Gibraltar, Strait of
Gibraltar, Strait of
geographical nameChannel, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. Lying between southernmost Spain and northwesternmost Africa, it is 36 mi (58 km) long and narrows to 8 mi (13 km) between Point Marroquí (Spain) and Point Cires (Morocco). At the strait's eastern extreme, 14 mi (23 km) apart, stand the Pillars of Heracles, which have been identified as the Rock of Gibraltar at Gibraltar and one of two peaks in North Africa: Mount Hacho (held by Spain), near the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, or Jebel Moussa (Musa), in Morocco. The strait has long been of great strategic and economic importance.
Variants of GIBRALTAR, STRAIT OF
This entry comes from Encyclopædia Britannica Concise.
For the full entry on Gibraltar, Strait of, visit Britannica.com.
Learn More About
Seen & Heard 
What made you look up Gibraltar, Strait of? Please tell us what you were reading, watching or discussing that led you here.
