Map of the Mediterranean Sea

The earliest European and North African civilizations leaving written records were around the Mediterranean Sea. These early civilizations around the Mediterranean Sea are the heart of Western civilization. Our laws, language, cuisine, customs and ideas still bear their imprint.  From numerals to architecture, the Egyptian, Minoan, Etruscan, Phoenician, Greek, Roman and other Mediterranean cultures, gave us much of what we recognize today in our daily lives.
The Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the narrow Strait of Gibraltar,  The Rock of Gibraltar and Spain to the north, and Morocco to the south.  On the east, the Mediterranean beyond Greece connects through the Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus to the Black Sea.  A narrow strip of land separates the Mediterranean from the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean—now the site of the Suez Canal.  In this way, the Mediterranean is at the intersection of Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.