Adrift in the Mediterranean Sea Quiz

Answer: mare

The word "mare" is the Latin word for "sea"; it was derived from the word "mori", a Proto-Indo-European word that meant "body of water". The ancient Romans named the Mediterranean Sea "Mare Nostrum", which literally means "our sea". Interestingly, the term was first applied to the Tyrrhenian Sea, an arm of the Mediterranean found on Italy's west coast.

After winning the third Punic War, fought against Carthage, the name was applied to all of the Mediterranean Sea.

Answer: Trade

The ancient Carthaginians did not have a unified country or empire. Instead, they founded cities that were situated in locations that were good for their main business - trade! It is believed that over time their trade routes extended beyond the Mediterranean, perhaps going as far away as Britain, and even traveling around the Cape of Good Hope! One of their most valuable items of trade, a dye known as Tyrian purple, became a highly prized commodity among their trading partners.

Answer: red

In an attempt to find new trading partners, the ancient Egyptians, under the leadership of Pharaoh Necho, began building a canal that linked the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea sometime during the 6th century BC. Some ancient writers credited the Persian king, Darius the Great, with the completion and opening of the canal, however, others disagree.

Modern historians are unsure of the exact time that the massive undertaking was finished, but believe that it might have been done by Ptolemy II after the concept of canal locks was mastered.

Answer: arm

An arm, as it relates to bodies of water, is identified as an inlet or extension of water that projects from a much larger body of water. Many different geographic features are considered to be arms of the Atlantic Ocean, including Hudson Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, and, of course, the Mediterranean Sea. The Ionian Sea, an arm of the Mediterranean, is located between Greece and Sicily.

Answer: tides

The gravitational forces of both the sun and the moon help to create tides, which typically cause the sea to rise and fall two times each day as the earth rotates on its axis. The Mediterranean Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean, and some coastal areas on the Atlantic experience high tides as much as a meter in amplitude. Tides on the Mediterranean Sea, however, are typically only a few centimeters in amplitude, mostly due to the fact that it is almost totally enclosed by land.

Answer: sardine

The name "sardine" is said to have originated from the Greek "sardínē" that came from "Sardň", which was the ancient Greek name for Sardinia. There is debate among historians, however, as to whether the ancient Greeks would have traveled so far away from home, about 800 miles, in order to obtain the small, oily fish.

At that time they were said to have been plentiful around the island of Sardinia, and are still considered to be a popular food today - either grilled, pickled, smoked, or canned.

Answer: Etna

Mount Etna, located on the island of Sicily, has been identified as one of sixteen Decade Volcanoes around the world; the name, however, is a bit misleading. A decade volcano is defined as one that shows recent activity, is located in an inhabited region, can be studied by scientists with the local people supporting the study, and has more than one type of volcanic hazard.

It is believed that undersea eruptions of Mount Etna first occurred 500,000 years ago. The first recorded eruption occurred in 475 BC and was recorded by the famous Greek playwright Aeschylus.

Answer: Asia

The eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea borders on the countries of Turkey, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. While these countries are considered to be part of the Middle East, they are located on the continent of Asia. Well, mostly. Remember how your teacher told you that Turkey is one of two countries located on the continents of Europe and Asia? One of the common dividing lines separates Turkey at the city of Istanbul, so European Turkey is much smaller than Asian Turkey.

In reality, the landmass is also called Eurasia, and the dividing line is more of a cultural division than political.

The northern Mediterranean borders on European countries, including Italy, Greece, France, and Spain, while the southern part borders on the continent of Africa, including the countries of Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.

Answer: Rain

Found in regions bordering bodies of water between the latitudes of 30 and 45 degrees, a Mediterranean climate is characterized by warm, dry summers, and cool, mild winters. In reality, there are really only two seasons in this type of climate, and summer lasts longer than winter.

While summer rain is very sparse due to the cold ocean currents, in the wintertime the currents are warmer, and bring moist air into the region. The average rainfall in a Mediterranean climate is about 20 inches per year.

Answer: Mandate

From 1923-1946 Lebanon was part of a French mandate called the Mandate for Syria and Lebanon. After World War I the territory was taken from the Ottoman Empire (who had joined the defeated Central Powers) and reorganized as a mandate under the authority the League of Nations and France.

The idea was that the mandate would remain under the guidance of the League of Nations and France because it was feared that the country was too weak to rule itself. According to the Covenant of the League of Nations, the Mandate for Syria and Lebanon needed an "advanced country" to aid in its development until the region was able to self-govern. Several different types of government were attempted in the area, which was also known by many different names, and after World War II the area fell under the jurisdiction of the United Nations.

In 1943 two separate countries, Syria and Lebanon, formed, ending the mandate.