
Tyrrhenian Sea.
The 'Tyrrhenian Sea' (Mar Tirreno in Italian) is part of the
Mediterranean Sea off of the western coast of
Italy.
It is bounded by
Corsica and
Sardinia (west)
Liguria (north),
Tuscany,
Lazio,
Campania, and
Calabria (east), and
Sicily (south).
The maximum depth of the sea is 3785 m.
The Tyrrhenian Sea is situated near the
African-European Fault; therefore mountain chains and active volcanoes (mount Marsilii) are in its depths. Winds are
Mistral from the
Rhône valley,
Libeccio from the south-west,
Scirocco and
Ostro from the south.
There are five exits from the Tyrrhenian Sea:
★ The
Strait of Messina between
Sicily and
Calabria on the toe of
Italy, 3 km wide.
★ The
Corsica Channel between
Tuscany and
Corsica, about 80 km wide.
★ The
Strait of Bonifacio between
Corsica and
Sardinia, 11 km wide.
★ The Sardinian Channel between
Sardinia and
Tunisia, about 200 km wide.
★ The
Strait of Sicily between
Tunisia and
Sicily, about 160 km wide.
In
Greek mythology, it is believed that the cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea housed the four winds kept by
Aeolus.
The name for this part of the
Mediterranean Sea derives from the Greek name for the
Etruscans, who were said to be emigrants from
Lydia and led by the prince
Tyrrhenus. The Etruscans settled along the coast of modern
Tuscany and referred to the water as the "Sea of the Etruscans".