Answer:
A sea that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the west to Asia on the East; it separates Europe and Africa.
<h2>What so special about the Mediterranean sea?</h2>
From a geographical viewpoint, it is not so remarkable, as it is another sea like so many on Earth.
However, from a historical perspective, it is a crucial location because it is the birthplace of civilization. Africa, where humans initially emerged, is to the south. They had to either travel around the Mediterranean or cross it as they made their way to Asia, in the East, and to Europe, in the North. As a result, Egypt and the Rich Crescent, as well as the fertile lands surrounding the Mediterranean, saw the greatest growth of early civilizations. Despite being far from the Mediterranean, even the other early civilization (modern-day China) is a product of populations that traveled the Mediterranean for many generations in order to reach Asia.
It was also the birthplace of other, more developed civilizations in a later historical period, including the Greek Civilization, the Phoenician Civilization, the Punic Civilization, the Roman Civilization, the Byzantine Empire, the Arab Empire, and, much later, the Age of Renaissance.
It can only be rivaled by India and China (and, to a lesser degree, South America) as a source of high culture and technology due to its location at the intersection of Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. The majority of other locations inherited those hubs' technological progress.
The Mediterranean region is crucial from a geostrategic perspective since it connects Europe, the Middle East, and both Asia and Africa. The Mediterranean is the quickest route for shipping commodities between Asia and Europe or the American East Coast. Because of this, the Silk Road stopped in the Mediterranean, which was where all of Asia's exotic goods originated (spices, perfumes, silk, dyes). The importance of the Mediterranean was significantly reduced when the Portuguese discovered a route to Asia that avoided Africa, eliminating the need for the hundreds of intermediaries that the Silk Road and the Mediterranean required. However, it was still a very long hazardous journey around Africa and the Cape of Good Hope.
Because it was now possible to sail directly from Asia, via the Red Sea, and onto the Mediterranean, where you could reach Europe and the American East Coast, the Mediterranean reclaimed its historical significance. Additionally, because it was feasible to go from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean through the Bosphorus, it became increasingly significant as the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea gained in prominence. The Mediterranean is the sole waterway that European Russia can use to go from its warm water ports in the Black Sea to the Atlantic or the Indian Ocean (through the Suez Canal).
