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How does the Mediterranean Sea separate Europe from Africa?

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Map of the Mediterranean Sea and surrounding regions, showing physical features such as sea basins and depths, major coastal cities, country boundaries, and islands. The map includes a small locator inset highlighting the Mediterranean area within Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea acts as a vast, intercontinental body of water that physically separates the continents of Europe and Africa.1

This separation is defined by the sea's position between the two landmasses, stretching from the Strait of Gibraltar in the west to the shores of the Middle East in the east. The Strait of Gibraltar, a narrow channel roughly 8 miles (13 km) wide at its narrowest point, serves as the primary gateway between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean, lying directly between the southern coast of Spain and the northern coast of Morocco.12

Geologically, the relationship between these two regions is characterized by the northward compression of Africa into Europe, a process that has shaped the tectonic landscape of the Mediterranean basin and its surrounding mountain ranges, such as the Atlas Mountains in North Africa and the various mountain systems across southern Europe.3