Message #130823

[Bianca]

The Strait of Gibraltar (Arabic: مضيق جبل طارق, Spanish: Estrecho de Gibraltar) is the strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain from Morocco.

The name comes from Gibraltar, which in turn originates from the Arabic Jebel Tariq (جبل طارق) meaning mountain of Tariq.

It refers to the Umayyad Berber general Tariq ibn-Ziyad who led the Islamic conquest of Hispania in 711.

There is a possibility that Jebel Tariq (جبل طارق) may derive from "Mountain of the Path" in reference to Gibraltar as the path of Islam into Europe. Tāriq (طارق) has three meanings in Arabic, two of which relate to "the path" or "pathfinder".

Despite its origins, the Arab name for the Strait is Bab el-Zakat or "Gate of Charity". It is also known as the Straits of Gibraltar or STROG (Strait Of Gibraltar), in naval use.

Europe and Africa are separated by 14.24 km (7.7 nautical miles) of ocean at the strait's narrowest point. The strait depth ranges between 300 and 900 metres (980 and 3,000 ft). A ferry commutes between the two continents. The Spanish part of the strait is protected under the El Estrecho Natural Park.