The Strait of Gibraltar, a narrow waterway separating Europe and Africa, has been a significant geographical feature throughout history. It connects the Atlantic Ocean directly to the Mediterranean Sea, creating unique flow and wave patterns. This strait lies in the territorial waters of Morocco, Spain, and the British overseas territory of Gibraltar.
Location of the Strait of Gibraltar between Africa and Europe.
Geographical Overview
The Strait of Gibraltar is located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. On the northern side of the Strait are Spain and Gibraltar (a British overseas territory in the Iberian Peninsula). The name comes from the Rock of Gibraltar, which in turn originates from the Arabic Jabal Ṭāriq (meaning "Tariq's Mount"), named after Tariq ibn Ziyad.
The narrowest point of the Strait is only 7.7 nautical miles (14.2 kilometers, 8.9 miles). Ferries cross between the two continents every day in as little as 35 minutes.
Historical Significance
Around 5.97 million years ago, the connection between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean was progressively restricted until its total closure. This caused the salinity of the Mediterranean to rise periodically, leading to the Messinian salinity crisis. After a lengthy period of restricted water exchange, approximately 5.33 million years ago, the Atlantic-Mediterranean connection was completely reestablished through the Strait of Gibraltar by the Zanclean flood, and has remained open ever since.
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Evidence of the first human habitation of the area by Neanderthals dates back to 125,000 years ago. Beginning in 1492, the Strait began to play a cultural role in acting as a barrier against cross-channel conquest and the flow of culture and language. In that year, the last Muslim government north of the Strait was overthrown by a Spanish force. The small British enclave of the city of Gibraltar presents a third cultural group found in the Strait.
Navigation and Transportation
The Strait is an important shipping route from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. Ferries operate between Spain and Morocco across the Strait, as well as between Spain and Ceuta and Gibraltar to Tangier.
Discussions between Spain and Morocco of a tunnel under the strait began in the 1980s. In December 2003, both countries agreed to explore the construction of an undersea rail tunnel to connect their rail systems across the Strait. While the project remained in a planning phase, Spanish and Moroccan officials met to discuss it occasionally, including in 2012. In April 2021 ministers from both countries agreed to a joint intergovernmental meeting to be held in Casablanca in the coming months.
Why There is No Bridge Between Europe and Africa
Hydrodynamic Characteristics
The Strait of Gibraltar links the Atlantic Ocean directly to the Mediterranean Sea, creating unique flow and wave patterns. Water flows through the Strait more or less continuously, both eastwards and westwards. A smaller amount of deeper, saltier and therefore denser waters continually flow westwards (the Mediterranean outflow), while a larger amount of surface waters with lower salinity and density continually flow eastwards (the Mediterranean inflow).
The Strait of Gibraltar with the Mediterranean Sea.
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These general flow tendencies may be occasionally interrupted for brief periods by temporary tidal flows. The Mediterranean waters are so much saltier than the Atlantic waters that they sink below the constantly incoming water and form a highly saline layer of bottom water. On the Atlantic side of the Strait, a density boundary separates the Mediterranean outflow waters from the rest at about 100 m (330 ft; 55 fathoms) depth. These waters flow out and down the continental slope, losing salinity, until they begin to mix and equilibrate more rapidly, much farther out at a depth of about 1,000 m (3,300 ft; 550 fathoms).
Internal waves (waves at the density boundary layer) are often produced by the Strait. Like traffic merging on a highway, the water flow is constricted in both directions because it must pass over the Camarinal Sill. When large tidal flows enter the Strait and the high tide relaxes, internal waves are generated at the Camarinal Sill and proceed eastwards. Even though the waves may occur down to great depths, occasionally the waves are almost imperceptible at the surface, at other times they can be seen clearly in satellite imagery.
Territorial Waters and Sovereignty
Except for its far eastern end, the Strait lies within the territorial waters of Spain and Morocco. The United Kingdom claims 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) around Gibraltar on the northern side of the Strait, putting part of it inside British territorial waters. The ownership of Gibraltar and its territorial waters is disputed by Spain. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, vessels passing through the strait do so under the regime of transit passage, rather than the more limited innocent passage allowed in most territorial waters.
Marine Life
A resident orca pod of some 36 individuals lives around the Strait, one of the few that are left in Western European waters.
Notable Achievements
Mercedes Gleitze was the first known person to swim across the Strait of Gibraltar on 6 April 1928. It took her 12 hours and 50 minutes to cross the stretch of water. Chris Ziaja and Nik Benner were the first known people to cross the Strait of Gibraltar with a stand up paddleboard on 4 October 2010.
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| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Minimum Width | 14.2 km (8.8 mi) |
| Ferries | Operate daily, crossing in as little as 35 minutes |
| Territorial Waters | Morocco, Spain, and Gibraltar (UK) |
| Undersea Rail Tunnel | Project under discussion between Spain and Morocco |
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