Mediterranean Sea
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Mediterranean Sea. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a large and important inland sea, bounded on the N. by Europe, on the E. by Asia, on the S. by Africa, and communicating at its W. extremity by the Straits of Gibraltar with the N. Atlantic Ocean, and at its N. E. extremity, by the Dardanelles and Bosporus, with the Black or Euxine Sea; extending from lat. 30° to nearly 46° N., and from lon. 5° 54' W. to 36° 8' E.; greatest length, 2,300 miles; greatest breadth, from Venice to the Bay of Sidra, 1,200 miles; area, est. 690,000 square miles. It is of an oblong, but irregular shape, especially on the N., where the large peninsulas of Italy and Greece project S. The coast of the Mediterranean is as remarkable for the difference of altitude as for variety of outline. In the N., with the exception of Italy, it is bold and rugged. On the E. and S. the country presents a low uninteresting flat, with rocky reefs and shoals projecting 5 to 7 miles from the shore, and which render the navigation near these shores both difficult and dangerous; and in this respect the S. side presents a striking contrast to the N., where, generally speaking, deep soundings may be had close to the shore; while in parts, particularly between Nice and Genoa and near Gibraltar, no soundings can be found under 1,000 fathoms and upward. The temperature averages from 72° to 76°, or 3½° F. higher than that of the Atlantic Ocean. The principal rivers which flow into the Mediterranean are the Ebro, Rhone, Po, and Nile. The Mediterranean was long considered tideless, but this is untrue, as in the Adriatic, as well as between that sea and the coast of Africa, the tide rises from 5 to 7 feet. The prevalent winds vary during the spring between S. E. and S. W.; at other times from N. W. to N. E. The most formidable of these winds is the sirocco, or solano, which is very destructive. Water spouts are of frequent occurrence, especially along the coast of Asia Minor. Several springs of fresh water rise in different parts of the Mediterranean; the largest being in the port of Tarento, near the mouth of the Galesus, where the fresh water ascends with such impetuosity and in such a volume that it may be taken up at the surface without the least impregnation of salt.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
the great inland sea of the Old World. The name signifies between worlds. It lies between Europe, Africa, and Asia. The Mediterranean lies in a hot, dry climate. The waters are intensely blue and very salt. Three times as much water is evaporated from its surface as is received from the Nile, Hellespont, Po, and other rivers. A western current sets in through the Strait of Gibraltar to make up the deficiency. The sea was at one time a much larger body of water extending eastward into Central Asia beyond the Caspian and the Aral. The present length from the Strait of Gibraltar to Syria is 2,200 miles; its greatest width is 500 miles; the greatest depth, 13,000 feet. The area is about 900,000 square miles. Owing to the narrowness of the Strait of Gibraltar, the tides are those of a lake rather than those of an ocean. The tides vary from a few inches to six feet. Shallows, reaching from Italy by way of Sicily to the coast of Tunis, divide the Mediterranean into two basins, an eastern and a western. The western basin is comparatively regular in outline, the deepest gulfs being those of Lyons and Genoa. Sardinia, Corsica, and the Balearic Isles are situated in this basin. The eastern basin is very irregular. Two arms are known as the Adriatic and the Aegean. The principal islands are Cyprus, Rhodes, Crete, and Malta. The waters of the Mediterranean are noted for fisheries, including sardines, sponges, and corals. The Mediterranean is the most noted body of water in history. Its shores were in all probability the seat of the earliest civilization.