Mediterranean basin

Inbiogeography, theMediterranean basin(/ˌmɛdɪtəˈreɪniən/MED-ih-tə-RAY-nee-ən), also known as theMediterranean regionor sometimesMediterranea, is the region of lands around theMediterranean Seathat have mostly aMediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainywintersand warm to hot, drysummers, which supports characteristicMediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrubvegetation.
The Mediterranean basin covers portions of three continents:Europe,Africa, andAsia. It is distinct from thedrainage basin, which extends much further south and north due to major rivers ending in the Mediterranean Sea, such as theNileandRhône. Conversely, the Mediterranean basin includes regions not in the drainage basin (Portugal,JordanandIraq).
It has a varied and contrasting topography. The Mediterranean region offers an ever-changing landscape of high mountains, rocky shores, impenetrable scrub, semi-arid steppes, coastal wetlands, sandy beaches and a myriad of islands of various shapes and sizes dotted amidst the clear blue sea. Contrary to the classic sandy beach images portrayed in most tourist brochures, the Mediterranean is surprisingly hilly. Mountains can be seen from almost anywhere.
By definition, the Mediterranean basin extends fromMacaronesiain the west, to theLevantin the east, although some places may or may not be included depending on the view, as is the case with Macaronesia: some definitions only includeMadeiraand theCanary Islandswhile others include the whole Macaronesia (with theAzoresandCape Verde).
In Western Asia, it covers the western and southern portions of the peninsula of Anatolia, as far asIraq,but excluding the temperate-climate mountains of central Turkey. It includes the MediterraneanLevantat the eastern end of the Mediterranean, bounded on the east and south by theSyrianandNegevdeserts.
The northern portion of theMaghrebregion of northwestern Africa has a Mediterranean climate, separated from theSahara Desert, which extends acrossNorth Africa, by theAtlas Mountains. In the eastern Mediterranean the Sahara extends to the southern shore of the Mediterranean, with the exception of the northern fringe of the peninsula ofCyrenaicainLibya, which has a dry Mediterranean climate.
Europe lies to the north of the Mediterranean. The European portion of the Mediterranean basin loosely corresponds toSouthern Europe. The three large Southern European peninsulas, theIberian Peninsula,Italian Peninsula, and theBalkan Peninsula, extend into and comprise much of the Mediterranean-climate zone. A system of folded mountains, including thePyreneesdividingSpainfromFrance, theAlpsdividingItalyfromCentral Europe, theDinaric Alpsalong the easternAdriatic, and theBalkanandRila-Rhodopemountains of the Balkan Peninsula divide the Mediterranean from the temperate climate regions ofWestern,NorthwesternorNorthern Europe,Central Europe, andEastern Europe.
The Mediterranean basin was shaped by the ancient collision of the northward-moving African–Arabian continent with the stable Eurasian continent. As Africa–Arabia moved north, it closed the formerTethys Sea, which formerly separated Eurasia from the ancient super continent ofGondwana, of which Africa was part. At about the same time, 170 mya in theJurassicperiod, a small Neotethys ocean basin formed shortly before the Tethys Sea was closed at the eastern end. The collision pushed up a vast system of mountains, extending from thePyreneesin Spain to theZagros MountainsinIran. This episode of mountain building, known as theAlpine orogeny, occurred mostly during theOligocene(34 to 23 million years ago (mya)) andMiocene(23 to 5.3 mya) epochs. The Neotethys became larger during these collisions and associated folding and subduction.
About 6 mya during the late Miocene, the Mediterranean was closed at its western end by drifting Africa, which caused the entire sea to evaporate. There followed several (debated) episodes of sea drawdown and re-flooding known as theMessinian Salinity Crisis,  which ended when the Atlantic last re-flooded the basin at the end of the Miocene.Recent research has suggested that a desiccation-flooding cycle may have repeated several timesduring the last 630,000 years of the Miocene epoch, which could explain several events of large amounts of salt deposition. Recent studies, however, show that repeated desiccation and re-flooding is unlikely from ageodynamicpoint of view.
The end of the Miocene also marked a change in the Mediterranean basin's climate. Fossil evidence shows that the Mediterranean basin had a relatively humid subtropical climate with summer rainfall during the Miocene, which supportedlaurel forests. The shift to a Mediterranean climate occurred within the last 3.2–2.8 million years, during thePlioceneepoch, as summer rainfall decreased. The subtropical laurel forests retreated, although they persisted on the islands ofMacaronesiaoff the Atlantic coast of Iberia and North Africa, and the present Mediterranean vegetation evolved, dominated by coniferous trees andsclerophylloustrees and shrubs, with small, hard, waxy leaves that prevent moisture loss in the dry summers. Much of these forests and shrublands have been altered beyond recognition by thousands of years of human habitation. There are now very few relatively intact natural areas in what was once a heavily wooded region.
