Ep.7: Islands of the Mediterranean Sea – Top 7 in Order of Size
Intro
Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.
The Mediterranean Sea is home to numerous islands, too numerous to mention. Each island has its own unique culture, history, and attractions. Most are inhabited and approximately 200 are uninhabited.
Today's mnemonic will be on the islands of the Mediterranean Sea - top seven in order of size.
So, with no further ado, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mediterranean_Relief.jpg
Wikipedia Summary
The Mediterranean Sea (/ˌmɛdɪtəˈreɪniən/ MED-ih-tə-RAY-nee-ən) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant in West Asia. The Mediterranean has played a central role in the history of Western civilization. Geological evidence indicates that around 5.9 million years ago the Mediterranean was cut off from the Atlantic and was partly or completely desiccated over a period of some 600,000 years during the Messinian salinity crisis before being refilled by the Zanclean flood about 5.3 million years ago.
The Mediterranean Sea covers an area of about 2,500,000 km2 (970,000 sq mi),[2] representing 0.7% of the global ocean surface, but its connection to the Atlantic via the Strait of Gibraltar—the narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates the Iberian Peninsula in Europe from Morocco in Africa—is only 14 km (9 mi) wide. The Mediterranean Sea encompasses a vast number of islands, some of them of volcanic origin. The two largest islands, in both area and population, are Sicily and Sardinia.
The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and the deepest recorded point is 5,109 m (16,762 ft) ±1 m (3 ft) in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea. It lies between latitudes 30° and 46° N and longitudes 6° W and 36° E. Its west–east length, from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Gulf of Alexandretta, on the southeastern coast of Turkey, is about 4,000 kilometres (2,500 mi). The north–south length varies greatly between different shorelines and whether only straight routes are considered. Also including longitudinal changes, the shortest shipping route between the multinational Gulf of Trieste and the Libyan coastline of the Gulf of Sidra is about 1,900 kilometres (1,200 mi). The water temperatures are mild in winter and warm in summer and give name to the Mediterranean climate type due to the majority of precipitation falling in the cooler months. Its southern and eastern coastlines are lined with hot deserts not far inland, but the immediate coastline on all sides of the Mediterranean tends to have strong maritime moderation.
The sea was an important route for merchants and travellers of ancient times, facilitating trade and cultural exchange between the peoples of the region. The history of the Mediterranean region is crucial to understanding the origins and development of many modern societies. The Roman Empire maintained nautical hegemony over the sea for centuries and is the only state to have ever controlled all of its coast.
The countries surrounding the Mediterranean in clockwise order are Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco; Malta and Cyprus are island countries in the sea. In addition, Gibraltar, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, is located on the coast of the Mediterranean. The drainage basin encompasses a large number of other countries, the Nile being the longest river ending in the Mediterranean Sea.[3]
Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea]
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mediterranean_Sea_location_map_islands-de.svg
Mnemonic
Islands of the Mediterranean Sea Mnemonic – Top 7 in Order of Size – SSiCCCEM rex
(Picture the commercial for Holeproof Antz Pantz in 1989 where an Echidna called Rex saves the day by eating the ants before they get to the pants after the lady gave the instruction to “Siccem Rex”. So picture all the residents of the Islands of the Mediterranean Sea, having a pet echidna called Rex to manage swarms of ants, by giving the instruction to “Siccem Rex”.)
1. Sicily
2. Sardinia
3. Cyprus
4. Corsica
5. Crete
6. Euboea
7. Majorca
Five Fun Facts
1. Sicily as mentioned is the largest island with an area of 25,710 square kilometres or 9,927 square miles.
2. The Mediterranean has a coastline of approximately 46,027 kilometres or 28,600 miles.
3. The highest point of any Mediterranean Island is Mount Etna on Sicily at 3,326 metres (Tenerife at 3,719 metres - part of Spain).
4. The Mediterranean is bordered by a total of 22 countries or principalities.
5. The Mediterranean is over 5 million years old and was filled, in approximately 2 years by an ancient flood.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saharan_Dust_over_the_Mediterranean_(MODIS).jpg
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Three Question Quiz
Q.1. What are the only two independent nations in the Mediterranean?
Q.2. The water is much darker than normal as it lacks many nutrients that lead to plant growth. True or False
Q.3. Approximately how many islands are in the Mediterranean Sea? 1,000, 2,000 or 3,000
Mnemonic Recap
Islands of the Mediterranean Sea Mnemonic – Top 7 in Order of Size – SSiCCCEM rex
(Picture the commercial for Holeproof Antz Pantz in 1989 where an Echidna called Rex saves the day by eating the ants before they get to the pants after the lady gave the instruction to “Siccem Rex”. So picture all the residents of the Islands of the Mediterranean Sea, having a pet echidna called Rex to manage swarms of ants, by giving the instruction to “Siccem Rex”.)
1. Sicily
2. Sardinia
3. Cyprus
4. Corsica
5. Crete
6. Euboea
7. Majorca
Three Question Quiz Answers
Q.1. What are the only two independent nations in the Mediterranean?
A. Malta & Cyperus
Q.2. The water is much darker than normal as it lacks many nutrients that lead to plant growth. True or False
A. True
Q.3. Approximately how many islands are in the Mediterranean Sea? 1,000, 2,000 or 3,000
A. 3,000
Now just speaking of Mediterranean Islands, I remember when I was on holiday recently and someone from one of the Mediterranean islands listed above (actually number 4 on the list) asked me if I could guess their ethnicity. I promptly replied … … Corsican!
Word of the Week
insouciant
[ in-soo-see-uhnt ]
adjective
free from concern, worry, or anxiety; carefree; nonchalant.
Example
People living on the islands in the Mediterranean, seem to be more insouciant than people on the mainland of Europe.
Extracted from: [https://www.dictionary.com/]
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References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_islands_in_the_Mediterranean
https://www.travelrepublic.co.uk/blog/fun-facts-about-the-med