Geography of the Mediterranean Sea

Geography of the Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a large sea or body of water that is located between Europe, northern Africa, and southwestern Asia. Its total area is 970,000 square miles (2,500,000 sq km) and its greatest depth is located off the coast of Greece at around 16,800 feet (5,121 m) deep. The average depth of the sea, however, is about 4,900 feet (1,500 m). The Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the narrow Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco. This area is only about 14 miles (22 km) wide. The Mediterranean Sea is known for being an important historic trade path and a strong factor in the development of the region around it. History of the Mediterranean Sea The region around the Mediterranean Sea has a long history that dates back to ancient times. For example, Stone Age tools have been discovered by archeologists along its shores and it is believed that the Egyptians began sailing on it by 3000 B.C.E. Early people of the region used the Mediterranean as a trade route and as a way to move to and colonize other regions. As a result, the sea was controlled by several different ancient civilizations. These include the Minoan, Phoenician, Greek, and later the Roman civilizations. In the 5th century C.E. however, Rome fell and the Mediterranean Sea and the region around it became controlled by the Byzantines, Arabs and Ottoman Turks. By the 12th-century trade in the region was growing as Europeans began exploration expeditions. In the late 1400s though, trade traffic in the region decreased when European traders discovered new, all water trade routes to India and the Far East. In 1869 ,  however, the Suez Canal opened and trade traffic again increased. In addition, the opening of the Suez Canal the Mediterranean Sea also became an important strategic location for many European nations and as a result, the United Kingdom and France began building colonies and naval bases along its shores. Today the Mediterranean is one of the busiest seas in the world. Trade and shipping traffic is prominent and there is also a significant amount of fishing activity in its waters. In addition, tourism is also a large part of the regions economy because of its climate, beaches, cities, and historic sites. Geography of the Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a very large sea that is bounded by Europe, Africa, and Asia and stretches from the Strait of Gibraltar on the west to the Dardanelles and the Suez Canal on the east. It is almost completely enclosed aside from these narrow locations. Because it is almost landlocked, the Mediterranean has very limited tides and it is warmer and saltier than the Atlantic Ocean. This is because evaporation exceeds precipitation and runoff and circulation of the seas waters does not occur as easily as it would if were more connected to the ocean, however enough water flows into the sea from the Atlantic Ocean that is water level does not fluctuate much. Geographically, the Mediterranean Sea is divided into two different basins- the Western Basin and the Eastern Basin. The Western Basin extends from the Cape of Trafalgar in Spain and the Cape of Spartel in Africa in the west to Tunisias Cape Bon in the east. The Eastern Basin stretches from the  eastern boundary of the Western Basin to the coasts of Syria and Palestine. In total, the Mediterranean Sea borders 21 different nations as well as several different territories. Some of the nations with borders along the Mediterranean include Spain, France, Monaco, Malta, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Morocco. It also borders several smaller seas and is home to over 3,000 islands. The largest of these islands are Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Cyprus, and Crete. The topography of the land surrounding the Mediterranean Sea is varied and there is an extremely rugged coastline in is northern areas. High mountains and steep, rocky cliffs are common here, though in other areas the coastline is flatter and dominated by desert. The temperature of the Mediterraneans water also varies but in general, it is between 50 F and 80 F (10 C and 27 C).​ Ecology of and Threats to the Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea has a large number of different fish and mammal species that are mainly derived from the Atlantic Ocean. However, because the Mediterranean is warmer and saltier than the Atlantic, these species have had to adapt. Harbor porpoises, Bottlenose Dolphins, and Loggerhead Sea Turtles are common in the sea. There are a number of threats to the  biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea, though. ​Invasive species are one of the most common threats as ships from other regions often bring in non-native species and Red Sea water and species enter the Mediterranean at the Suez Canal. Pollution is also a problem as cities on the coasts of the Mediterranean have dumped chemicals and waste into the sea in recent years. Overfishing is another threat to the Mediterranean Seas biodiversity and ecology as is tourism because both are putting strains on the natural environment. References: How Stuff Works. (n.d.). How Stuff Works - The Mediterranean Sea. Retrieved from: http://geography.howstuffworks.com/oceans-and-seas/the-mediterranean-sea.htm

