The Importance of the Mediterranean Region throughout the ages Comenius Project - Mare Nostrum Malta
Table of Contents Geographical Importance .................................................................. 2 Mediterranean History ...................................................................... 2 Mare Nostrum ................................................................................... 3 The Importance of the Mediterranean Region ..................................... 4 Religion and other influences ............................................................ 5 Modern Ages - Blue Growth within the Mediterranean Sea ................. 6
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Geographical Importance The Mediterranean some five million years ago was once a deep, dry valley, dividing
the
three
continents
Europe, Africa and Asia.
of
The word
Mediterranean in Latin means 'in the middle of earth'. The Mediterranean Sea was an important route for merchants and travellers of ancient times. This allowed for trade and cultural exchange
between
the
emergent
people
of
the
region.
The
Mediterranean Sea covers approximately2.5 million km2.
Mediterranean History 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. The transportation
of
fundamental
products like crude oil across the Mediterranean Sea increases its strategic importance.
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Further, traffic in the Mediterranean Sea is one of the busiest in the world, especially across the strategically located Straits of Gibraltar. The Mediterranean region began to lose its importance and other parts of Europe and North America gained influence. Some of the most ancient civilizations flourished around the Mediterranean. It was opened as a highway for commerce by merchants trading from Phoenicia. Carthage, Greece, Sicily, and Rome were rivals for dominance of its shores and trade; under the Roman Empire it became virtually a Roman lake and was called Mare Nostrum.
Mare Nostrum Mare
Nostrum
was
the
name the Romans gave to the Mediterranean; they had completely lands
conquered
surrounding
the the
Mediterranean Sea. Mare Nostrum means our sea. By conquering the Mediterranean Sea, the Romans, (just as the Greeks had done before them) managed to spread their influences such
as
architecture
and
art.
However,
by
conquering
Mediterranean, they also had new trading routes opened up.
the The
Byzantines continued to work on the remains left behind by the Romans, but spread Christianity as a faith instead of paganism.
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The Importance of the Mediterranean Region The Mediterranean has been a region of high importance since its existence. most
Some of the world’s
influential
civilizations,
including the Egyptian, Phoenician, Greek, Ottoman Mediterranean Sea.
Roman,
Byzantine
developed
from
and the
These civilizations left a mark in history and
brought unification and technological changes which we still use nowadays. The
Mediterranean
borders
three
continents i.e. Asia, Africa and Europe – a total of twenty countries. This led to significant cultural diversity, thus making the Mediterranean a region of multiculturalism. These empires have influenced
cultures,
architecture,
literature and wisdom. The Egyptians navigated the Mediterranean Sea to the East and were amongst the first to appreciate the importance of the shipbuilding. They were in fact the pioneers in shipbuilding, which was the key to the development of other trading industries.
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The Mediterranean region was known for the shipbuilding industry, including Malta.
Countries bordering the Mediterranean are known
especially as maritime states.
For instance, Malta is the largest
shipping Register in Europe and the seventh largest in the world. Greece and Crete traded olive oil.
The Phoenicians continued to
develop the maritime industry; an industry for which the Phoenicians are
probably
remembered
for.
The
Phoenicians
used
the
Mediterranean to trade their innovative purple dye.
Religion and other influences Another
major
influence
in
the
Mediterranean is religion. Any empire which conquered lands would usually impose the empire’s official religion on the people of the conquered land. Throughout generations, the people would have continued practising that religion
even
after
gaining
their
freedom / independence. Scholars and famous people who have left their influence on the Mediterranean
region
include
Aristotle,
Socrates,
Christopher
Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci amongst others.
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Modern Ages - Blue Growth within the Mediterranean Sea Statistics indicate that 40% of all the European trade is generated at the Coast. This leads to economic growth and jobs but the multiplier effect is significant. The Mediterranean Sea is now the medium which links island States to mainland Europe.
All this, however, has its
challenges which necessitate political interventions and cooperation amongst Member States with Mediterranean coastlines. The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973/78
(MARPOL)
is
the
International Maritime Organization’s main convention which regulates the prevention of pollution of the marine environment operational Under
by or
Annex
ships
accidental I
-
from causes.
Prevention
of
pollution by oil, and Annex V Prevention of pollution by garbage from
ships,
of
the
MARPOL
Convention, the Mediterranean Sea is declared a special area. A special area is defined to be an area in which, for technical reasons relating to their ocean graphical and ecological condition and to their sea traffic, the adoption of special mandatory methods for the prevention of sea pollution is required. This means that the level of legal protection afforded to special areas, 6|Page Comenius Project-Mare Nostrum
including the Mediterranean Sea is much more stringent than any other area in the world. While the International Maritime Organization has worked to establish special areas, the World Wide Fund for Nature is also working hard to promote Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean Sea.
The
international non-governmental organization highlights how modern developments around the Mediterranean basin have serious negative effects on the region.
Pollution and sea traffic are amongst the
identified factors, given that one third of the global seaborne trade passes through the Mediterranean Sea. The European Commission has also acknowledged and voiced its concern on
the
sensitivity
of
the
Mediterranean Sea in view of lack of space,
risks
affecting
maritime
security, the depletion of resources, degradation of the environment and the prejudicial effects of climate change. It has also submitted that this makes the governance of maritime affairs a legitimate call. fact,
this
was
the
impetus
In
to
include the Mediterranean Sea as one of the seven defined sea basins in
the
Maritime
Directorate-General Affairs
and
for
Fisheries’
Integrated Maritime Policy, which covers five main areas. One of the areas is Blue Growth. 7|Page Comenius Project-Mare Nostrum
The European Commission describes Blue Growth as “[a] long term strategy to support sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sectors as a whole.”
The Blue Growth strategy is very important
because it considers the seas and oceans around Europe as important economic motors. If well managed and implemented, these resources have a significant potential for economic growth.
The Blue Growth
strategy will not only impact businesses around the coast but also those located elsewhere, including government service providers. The main goal is the creation of jobs and economic wealth. The Blue Growth Strategy addresses five specific activities which apply to the seven sea basins. These are: Ocean renewable energy – the development of offshore wind power generation, wave and tidal power; Aquaculture – expanding fish farming in order to increase the market and the industry by moving offshore and focus on high – quality supplies; Maritime, coastal and cruise tourism – expand the industry to achieve diversified tourism throughout the year, including the development of cruise and leisure shipping; Marine mineral resources – using specialised vessels to exploit the seabed and extract dissolved minerals such as lithium and boron, whilst protecting the deep-sea ecosystems; and Blue biotechnology – the exploitation of non-seafood marine species for the pharmaceuticals and other chemical industries.
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Ocean Renewable Energy
Aquaculture
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Maritime, coastal and cruise tourism
Marine mineral resources
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Blue biotechnology
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