The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, located between Southern Europe to the north, North Africa to the south, and Western Asia (the Middle East) to the east. It stretches from the Strait of Gibraltar, between Spain and Morocco in the west, to the coast of Turkey in the east. The sea separates Europe from Africa and lies roughly between latitudes 30° and 46° N and longitudes 6° W and 36° E

. It is almost completely enclosed by land, with connections to other bodies of water including:

• The Atlantic Ocean to the west via the narrow Strait of Gibraltar.
• The Black Sea to the northeast through the Dardanelles Strait, Sea of Marmara, and Bosporus Strait.
• The Red Sea to the southeast via the man-made Suez Canal

The Mediterranean Sea covers an area of about 2.5 million square kilometers (970,000 square miles) and is known as the "sea in the middle of the land" due to its position surrounded by three continents: Europe, Africa, and Asia

. In summary, the Mediterranean Sea is located between Southern Europe, Northern Africa, and Western Asia, connected to the Atlantic Ocean at its western end by the Strait of Gibraltar.