Alboran Sea

Alboran Sea

The Alboran Sea is the westernmost sea within the Mediterranean Sea. It is located just before the Strait of Gibraltar and reaches a length of about 400 km and a width of 200 km, characterized by depths ranging from 1000-1500 m, up to a maximum of 2000 m in the easternmost part. The bottom morphology is complex, with several inland troughs and submarine ridges. The largest ridge, the Alboran Ridge, extends from northeast to southwest and emerges above sea level in the form of the small volcanic island of Alboran, located in the center of the basin. The ridge delimits the basin into three sub-basins: western, southern and eastern Alboran. The sea is named after the islet (5 sq km) Alboran, located in this sea; its name is from Spanish albor ‘whiteness’, ‘dawn’, ‘beginning’, most likely in the first, color meaning. But assuming that the primary was the name of the sea, it may be explained from the meaning ‘beginning’-this sea represents the beginning of the Mediterranean.