*** Welcome to piglix ***

Adriatic

Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea map.png
Map of the Adriatic Sea
Location Europe
Coordinates 43°N 15°E / 43°N 15°E / 43; 15Coordinates: 43°N 15°E / 43°N 15°E / 43; 15
Type Sea
Primary inflows Adige, Bojana, Drin, Krka, Neretva, Po, Soča
Primary outflows Ionian Sea
Catchment area 235,000 km2 (91,000 sq mi)
Basin countries Coastal: Albania, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina
Non-coastal: Serbia,Macedonia, Kosovo, Switzerland and France (drainage basins for inflow rivers)
Max. length 800 km (500 mi)
Max. width 200 km (120 mi)
Surface area 138,600 km2 (53,500 sq mi)
Average depth 252.5 m (828 ft)
Max. depth 1,233 m (4,045 ft)
Water volume 35,000 km3 (8,400 cu mi)
Residence time 3.4±0.4 years
Salinity 38–39 PSU
Shore length1 3,739.1 km (2,323.4 mi)
Max. temperature 24 °C (75 °F)
Min. temperature 9 °C (48 °F)
Islands Over 1300
Settlements Bari, Venice, Trieste, Split, Pescara, Šibenik, Rimini, Rijeka, Durrës, Ancona, Zadar, Vlorë, Brindisi, Dubrovnik
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.
Most populous urban areas on the Adriatic coast

Bari
Bari
Venice
Venice

Rank City Country Region/County Population (urban)

Trieste
Trieste
Split
Split

1 Bari Italy Apulia 320,475
2 Venice Italy Veneto 270,884
3 Trieste Italy Friuli-Venezia Giulia 205,535
4 Split Croatia Split-Dalmatia 178,102
5 Durrës Albania Durrës 175,110
6 Rimini Italy Emilia-Romagna 142,579
7 Rijeka Croatia Primorje-Gorski Kotar 128,384
8 Pescara Italy Abruzzo 123,103
9 Ancona Italy Marche 101,210
10 Pesaro Italy Marche 95,800
Sources: 2011 Croatian census, Italian National Institute of Statistics (2011), 2011 Albanian Census

The Adriatic Sea /ˌdriˈætk/ is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula and the Apennine Mountains from the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to the northwest and the Po Valley. The countries with coasts on the Adriatic are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Montenegro and Slovenia. The Adriatic contains over 1,300 islands, mostly located along its eastern, Croatian, coast. It is divided into three basins, the northern being the shallowest and the southern being the deepest, with a maximum depth of 1,233 metres (4,045 ft). The Otranto Sill, an underwater ridge, is located at the border between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. The prevailing currents flow counterclockwise from the Strait of Otranto, along the eastern coast and back to the strait along the western (Italian) coast. Tidal movements in the Adriatic are slight, although larger amplitudes are known to occur occasionally. The Adriatic's salinity is lower than the Mediterranean's because the Adriatic collects a third of the fresh water flowing into the Mediterranean, acting as a dilution basin. The surface water temperatures generally range from 30 °C (86 °F) in summer to 12 °C (54 °F) in winter, significantly moderating the Adriatic Basin's climate.


...
Wikipedia

...