Discover the Common Green Darner Dragonfly

Discover the Common Green Darner Dragonfly The common green darner, Anax junius, is one of the best-known North American dragonfly species. The green darner is easy to spot, thanks to its large size and bright green thorax, and can be found almost anywhere in North America. Identifying the Green Darner Dragonfly Green darners are strong fliers  and rarely perch. Look for adults flying low over ponds or bogs during the breeding season. This species migrates seasonally, often forming large swarms when heading south in the fall. Green darners are one of the earliest species to appear in northern habitats in the spring. Both male and female green darners have an unusual blue and black bulls-eye marking on the frons (or forehead, in laymens terms), just in front of their large, compound eyes. The thorax is green in both sexes. The long abdomen is marked by a dark line, which runs down the center of the dorsal surface. In immature common green darners of either sex, the abdomen appears red or purple. Mature males bear a bright blue abdomen, but in the  early morning or when temperatures are cool, it may turn purple. In reproductive females, the abdomen is green, matching the thorax. Older individuals may have an amber tint to their wings. Classification Kingdom - AnimaliaPhylum - ArthropodaClass - InsectaOrder - OdonataFamily - AeshnidaeGenus - AnaxSpecies - junius What do Green Darners Eat? Green darners are predaceous throughout their lives. The large, aquatic nymphs prey on other aquatic insects, tadpoles, and even small fish. Adult green darners catch other flying insects, including butterflies, bees, flies, and even other, smaller dragonflies. Their Life Cycle Follows All Dragonflies Like all dragonflies, the common green darner undergoes simple or incomplete metamorphosis with three stages: egg, nymph (sometimes called larva), and adult. The female green darner oviposits her eggs while in tandem with her mate, and is the only darner in North America to do so. Common green darners oviposit their eggs in aquatic vegetation by carefully cutting a slit in a stem or leaf, and placing the egg inside it. This probably provides her offspring with some protection until it hatches. The aquatic nymph matures over time in the water, molting repeatedly. It then climbs up the vegetation until its above the waters surface, and molts one last time to emerge as an adult. Habitat and Range Green darners live near freshwater habitats, including ponds, lakes, slow-moving streams, and vernal pools. The green darner has an extensive range in North America, from Alaska and southern Canada all the way south to Central America. Anax junius is also found on islands within this geographic range, including Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the West Indies. Sources Field Guide to Dragonflies and Damselflies of New Jersey: Allen E. Barlow, David M. Golden, and Jim Bangma: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; 2009.Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West; Dennis Paulson; Princeton University Press; 2009.

Industrialization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Industrialization - Essay Example They could not meet all their needs. The standards of living remained low, especially the areas of residents that were mere shelters. The workers remained at work for long hours and were exposed to workplace injuries since they were not provided with protective clothing. Accidents could occur and many of them succumbed to injuries. There was no compensation for injuries in the workplace. However, a worker could sue the employer, an action that many avoided since the chances of winning such law suits were slim. The workers usually took with them their children to work, and child labor was pronounced in the turn of the 20th century. Due to the law wages, they would combine their earnings with that of their children for them to meet their family needs. Even with the long hours of work that used to be as many as 53 hours per week, there was no assurance that the workers could remain in employment for many days. There was no continuity of employment throughout the year and therefore they could move from one industry to the other. The industrial revolution largely affected the average American worker’s leisure time especially as most of the time was spent try to meet high output. They had little control of their time as the employers are the ones who controlled the number of hours to be worked per day. This largely affected the work-life balance of the workers as they could not have enough time for their families. In general, the industrial revolution in the turn of the 20th century had a negative impact on the lives of the average American workers. Many changes were involved in moving from an agricultural to an industrial economy. Many of the people were farmers, which was the major economic activity. The major change that occurred was to transform the population from farming activities to workers in the upcoming industries. This was accomplished by mechanizing agriculture and

