Strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar (Arabic: مضيق جبل
طارق, Spanish: Estrecho de Gibraltar) is a narrow strait that
connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and
separates Gibraltar and Spain in Europe from Morocco in Africa.
The name comes from the Rock of Gibraltar, which in turn
originates from the Arabic Jebel Tariq (meaning "Tariq's
mountain") named after Tariq ibn Ziyad. It is also known as the
Straits of Gibraltar, or STROG (Strait Of Gibraltar), in naval
use and as the "Pillars of Hercules" (Ancient Greek: αἱ
Ἡράκλειοι στῆλαι) in the ancient world. Europe and Africa are
separated by 7.7 nautical miles (14.3 km; 8.9 mi) of ocean at
the strait's narrowest point. The Strait's depth ranges between
300 and 900 metres (160 and 490 fathoms; 980 and 3,000 ft) which
possibly interacted with the lower mean sea level of the last
major glaciation 20,000 years before present when the level of
the sea was believed to be lower by 110–120 m (60–66 fathoms;
360–390 ft). Ferries cross between the two