The Strait of Gibraltar is a strait of international importance. Located between the northwestern coast of Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. Connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. On the north coast is Spain and Gibraltar (the possession of the United Kingdom), in the south of Ceuta - (Spanish city) and Morocco.
The length of the strait is sixty-five kilometers, the width is from 14 to 44 kilometers, the greatest depth is up to 1181 meters. At different depths of the strait, there are currents directed in opposite directions. This is a surface type current, bringing water from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, and deep, bringing water from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic. On the banks of the strait are steep cliffs. In ancient times, sailors called them Herculean pillars.
Due to its convenient location, the Strait of Gibraltar is of crucial strategic and economic importance. It is currently controlled by the Gibraltar naval base and the English fortress. Moroccan Tangier and the Spanish ports of La Linea, Ceuta and Algeciras are also located in the strait area. Every day, about three hundred merchant and other vessels pass through the Strait of Gibraltar. Especially for the protection of marine mammals, the Spanish government has set a speed limit for all ships - 24 kilometers per hour (13 knots).
Will they build a bridge or a tunnel across the Strait of Gibraltar?
The Anlantrop project was created in 1920 by the German architect Zergel. He proposed to block the strait with an electric dam, and the Dardanelles - a second dam, but smaller. There was also an option where a second dam in the strait connected Africa to Sicily. In this case, the water level in the Mediterranean Sea would approximately drop by one hundred meters. Thus, German Zergel wanted not only to receive an abundance of electric energy, but also to supply fresh water to the deserts of Africa so that they became suitable for agriculture. As a result of the creation of such a structure, Africa and Europe would become one continent, and instead of the Mediterranean Sea another, of artificial origin would appear. He would be called Sahara.
For a long time, Morocco and Spain jointly studied the issue of building a tunnel - road or rail. In 2003, a new research program began. A group of British and American builders considered building a bridge across the Strait of Gibraltar. It was supposed to be the tallest in the world (over 800 meters) and the longest (about fifteen kilometers). Science fiction writer
Clark Arthur described such a bridge in his romantic work, Fountains of Paradise.
Gibraltar is the territory of Great Britain. Located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula. Includes a sandy isthmus and Gibraltar rock. It is a naval base of NATO. To travel to Gibraltar you must apply for a
visa. A visa to Gibraltar is issued at the
British Embassy and
Consulate. You will need color photographs, a completed application, a package of documents (passport abroad, copy of tickets, hotel room reservation, a certificate from the bank and from the workplace).