Phytogeographically, the Mediterranean basin together with the nearby Atlantic coast, theMediterranean woodlands and forestsandMediterranean dry woodlands and steppeofNorth Africa, theBlack Seacoast of northeasternAnatolia, the southern coast ofCrimeabetweenSevastopolandFeodosiyainUkraineand the Black Sea coast betweenAnapaandTuapseinRussiaforms theMediterranean floristic region, which belongs to the Tethyan Subkingdom of theBoreal Kingdomand is enclosed between theCircumboreal,Irano-Turanian,Saharo-ArabianandMacaronesianfloristic regions.
The Mediterranean region was first proposed by German botanistAugust Grisebachin the late 19th century.
ThemonotypicDrosophyllaceae, recently segregated fromDroseraceae, is the only plant familyendemicto the region. Among the endemic plant genera are:
The generaAubrieta,Sesamoides,Cynara,Dracunculus,ArisarumandBiarumare nearly endemic. Among the endemic species prominent in the Mediterranean vegetation are theAleppo pine,stone pine,Mediterranean cypress,bay laurel,Oriental sweetgum,holm oak,kermes oak,strawberry tree,Greek strawberry tree,mastic,terebinth,common myrtle,oleander,Acanthus mollisandVitex agnus-castus. Moreover, many planttaxaare shared with one of the four neighboring floristic regions only. According to different versions ofArmen Takhtajan's delineation, the Mediterranean region is further subdivided into seven to ninefloristic provinces: Southwestern Mediterranean (or Southern Moroccan and Southwestern Mediterranean), Ibero-Balearian (or Iberian and Balearian), Liguro-Tyrrhenian, Adriatic,East Mediterranean, South Mediterranean and Crimeo-Novorossiysk.
The Mediterranean basin is the largest of the world's fiveMediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrubregions. It is home to a number of plant communities, which vary with rainfall, elevation, latitude, and soil.
The Mediterranean basin is home to considerablebiodiversity, including 22,500endemicvascular plantspecies.Conservation Internationaldesignates the region as abiodiversity hotspot, because of its rich biodiversity and its threatened status. The Mediterranean basin has an area of 2,085,292 km, of which only 98,009 kmremains undisturbed.
Endangeredmammalsof the Mediterranean basin include theMediterranean monk seal, theBarbary macaque, and theIberian lynx.
The WWF identifies 22Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrubecoregions in the Mediterranean basin, most of which featuringsclerophyllplant species:
Neanderthalsinhabited western Asia and the non-glaciated portions of Europe starting about 230,000 years ago. Modern humansmovedinto western Asia from Africa less than 100,000 years ago. Modern humans, known asCro-Magnons, moved into Europe approximately 50–40,000 years ago.
The most recent glacial period, theWisconsin glaciation(Würmin Southern European contexts), reached itsmaximum extentapproximately 21,000 years ago, and ended approximately 12,000 years ago. A warm period, known as theHolocene climatic optimum, followed the ice age.
Food crops, includingwheat,chickpeas, andolives, along withsheepandgoats, weredomesticatedin the eastern Mediterranean in the9th millennium BCE, which allowed for theestablishment of agricultural settlements. Near Eastern crops spread to southeastern Europe in the7th millennium BCE.Poppyandoatswere domesticated in Europe from the 6th to the 3rd millennium BCE. Agricultural settlements spread around the Mediterranean basin.Megalithswere constructed in Europe from 4500 – 1500 BCE.
A strengthening of the summermonsoon9000–7000 years ago increased rainfall across theSahara, which became agrassland, with lakes, rivers, and wetlands. After a period of climatic instability, the Sahara settled into a desert state by the4th millennium BCE.
One of the earliest modern studies of the Mediterranean wasFernand Braudel'sLa Méditerranéee et le monde méditerranéen à l époque de Philippe II(The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II), published in 1949.S.D. Goitein's multivolume study of theCairo Genizadocuments was another important contribution in the area of Mediterranean Jewish culture.
Wheatis the dominant grain grown around the Mediterranean basin.Pulsesandvegetablesare also grown. The characteristic tree crop is theolive.Figsare another important fruit tree, andcitrus, especiallylemons, are grown where irrigation is present.Grapesare an importantvinecrop, grown for fruit and to makewine.Riceand summer vegetables are grown in irrigated areas.