The Mediterranean Summer festival at Kew ran during the summer of
2007. The Mediterranean - Climate and Habitats
The Mediterranean Basin
A typical Mediterranean Basin landscape
The Basin consists of a complex geography and many different countries. At its centre is the Mediterranean Sea which influences the coastal areas that surround it. To the north are Turkey, Greece, Italy, southern France, Spain and Portugal, to the east lie Israel, Lebanon and Syria while to the south are the north African countries of Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.
Rainfall varies on the geography and the patterns are more complex here than any other Mediterranean climate region. Rainy seasons can vary from autumn to spring depending on location but summers are always hot and dry. Dry months do not last as long as in other Mediterranean climate regions such as California, and light rains can fall in summer. However temperatures can reach higher figures here as the Mediterranean Sea does not provide the same cooling effect as the larger oceans do for the other areas of the world.
The Basin contains a series of distinctive
floras and many species have an east
or west distribution. For example
Cork Oak (Quercus suber)
is mainly found in western regions
while Judas Tree (Cercis siliquastrum)
exists only in the east. Others
plants have a very wide distribution
such as the Holm Oak (Quercus ilex)
which can found throughout the Mediterranean.
Fires are a natural part of this
ecosystem and plants are adapted
to them. However due to the increase
in the frequency of fires (many due
to humans) many plants find themselves
at a disadvantage and some annuals do not complete their lifecycles.
There are three main types of habitat in the Mediterranean - maquis, garrigue and woodland.
- Maquis has dense shrub-land, olives and oak trees.
- Garrigue is open with many heaths and aromatic shrubs full of essential oils including lavender, sage and thyme.
- Woodlands are dominated by oaks and conifers including Holm Oak (Quercus ilex), Cork Oak (Q.suber), Stone Pine (Pinus pinea) and Maritime Pine (P. pinaster).