Strait of Gibraltar

Description

Strait of Gibraltar: Non Plus Ultra End of the World: an investigation of the great waterway that inter-links the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea and forms the inter-continental divide between Europe and Africa across the legendary Pillars of Hercules. In this post-Cold War era of massive geo-political flux, the Strait is viewed as a ‘strategic asset’ for its shipping lanes: between the Atlantic as far as the Bosporus to the Black Sea; and via the transformative Suez Canal to the Red Sea and the Gulf, and beyond. The strait has, though, been a strategic waterway since the days of those early seafarers, the Phoenicians, who encouraged the myth that any vessel passing through the Strait would sail off the edge of the world. For the Romans of a later era this, too, was Non Plus Ultra. In this same way, the great and improbable human adventure is formed, and inevitably eclipsed, by the geo-graphical dimension: the prehistoric trans-migrations out of Africa, the outstanding achievements and titanic clashes of classical antiquity, the sea battles and world conflicts over the centuries since, and the geopolitical intrigues of the present era. The epic story of the Strait opens with its formation over five million years ago. The timeline established with End of the World, this investigation places the focus on: Sea of Antiquity and Early Exploration, Ancient Geographers and the Mapping of the Strait, Pillars of Hercules, and A World Waterway. Strait of Gibraltar aims to locate the identity of the waterway in its greater or global perspective for this early twenty first century.

First Sentence

The Strait of Gibraltar occupies a place in the imagination beyond the scope of any atlas.

Description

Strait of Gibraltar: Non Plus Ultra is a geographical investigation of the great waterway that links the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea and forms the inter-continental divide between Europe and Africa across the legendary Pillars of Hercules. In this post Cold War era, the Strait is often referred to as a ‘strategic asset’ for its shipping lanes: between the Atlantic via the Bosporus to the Black Sea; and via the transformative Suez Canal to the Red Sea and the Gulf, and beyond. The Strait has been a strategic asset since the days of those early seafarers, the Phoenicians, who defied (or encouraged) the myth that any vessel passing through the waterway would fall off the End of the World, and into the unknown void. In this same way, the great human adventure is formed and inevitably eclipsed by the geographical dimension: the prehistoric trans-migrations out of Africa, the outstanding achievements and titanic clashes of classical antiquity, the sea battles and world conflicts over the centuries since, and the geopolitical intrigues of the present post-Cold War era. The epic story of the strait opens with its formation over five million years ago. The timeline established with the End of the World, the author undertakes a geographical investigation with the focus on: Ancient Geographers and the Mapping of the Strait, the Pillars of Hercules, and A World Waterway. Strait of Gibraltar aims to locate the position and identity of the waterway in its greater or global perspective in this early twenty first century.

Subjects

Series Statement

• Where Continents Meet