The Beat Generation & The Hippie Movement Research Paper

The Beat Generation & The Hippie Movement - Research Paper Example However, the first youth upheavals - clumsy, without any clear program, but rough and wild, began in the 1950s and paved the way for the successors. The Beat Generation as a cultural phenomenon clearly manifested itself in the early and mid 1950s. Kerouac, who coined the term, stated that it derives from the word â€Å"beatitude† – beat and attitude – attitude towards life of an anti-conformist generation with a unique world outlook which strives for spiritual communion, infinite love and bliss. There are many interpretations of that Kerouac‘s â€Å"beat†. A young beatnik as a media stereotype of the movement is â€Å"broken†, â€Å"crushed†, â€Å"worn out† and â€Å"tired† of the western society of that time. Beatniks were ardent fans of jazz also. That’s why the neologism could be originated by jazz rhythm. The word â€Å"beatnik† appeared in the American language on April 2, 1958 with a helping hand from a San Francisco Chronicle journalist, Pulitzer Prize winner Herb Caen, who used it in his column. He added to the English word â€Å"beat† (taken in any meaning named above) the Russian suffix – â€Å"nik†, taken from the popular Russian word â€Å"sputnik† (satellite), which became international. This research of American subcultures will be inconsistent without mentioning avant-garde Lettrism, inspired by Dada and Surrealism. It deeply influenced postmodern art and society as called to break with old traditions. It was founded in the early 1950s in France by Isidore Isou, a Romanian-born poet. The ideology was based on the postulate of degeneration of words as spoken symbols in the modern world. Therefore, the followers of Lettrism preferred, for example, to write private letters instead of long telephone conversations; write slogans, not novels. The Lettrists also loved to alter state of consciousness and perform. They roamed around the cities and vill ages of America in their weird painted clothes strongly ridiculing the postwar consumer society, banality of mass culture and absurdity of political and social system. The Beat Generation kept apace with the Lettrists. Birthplace of the Beat movement is New York. In the 1950s - early 1960s, a group consisting of artists, writers, poets, among which are Ken Kesey, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and their fans has drawn a large public interest. But the subculture was logically developed and received cult status in California, in particular, in its southern part, associated with the famous Venice beach art colony. It was vividly described in the famous book by Lawrence Lipton – The Holy Barbarians. In the mid-1950s, the Beatniks staged performances named Jazz and Poetry in beach cafes. Their core motif was the representation of the rebellious, colorful spirit of the slums and the attempt to romanticize life of â€Å"white trash† - t he one that has a significant influence on modern American culture to this day. The Beat movement was not massive. But their antagonism toward common values and fatigue from bourgeois contemporaries (hitchhiking trips and hipster way of life of the Kerouac’s heroes in the novels On the Road, Dharma Bums; Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig), talented immersion in literature (Howl by Ginsberg), forced confrontation (like the one at a mental hospital in Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, where the character of the senior nurse Ratched and the hospital itself are the allusion to the state)) and artistic delights, as well as the desire to turn away from social and political problems and experiments with drugs (novel Junkie and Naked Lunch by Burroughs; The Island and The Doors of Perception by Aldous

Essay --

Globalization is the tendency of businesses, technologies, or philosophies to spread throughout the world or the process of making it all happen. The global economy is known as a globularity every now and then. The advantages and disadvantages of globalization have been heavily examined and all of them vary. People who favor it say that it helps developing nations catch up to industrialized nations very quickly through increased employment and technological advances. On the opposite side people say that It makes nations sovereignty weak and allows the rich to ship domestic jobs overseas where labor is much cheaper. The quick spreading of McDonalds restaurants all over the world is a perfect example of globalization. The fact that they adapt their to suit local taste is an example of globalization. Mcdonalds has turned into the symbol of American social force and the embodiment of the Americanization of whatever is left of the planet. The message of globalized Mcdonalds is "If you con sume like us, you are set to be like us." When actually by consuming like Americans individuals far and wide are just being enlivened to look increasingly like American's as to corpulence. However yet, Mcdonald's, for example numerous American organizations, have persuaded themselves that notwithstanding its blemishes, American society is unrivaled and in this manner its impact is just gainful to other, "lesser" Glocalization is the concept that in a global market a product or service is more likely to succeed when it is done because of the locality or culture in which it is sold. The term is a combination of globalization and localization. The international fast food chain McDonalds uses glocalization by changing their menus to appeal to local place... ...nvergence of broad communications from bigger countries as a critical variable in contrarily influencing more diminutive countries, in which the national personality of more diminutive countries is decreased or lost because of media homogeneity characteristic in broad communications from the bigger nations. In connection to McDonald’s media, the plugs and publicizing push the staple "quick sustenance" method for living. On the other hand, for most societies, this is pushing a development far from a family arranged eating to singular feasting. While American society keeps tabs on consuming as a need, most different societies view feasting as a social experience with religion assuming a critical part in its practice. McDonald’s promoting's push of American society pushes independence and freedom upon societies that generally support congruity and family orientation.

