The Mediterranean Sea is a body of water connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on he North by Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the South by North Africa, and on the East by the Levant. Area: 2.5 million km2.
Several ancient civilizations were located around the shores, and were greatly influenced by their proximity to the sea. Two of the most notable Mediterranean civilizations in classical antiquity were the Greeks and the Phoenicians, both of which extensively colonized the coastlines. Later, when Augustus founded the Roman Empire, they referred to the Sea as 'Our Sea.'
Large Islands in the Mediterranean include: - Cyprus, Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Chios, Kefalonia, Corfu, Limnos, Samos, Naxos, and Andros in the Eastern Mediterranean; the two biggest Sicily and Sardinia which are both part of Italy; Corsica, Cres, Krk, Brac, Hvar, Pag, Korcula, and Malta in the Central Mediterranean; and Majorca or Mallorca, Ibiza and Minorca (the Balearic Islands) which are part of Spain, in the Western Mediterranean.
The Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar, known in Homer's writings as the 'Pillars of Hercules,' in the west, and to the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, by the Dardanelles and the Bosporus respectively, in the east. Being nearly landlocked affects its condition, for instance, tides are very limited as a result of the narrow connection with the Atlantic Ocean. The water is caracterized and immediately recognized by its deep blue color.
The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500m/4,900 ft and the deepest recorded point is 5,267m/17,280 ft in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea south-west of Pylos, Greece. At the Calypso Deep, the African Plates slides under the Aegean Sea Plate, creating the Hellenic Trench, a hemispherical long narrow depression. The region is an ecosystem to sperm whales and other aquatic life. This is the trench where several earthquakes, including the 365 Crete earthquake, occurred.
Santorini, an island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km /120 mi southeast of Greece's mainland, is the largest island of a small and circular archipelago which bears the same name and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera. It forms the southernmost member of the Cyclades Islands. It is essentially what remains after an enormous volcanic eruption that destroyed the earliest settlements on a formerly single island, and created the current geological caldera. It is the most active volcanic centre and the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history: the Minoan eruption, which occurred some 3,600 years ago at the height of the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete, and then formed a gigantic tsunami. A popular theory holds that the eruption is the source of the legend of Atlantis.
The Lake Titicaca, straddling the border between Peru and Bolivia in the Andes Mountains, is South America's largest freshwater lake and the World's highest navigable body of water (3,812 m above sea level). It was the birthplace of the Incas and home to numerous ruins. Its waters are famously still and brightly reflective. Around it are national reserves sheltering rare aquatic wildlife such as giant frogs.
Area: 8,372 km2 ; Altitude: 3,812 m; Length: 190 km; Width: 80 km; Max Depth: 284 m.
The Lake is composed of two nearly separated sub-basins connected by the Strait of Tiquina, which is 800 m /2,620 ft across the narrowest point.
Islands: -Taquile Island on the Peruvian side, 45 km offshore from the city of Puno. The highest point of the island is 4,050m/13,287 ft above the sea level. The inhabitants speak Quechua and are known for their fine handwoven textiles and clothing, which are regarded as among the highest-quality handicrafts in Peru. Knitting is exclusively performed by males, starting at the age of eight. Their society is based on community collectivism and on the Inca moral code Ama Sua (do not steal), Ama Llulla (do not lie), Ama Quilla (do not be lazy). Pacha-Mama, the mother earth, directly controls harvesting and fertility. People offer to the deity a number of offerings each year. God is present throughout the year in the festivities.
-Amantani on the Peruvian side, is circular and about 9.28 km2 in size. It has 2 mountains peaks, Pacha-Tata (father earth) and Pacha-Mama (mother earth), with ancient Inca and Tiahuanaco ruins on top of both. The hillsides are terraced, mostly worked by hand, and planted with quinoa, wheat, potatoes, and other vegetables. Livestock, including alpacas, also graze the slopes.
The Temples at the top of the mountains are generally closed during the year. Entrance is permitted on January 20, the annual feast day, at which time the island's population divides in two, with each group gathering at its respective temple. A race is then held from each peak to a point somewhere between the two, and a representative of each group is chosen to run. A victory for Pacha-Mama portents a bountiful harvest in the year to come.
- Island of the Sun, on the Bolivian side, is a rocky, hilly island with many eucalyptus trees. The main economic activity is farming and fishing. There are over 80 ruins on the island. There is evidence that people lived on the island as far back as the 3rd millennium BC. Many hills contain agricultural terraces, which adapt steep and rocky terrain to agriculture. Among the ruins are Titi-Cala (Aymara: Andean Mountain Cat, or Mountain Cat Stone); a labyrinth-like building called Chin-Cana, Casa-Pata, and Pillcu-Cayna. The first Inca Manco Capac is said to have emerged from a prominent crag in a large sandstone outcrop known as Titi-Cala. Manco Capac was the son of Inti, the Andean date identified as the Sun. In one version of the myth, the ancient people were without light in the sky and grew frightened of the darkness. Finally, the people saw the Sun emerge from the crag and believed it was the Sun's dwelling place. Other versions says that the crag was dedicated to the Sun because it hid under the crag during a great Flood. The Island of the Sun was the first land that appeared after the flood waters began to recede and the Sun emerged from Titi-Cala to illuminate the sky once again. A temple was built at this rock and later expanded by the 10th Inca Tupac Inca Yupanqui. He built a convent for Mama-Conas (chosen women) and a Tambo (Inn or House) for visiting pilgrims from other realms. The island was continually occupied from at least 2200 BC up to the present day.
- Island of the Moon, on the Bolivian side, is situated east of the Island of the Sun. Legends in Inca mythology refer to the island as the location where Viracocha, the great Creator deity, commanded the rising of the moon. Archaeological ruins of an Inca monastery were found on the eastern shore. According to the legend Viracocha rose from Lake Titicaca during the time of darkness to bring forth light. He made the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. He made mankind by breathing into stones, but his first creation were brainless giants that displeased him. So he destroyed it with a Flood and made a new, better one from smaller stones. Viracocha eventually disappeared across the Pacific Ocean by walking on the water and never returned. He wandered the earth disguised as a beggar, teaching his new creations the basic of civilization, as well as working numerous miracles. He wept when he saw that his new creation did not follow his teachings. Then it was thought that Viracocha would re-appear in times of trouble. Viracocha was described as a man dressed in a white robe like an alb secured round the waist, and carried a staff and a book in his hands.
- Suriqui Island, on the Bolivian side, is located 10.7 km from Tiquina Strait. It is believed that the first settlers of this area came in boats that were handmade out of plants, which are called Totora, a kind of reed. The habitants of the island are world-renowned for being expert boat builders which were used in several expeditions in the high seas.
- The Uros are people who live on 42 self-fasioned floating islands in Lake Titicaca. They descend from a millennial town that, according to legends were the owners of the Lake. Uros used to say that they have black blood because they did not feel the cold. Also they call themselves Sons of the Sun. The purpose of the island settlements was originally defensive, and if a thread arose they are able to move. The largest island retains a watchtower almost entirely constructed of reeds. They use bundles of dried totora reeds to make reed boats (balsas mats), and to make the islands themselves. The larger islands house about 10 families, while smaller ones, only about 30 meters wide, house only 2 or 3. The Uros Islands at 3,810 meters above sea level are just 5 kilometers west from Puno port. Around 2,000 descendants of the Uros were counted in the 1997 census, although only a few hundred still live on and maintain the islands; most have moved to the mainland. Food is cooked with fires placed on piles of stones. To relieve themselves, tiny outhouse islands are near the main islands. The ground root absorbs the waste.
No comments:
Post a Comment