Abstract
The Mediterranean gave birth to the whole world: all the world is her debt (Semple, 1932). Modern civilization traces back to seeds of culture-matured in the circle of the Mediterranean lands and transplanted thence to other countries whence they have been disseminated over the world. The Mediterranean Sea with its bordering lands has been a melting-pot for the peoples and civilization, which have rushed into it from continental hinterlands. It has been a catchment basin, and also a disturbutionary’s center for its composite cultural achievements. This double role in history is an outgrowth of its geographical location and its relation to the neighboring continents.
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Notes
- 1.
Yugoslavia is no longer a country since February 2003 and officially is divided into three independent countries: Serbia, Montengro and Kosovo.
- 2.
The Messinian Salinity Crises referred to as the Messinian Event as a period when the Med. Sea evaporated partly or completely during the Messinian period of the Miocene epoch 5.96 million years ago.
- 3.
The spelling of matorral and garrigue could be also mattoral and garigue, respectively (Branigan and Jarrett, 1975; Dallman, 1998; Blondel and Aronson, 1999).
- 4.
Mersa Matruh is located at about 350 km west of Alexandria.
- 5.
CASSARINA = Change and Sustainability: Aquatic Ecosystem Resilience in North Africa.
- 6.
Mire = Deep mud.
- 7.
Levant Lands are the lands of the East or Orient where sun is seen to rise (Branigan and Jarrett, 1975).
- 8.
Maquis = Mediterranean woodland dominated by sclerophyllous evergreen low trees and shrubs up to 4 m high.
- 9.
Garigue = French term for sclerophyllous scrub that consists generally of chamaephytes and nano-phanerophytes 1 m or 50 cm high.
- 10.
Batha = Dwarf shrub formation.
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Zahran, M. (2010). Afro-Asian Mediterranean Coastal Lands. In: Gilbert, F. (eds) Climate - Vegetation. Plant and Vegetation, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8595-5_1
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