Fiction Vs. Reality: A comparison of themes in “Tartuffe” and “Candide” Essay

When reading a work of fiction, one has to be aware of different writing styles that will clue you into the information that the author wants one to pick up on. In the works, Moliere’s â€Å"Tartuffe† and Voltaire’s â€Å"Candide† the themes of appearance vs. reality can be found. I will be discussing this theme which is both obvious and subtle depending on the author. I will be discussing the theme of appearance vs. reality. In â€Å"Tartuffe†, the character â€Å"Tartuffe† is touted as a holy zealous man that is supposed to be pious. Tartuffe is actually a master con-artist who gains entree into the household of Orgon by portraying himself as a holy man. Throughout the play Tartuffe first gains permission to marry Orgon’s daughter Marianne, then he proceeds to try and seduce her mother and Orgon’s wife Elmire. This is one of the most obvious scenes in which one can see Tartuffe’s facade being challenged. Elmire: ‘Your declaration is most gallant, Sir, But don’t you think it’s out of character? You’d have done better to restrain your passion and think before you spoke in such a fashion. It ill becomes a pious man like you†¦ ‘ Tartuffe: ‘I may be pious, but I am human too: With your celestial charms before his eyes, a man has not the power to be wise. I know such words sound strangely coming from me, but I’m no angel, nor was meant to be’ (Moliere Act III Sc IV). Tartuffe is trying to gain the affection of Elmire despite the fact that he is betrothed to Marianne. He makes another pass at Elmire again in Act Four. In this scene, Tartuffe is trying to convince Elmire that they can have an affair. Tartuffe uses language and logic that betray that he is not in fact pious at all. Elmire: But how can I consent with your offense to heaven, toward which you feel such reverence? Tartuffe: If heaven is all that holds you back, don’t worry. I can remove that hindrance in a hurry. Nothing of that sort need obstruct our path†¦ Tartuffe: If you’re still troubled, think of things this way: No one shall know our joys, save us alone, and there’s no evil till the act is known; its scandal, Madam, which makes it an offence and it’s no sin to sin in confidence (Moliere Act IV Sc VII). This scene truly un-masks Tartuffe as the false prude he is. In Voltaire’s novel, â€Å"Candide†, there are many examples of appearance vs. reality. The novel begins by describing different philosophical arguments. Candide’s philosophical stance is one that states that everything is the best of all possible worlds. It can be demonstrated, that things could not be other than they are; for everything has been made to serve a purpose, and so nothing is susceptible to improvement (Voltaire 2). This ideology is one that can be inherently deceiving. When Candide and his companions arrive in Lisbon, there is a huge earthquake that kills many people and creates a great deal of damage. Candide and Pangloss attempt to help the people injured during the earthquake, during which Pangloss attempt to tell someone that the earthquake was for the best, but he ends up being taken by the inquisition: ‘For, all this is for the best; for, if there is a volcano at Lisbon, it cannot be anywhere else; for it is impossible that things should not be where they are; for all is well. ‘ A little, dark man, a familiar of the Inquisition, who sat beside him, politely took up the conversation, and said ‘ Apparently, you do not believe in original sin; for, if everything is for the best, there was neither fall nor punishment. ‘ †¦ ‘Your Excellency will pardon me,’ said Pangloss; ‘free-will can exist with absolute necessity; for it was necessary that we should be free; for in short, limited will†¦ ‘ (Voltaire 120). After this scene, Pangloss is to be hanged. This devastates Candide who travels on without him. Much later in the novel, Pangloss re-appears on a slave ship, where Candide is able to purchase his freedom. Candide believed Pangloss to be dead, but he was really alive, suffering in the slave galley the whole time. This type of situation happens many other times in Candide. When Candide and Cacambo decide to fight on the side of the Paraguayan Jesuits, Candide thinks he killed the brother of Cunegonde when they encountered each other. It turns out that Candide just wounded the Baron who was also on the slave ship with Pangloss. The use of reality vs. a fake reality makes a story more interesting and gives it more dimensions. These realities are also subjective realities. In Tartuffe’s case, Dorine and Damis both saw through the monk’s false piety and tried to un-mask him. In Candide the reality exists, but Candide may not have been aware of the actual reality. Bibliography: Voltaire. Candide and Related Texts. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company Inc, 2000. Moliere. Tartuffe and other plays. New York: Penguin Group Inc, 1967.

Ocean Acidification Is A Major Problem Facing The World

Ocean acidification is a major problem facing the world currently. The oceans are become more acidic. This is because oceans soak up one-third of the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. Since the beginning of industrialization, there has been an increase in the use of fossil fuels and subsequently an increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. When oceans take in carbon dioxide, it makes the water more acidic thus negatively affecting marine life. We need to control the ocean acidification from becoming worse and eventually effecting humans. â€Å"Threatening Ocean Life from The Inside Out† by M. Hardt C. Safina is about the impacts of ocean acidification on marine life as subsequently human life as well. Ocean acidification refers to a reduction in the pH of the ocean over an extended period time, caused primarily by uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. The water is becoming more acidic and negatively effecting marine life. 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