate Eurasia from Gondwana, an ancient super continent that included Africa. Around 170 million years ago during the Jurassic period, a smaller ocean called the Neotethys formed. This collision pushed up large mountain ranges, stretching from the Pyrenees in Spain to the Zagros Mountains in Iran. This mountain-building event is called the Alpine orogeny and happened mostly during the Oligocene and Miocene epochs.

About 6 million years ago, as Africa moved closer, the Mediterranean Sea evaporated completely. This was followed by periods when the sea dried up and then filled again, called the Messinian Salinity Crisis. The climate of the Mediterranean basin changed during the last 3.2–2.8 million years, shifting from a wetter climate with summer rain to the dry summers and mild winters we see today. The forests changed too, with trees that could survive dry summers becoming more common.

Flora and fauna

See also: Category:Environment of the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean basin is a very important area for plants and animals. It has many different kinds of plants that grow only there. Some of these plants include the Aleppo pine, stone pine, Mediterranean cypress, bay laurel, and holm oak.

The area has many types of plant communities. In dry places near the coast, you can find scrublands. In other areas, there are dense shrublands, sometimes called macchia or maquis. There are also woodlands and forests, mostly made up of oak and pine trees. The Mediterranean basin is home to many animals, including some that are in danger, like the Mediterranean monk seal and the Iberian lynx. The region is very important for protecting nature because it has many plants and animals that need safe places to live.

Ecoregions

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) identifies 22 special areas called ecoregions in the Mediterranean basin. These areas have plants that can handle dry summers and mild winters. Some of these areas include forests and woodlands in places like Greece, Turkey, Spain, France, Italy, and Morocco.

History

Main article: History of the Mediterranean region

Long ago, people called Neanderthals lived in parts of Asia and Europe. Later, modern humans came from Africa into Asia and then into Europe.

A big cold time called the Wisconsin glaciation, or Würm in Southern Europe, ended about 12,000 years ago. After that, the climate became warmer.

People began to grow important foods like wheat, chickpeas, and olives, and they raised animals such as sheep and goats in the eastern Mediterranean around the year 9000 BCE. These crops and animals helped people live in settled communities. Later, these foods spread to Europe.

Over time, big changes in weather turned the Sahara from a grassy land into a desert by around 4000 BCE.

Agriculture

Further information: Mediterranean cuisine

Wheat is the main grain grown around the Mediterranean basin. The olive tree and grapevines for wine are also very important plants in this area.

During the Middle Ages, new foods like eggplant, spinach, sugar cane, rice, apricots, and citrus fruits were brought to places such as Portugal, Spain, and Sicily. Later, new foods such as tomatoes and haricot beans were added.