Strait of Sicily

For waters separating Sicily from Italy, see Strait of Messina.

Coordinates: 37°12′N 11°12′E / 37.20°N 11.20°E / 37.20; 11.20

The Strait of Sicily (also known as Sicilian Strait, Sicilian Channel, Channel of Sicily, Sicilian Narrows and Pantelleria Channel; Italian: Canale di Sicilia or the Stretto di Sicilia; Sicilian: Canali di Sicilia or Strittu di Sicilia) is the strait between Sicily and Tunisia.[1][2] The strait is about 145 kilometres (90 mi) wide and divides the Tyrrhenian Sea and the western Mediterranean Sea, from the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The maximum depth is 316 meters (1,037 ft).

Deep currents in the strait flow from east to west, and the current nearer the surface travels from west to east. This unusual water flow is of interest to oceanographers.

There are regular ferries between Sicily and Tunis across the Strait of Sicily

The island of Pantelleria lies in the middle of the strait.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Strait of Sicily, Britannica Atlas, Encyclopedia Britannica, Chicago (U.S.A.), 1989. Page 36, Geographic coordinates 37.20N 11.20E.
  2. ↑ Scott C. Truver (1980), The Strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, Springer, 1st edition.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Strait of Sicily.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, April 28, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.