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HE MEDITERRANENHE MEDITERRANENThe SEA and The REGION

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As a wordThe term Mediterranean comes from the Latin

word mediterraneus,

It means "in the middle of earth" (medius,"middle" + terra, "land, earth").

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin

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Geography

The Mediterranean Sea is connected to theAtlantic Ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar andto the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea by

the Dardanelles and the Bosporus .The Sea of Marmara is often considered a part

of the Mediterranean Sea, whereas the BlackSea is generally not.

The long man-made Suez Canal in thesoutheast connects the Mediterranean Sea tothe Red Sea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Oceanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Gibraltarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_of_Marmarahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Seahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dardanelleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosporushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Canalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Seahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Seahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Canalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosporushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dardanelleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Seahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_of_Marmarahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Gibraltarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Ocean

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Mediterranean Basin

The Mediterranean Basin comprises thelands around and surrounded by theMediterranean Sea.

In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basinrefers to the lands around the MediterraneanSea that have a Mediterranean climate, withmild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers.

The Mediterranean basin covers portions ofthree continents, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Seahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biogeographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_climatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_climatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biogeographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea

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How can we define

Mediterranean?There may be different definitions based on:

Geology

EcologyArcheology

History

Anthropology

EconomicsPolitics

Etc.

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Mediterranean

ExperienceThe proper definition should include many of

the factors because the Mediterranean is a

climate, landscape, culture and a way of life.

So, it can be based on experience, namely

Mediterranean experience.

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****Not only regions around the Mediterranean Sea, but alsoregions feel Mediterranean atmosphere and live the

Mediterranean experince should be recognized as

Mediterranean.

By saying atmosphere, I mean climate, culture, trade

connections etc.

For example, a piece of region with no border to

Mediterranean Sea, can feel Mediteranean atmosphere by

the way of port connections.

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Mediterranean IdentityMediterranean is more homogenous regional unit

than many other regions like Europe, Africa or

Middle East.

In the Mediterranean basin, there is a close

relationship between geography, physical

environment and culture and history.

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MediterraneanismHouston (1964, pp. 2-7) explains six major

interlocking themes to characterize thetraditional Mediterranean scene.

1.Climate: Mild, rainy winters and hot, drysummers

2.The Sea itself

3.The land itself4.Vegetation: All the plants or plant life of a place

5.Long tradition of urban life

6.Societys perception and evaluation of

resources.

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Religion as a way of

perceptionThe last point is especially important in the

developments of civilizations.

For example, religion became an importantfactor in the use of sources and environment.

Cities populated by Muslims differentiated fromcities of Christians or Jews although they werealmost at the same geographical region.

Islamic cities developed on the basis of privacywhile Cities of Christians developed on thebasis of local autonomy and pride.

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Between two worldsFirst and important civilizations emerged aroundthe Mediterranean Sea.

As a Sea, it had a major influence on the history

and lifestyle.It provided a way of trade, colonization and war,

and the basis of life (via fishing and the gatheringof other seafood) for numerous communities

throughout the ages.The shared climate, geology and access to a

common sea led to numerous historical andcultural connections between the ancient andmodern societies around the Mediterranean.

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Unity and DiversityThe Mediterranean basin has many shared

points like climate, ecology, and culturaltraditions.

Even it is possible to talk about aMediterranean economy.

As a region, it is a strategic location betweenmajor producers and consumers.

Today, almost all Mediterranean countries areoriented towards Europe.

European countries are admired as role modelsfor democracy, development, mass mediaand entertainment. Like Turkey.

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But diversityThere are different political regimes in the

region.

There are different religions and cultures.

The Mediterranean countries have differenteconomic growth.

In the same region, there are both the First andthe Third Worlds.

So it is not easy task to define theMediterranean region with so many sharesand diversities.

Still, it has a peculiar character as different

from other regions.

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MediterraneanConnects different cultures, religions,

economies and geographies.

There are many trade and cooperationagreements between different countries evenbetween conflicting countries.

At the same time, it is a confrontation zone fordifferent regimes or countries like Israel-Palestine or European Union and Syria.

Still, there is a Mediterranean Identity.