Strait of Gibraltar

The Strait of Gibraltar is a strait of international importance. It is located between the north-west coast of Africa and the Iberian peninsula. It connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea. On the northern coast is Spain and Gibraltar (possession of Great Britain), in the south of Ceuta (the Spanish city) and Morocco.

The length of the strait is sixty-five kilometers, width - from 14 to 44 kilometers, the greatest depth - up to 1181 meters. At different depths of the strait there are currents directed in opposite directions. This is a surface-type current, which brings water from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, and deep water, which brings water from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic. On the shores of the strait there are steep cliffs. In ancient times, the sailors called them the Hercules pillars.

Due to its convenient location, the Strait of Gibraltar is of crucial strategic and economic importance. Currently, it is controlled by the naval base of Gibraltar and the English fortress. Also in the strait area are the Moroccan Tangier and the Spanish ports of La Linea, Ceuta and Algeciras. Every day through the Strait of Gibraltar passes about three hundred trading and other vessels. Especially for the protection of marine mammals, the Spanish government set a speed limit for all ships - 24 kilometers per hour (13 knots).

Will they build a bridge or tunnel through the Strait of Gibraltar?

The project "Anlanthropus" was created in 1920 by the German architect Zergel. He proposed to block the strait by an electric dam, and the Dardanelles - the second dam, but of a smaller size. There was also a variant where the second dam in the strait connected Africa with Sicily. At the same time, the water level in the Mediterranean Sea would tentatively fall by a hundred meters. Thus, Hermann Zergel wanted not only to receive in abundance electric energy, but also to supply fresh water in the deserts of Africa, so that they became suitable for agriculture. As a result of the creation of such a structure, Africa and Europe would become one continent, and instead of the Mediterranean Sea, another, artificial origin would appear. He would be called Saharan.

For a long time, Morocco and Spain have jointly studied the construction of a tunnel - road or rail. In 2003, a new research program began. A group of British and American builders was considering the construction of a bridge across the Strait of Gibraltar. It was to become the highest in the world (over 800 meters) and the longest (about fifteen kilometers). Sci-Fi writer Clark Arthur described such a bridge in his romantic work "Fountains of Paradise."

Gibraltar is the territory of Great Britain. It is located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula. Includes sandy isthmus and Gibraltar rock. It is the naval base of NATO. For a trip to Gibraltar, you need to issue a visa. A visa to Gibraltar is issued at the British Embassy and Consulate. You will need color photographs, a completed application, a package of documents (an overseas passport, a copy of the tickets, a hotel room reservation, a certificate from the bank and from the place of work).