Mesdhe

Mesdhe is the Albanian name for the Mediterranean Sea, the large body of water that lies between southern Europe, northern Africa, and the Levant. It is one of the world's oldest and most historically significant seas, shaping trade, culture, and climate around its shores.

Geography and extent: The Mediterranean covers about 2.5 million square kilometers. Its average depth is around 1,500 meters, with a maximum depth of about 5,267 meters at the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea. The sea is largely enclosed by Europe, Africa, and Asia and connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar and to the Indian Ocean via the Suez Canal.

Subregions and coastlines: It includes several named basins and marginal seas such as the Tyrrhenian, Adriatic, Ionian, Aegean, and Levantine seas. Coastlines touch more than a dozen countries, including Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco.

History and economy: The Med has been a central corridor for civilizations, trade, and cultural exchange since antiquity. It remains a major route for international shipping, tourism, and fisheries, supporting economies around its rim.

Environment: The sea hosts rich biodiversity but faces environmental pressures, including pollution, overfishing, nutrient runoff, invasive species, and warming waters. International cooperation and marine protection efforts aim to address these challenges.

In Albanian usage, Mesdhe is a standard term in maps, education, and media, reflecting the sea’s geographical and cultural prominence in Albanian-speaking regions.