The mediterranean

The Mediterranean is a historic region in the basin of the Mediterranean . In the Mediterranean , the cradle of navigation, there was a close interaction, trade and exchange of cultural achievements between ancient civilizations on its shores ( Ancient Egypt , Phenicia , Aegean Culture , Ancient Greece , etc.). After the Roman Empire conquered the whole Mediterranean, it became the most developed region of the ancient world .

Content

Geography

The Mediterranean unites the countries of two continents - Eurasia and Africa , as well as numerous islands and archipelagoes : Sicily , Sardinia , Cyprus , Crete , the Balearic Islands and many others. The area of the Mediterranean region is over 4 million km², with the Near Asian highlands - over 5 million km².

Climate

The Mediterranean climate prevails with rainy winters and hot, dry summers ; it is very favorable for human health due to low humidity, dry clear summers and rather warm, humid winters. The velvet season comes from August to October . The life expectancy of people in most Mediterranean countries is much higher than the average for the planet (for women about 85 years, for men - about 83 years), despite the rather low standard of living and education of the population of most countries. The secret of longevity, many scientists are looking for in a special diet of residents of the region, which traditionally includes red wine (except Islamic countries), olive oil , other products from olives, fresh greens and fruits ( grapes , oranges , tangerines , peaches , mulberry ), seafood , goat milk .

Ethnography

Ethnographically and linguistically, the Mediterranean region is divided into several large zones: the northwestern ( Romance peoples and languages), the southeastern ( Semitic Hamitic languages ), and the northeastern (Greek, Turkic and Albanian groups).

Links

Robert Landa. Mediterranean: common history and culture
Suc, JP. The origin and evolution of the Mediterranean climate and climate in Europe (Eng.) // Nature: journal. - 1984. - Vol. 307 , no. 5950 . - P. 429-432 . - DOI : 10.1038 / 307429a0 . - .