[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman]Seas and Ocean[/FONT][/CENTER]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman]Seas [/FONT][/CENTER]
[LEFT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]A sea is either a large expanse of [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salinity"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]saline water[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] connected with an [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]ocean[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], or a large, usually saline, [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]lake[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] that lacks a natural outlet such as the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspian_Sea"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Caspian Sea[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] and the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Dead Sea[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]. The term is used colloquially as synonymous with ocean, as in "the tropical sea" or "down to the sea shore", or even "[/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_water"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]sea water[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]" to refer to water of the ocean. Large lakes, such as the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Great Lakes[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], are sometimes referred to as inland seas. Many seas are [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marginal_sea"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]marginal seas[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], in which [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_current"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]currents[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] are caused by ocean winds; others are [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_sea_%28oceanography%29"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]mediterranean seas[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], in which currents are caused by differences in [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salinity"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]salinity[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] and [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperature"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]temperature[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman].[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]The [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Hydrographic_Organization"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]International Hydrographic Organization[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] (IHO) is the world authority when it comes to defining seas. The current defining document is the Special publication S-23, [I][URL="http://www.iho.shom.fr/PUBLICATIONS/download.htm"][COLOR=windowtext]Limits of Oceans and Seas[/COLOR][/URL][/I], 3rd edition, 1953. The second edition dated back to 1937, and the first to 1928. A fourth edition draft was published in 1986 but so far several naming disputes (such as the one over the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_of_Japan_naming_dispute"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Sea of Japan[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]) have prevented its ratification.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]List of seas (by ocean)[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]† Not listed in IHO S-23 4th ed.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Ambiguous terminology[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Some bodies of water that are called "seas" are not actually seas; there are also some seas that are not called "seas". The following is an incomplete list of such potentially confusing names.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]The [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_of_Galilee"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Sea of Galilee[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman] is a small freshwater lake with a natural outlet, which is properly called Lake Tiberias or Lake Kinneret on modern Israeli maps, but its original name remains in use. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]The Sea of Cortés is more commonly known as the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_California"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Gulf of California[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]The [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Gulf"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Persian Gulf[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman] is a sea. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]The [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Dead Sea[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] is actually a lake, as is the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspian_Sea"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Caspian Sea[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]. [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]
[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Extraterrestrial seas[/FONT][/SIZE]
[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_mare"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Lunar maria[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] are vast basaltic plains on the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Moon[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman] that were thought to be bodies of water by early astronomers, who referred to them as "seas".[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Liquid water may have existed on the surface of [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Mars[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] in the distant past, and several basins on Mars have been proposed as dry sea beds. The largest is [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vastitas_Borealis"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Vastitas Borealis[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]; others include [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellas_Planitia"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Hellas Planitia[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] and [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyre_Planitia"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Argyre Planitia[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman].[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Liquid water is thought to be present under the surface of several [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_satellite"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]moons[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], most notably [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_%28moon%29"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Europa[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman].[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Liquid hydrocarbons are thought to be present on the surface of [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_%28moon%29"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Titan[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman], though it may be more accurate to describe them as "lakes" rather than "seas".[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Science[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]The term "sea" has also been used in [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_physics"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]quantum physics[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]. [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirac_sea"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Dirac sea[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman] is an interpretation of the negative energy states that comprises the vacuum.[/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]
[CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman]Ocean[/FONT][/CENTER]
[IMG]http://www.jo1sat.com/[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME~1/3B5D~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif[/IMG][/IMG]
[LEFT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Animated map exhibiting the world's oceanic waters. A continuous body of water encircling the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Earth[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Ocean"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]world (global) ocean[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] is divided into a number of principal areas. Five oceanic divisions are usually reckoned: [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Ocean"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Pacific[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Ocean"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Atlantic[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Ocean"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Indian[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_Ocean"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Arctic[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], and [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Ocean"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Southern[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]; the last two listed are sometimes consolidated into the first three.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]An ocean (from Ωκεανός, [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceanus"][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][I][COLOR=windowtext]Okeanos[/COLOR][/I][COLOR=windowtext] (Oceanus)[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] in [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_********"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Greek[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]) is a major body of [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seawater"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]saline water[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], and a principal component of the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrosphere"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]hydrosphere[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]. Approximately 71% of the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Earth[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]'s [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]surface[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] (an area of some 361 million [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_kilometre"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]square kilometers[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]) is covered by ocean, a [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Ocean"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]continuous body of water[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]seas[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]. More than half of this area is over 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) deep. Average oceanic [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salinity"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]salinity[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] is around 35 [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parts_per_thousand"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]parts per thousand[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman] (ppt) (3.5%), and nearly all seawater has a salinity in the range of 31 to 38 ppt.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Overview[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Though generally recognized as several 'separate' oceans, these waters comprise one global, interconnected body of salt water often referred to as the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Ocean"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]World Ocean[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] or global ocean.[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean#_note-0#_note-0"][COLOR=windowtext][1][/COLOR][/URL][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean#_note-UNAoO#_note-UNAoO"][COLOR=windowtext][2][/COLOR][/URL] This concept of a global ocean as a continuous body of water with relatively free interchange among its parts is of fundamental importance to [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceanography"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]oceanography[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3].[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean#_note-1#_note-1"][COLOR=windowtext][3][/COLOR][/URL] The major oceanic divisions are defined in part by the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]continents[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], various [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archipelago"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]archipelagos[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], and other criteria: these divisions are (in descending order of size) the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Ocean"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Pacific Ocean[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Ocean"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Atlantic Ocean[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Ocean"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Indian Ocean[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Ocean"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Southern Ocean[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] (which is sometimes subsumed as the southern portions of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans), and the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_Ocean"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Arctic Ocean[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] (which is sometimes considered a [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]sea[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] of the Atlantic). The Pacific and Atlantic may be further subdivided by the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equator"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]equator[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] into [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]northerly[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] and [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]southerly[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] portions. Smaller regions of the oceans are called seas, [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headlands_and_bays"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]gulfs[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]bays[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] and other names. There are also some smaller bodies of saltwater that are on land and [I]not[/I] interconnected with the World Ocean, such as the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aral_Sea"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Aral Sea[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], and the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Salt_Lake"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Great Salt Lake[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] – though they may be referred to as 'seas', they are actually [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_lake"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]salt lakes[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman].[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Geologically, an ocean is an area of oceanic crust covered by water. Oceanic crust is the thin layer of solidified volcanic [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basalt"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]basalt[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] that covers the Earth's [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantle_%28geology%29"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]mantle[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] where there are no continents. From this perspective, there are three oceans today: the World Ocean and the Caspian and [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sea"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Black Seas[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], the latter two having been formed by the collision of [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cimmerian_plate"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Cimmeria[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] with [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurasia"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Laurasia[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]. The [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Mediterranean Sea[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] is very nearly a discrete ocean, being connected to the World Ocean through the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Gibraltar"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Strait of Gibraltar[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], and indeed several times over the last few million years [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]movement[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] of the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]African continent[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] has closed the strait off entirely. The Black Sea is connected to the Mediterranean through the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosporus"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Bosporus[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], but this is in effect a natural [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canal"][COLOR=windowtext][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]canal[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman] cut through continental rock some 7,000 years ago, rather than a piece of oceanic sea floor like the Strait of Gibraltar.[/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]