To compare the geographical position of the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, a brief description of the physical and geographical conditions in which the seas exist is necessary. Both reservoirs are very important in the economic and economic activities of countries whose shores they wash. Their renewable and fossil resources are widely in demand on the international market, and therefore it makes sense to compare not only the geographical position of the seas, but also their economic potential.
Position of the caribbean
The coordinates between which the Caribbean Sea is located are as follows: 9 ° and 22 ° c. w. and between 89 ° and 60 ° C. e. By its main geographical characteristics, it is marginal and semi-enclosed. In the west it is washed by the shores of Central and South America, from the east it is limited by the archipelagos of the Lesser Antilles and Virgin Islands, as well as by several large islands, which include Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and some others.
Compare the geographical position of the Mediterranean and the Caribbean - this means to compare their coastlines. The Mediterranean is distinguished by greater ruggedness of lines and a large number of peninsulas, including such large ones as the Peloponnese, Apennine, Balkan and Pyrenees.
The Caribbean is connected to the Gulf of Mexico through the Yucatan Strait, which is located on the northwestern edge of the sea. The waters of the Caribbean are washed by Mexico, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Republic of Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and Puerto Rico.
The geological characteristic is that the Caribbean Sea lies on the Caribbean lithospheric plate, and two island arcs of different geological age separate it from the Atlantic Ocean.
Island arcs were formed as a result of the collision of the plate on which the sea is located with the South American plate. This genesis suggests significant volcanic activity at the site of plate collision.
A distinctive feature of the relief of the seabed can be considered that it is divided into five basins of various depths: Grenada, Venezuelan, Colombian, Caymanova and Yucatan. The hollows are separated by uplifts and ridges, which in more ancient geological eras could be island arcs.
Mediterranean characteristic
It will be easier to compare the position of the Mediterranean and Caribbean seas after a detailed description of the physical and geographical position of the Mediterranean. Unlike the Caribbean, it is not marginal, but intercontinental, as it is limited to Europe, Asia and Africa, and is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar, which was formed as a result of a breakthrough of the waters of the Atlantic Ocean during a prehistoric powerful earthquake.
In the Northeast, it is connected by the Dardanelles with the Sea of Marmara, and further into the Black Sea through the Bosphorus. Like the Caribbean Sea, which has a connection to the Pacific Ocean through the artificial Panama Canal, the Mediterranean is connected to the Indian Ocean via the artificial Suez Canal.
Similarities and differences
It may not be so easy to compare the geographical position of the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, because they are extremely different. In the first place, the geological history of the Caribbean Sea is reliably unknown, while the Mediterranean is definitely known that it is a relic of the ancient Tethys Ocean, as well as the Caspian and Aral, Black and Marmara.
However, both seas are in the northern hemisphere, although they lie in different climatic zones. In each of them there are numerous islands, although it is obvious that in the Caribbean there are more than in the Mediterranean. It should be borne in mind that the region where the Mediterranean Sea is located is being mastered by humanity for a longer time. The most significant civilizations, which had a decisive influence on the development of Europe, occurred precisely from the shores of the Mediterranean.
You can compare the geographical position of the Caribbean and the Mediterranean Seas through the influence of their geography on the culture and historical development of civilizations born on their shores.
In the modern economy, the tourism potential of a particular region is of particular importance, and both vast reservoirs can boast significant advantages over other regions due to climatic conditions. While the Mediterranean Sea offers (in addition to climate) historical monuments and numerous cultural attractions to its guests, the Caribbean Sea can offer a year-round tropical paradise with insignificant temperature variations from season to season.
Flora and fauna
In terms of biomes, the Caribbean Sea boasts significant biodiversity, and many of its species are endemic. The flora and fauna of the Mediterranean is not so diverse, but also rich. In addition, the waters of the Mediterranean Sea have been actively exploited for several millennia, while the development of the Caribbean by Europeans began only in the XVl century.