Overview

The Adriatic Sea received its name from ancient Greek geographers who named it after the city of Adria on the mouth of the Po River. It has a surface area of 138600 km2, a volume of 35000 km3, and its shape can be approximated as a rectangle about 800 km long and 200 km wide (Figure 1–1). Detailed knowledge of the geographic, bathymetric, orographic and climatic characteristics of the Adriatic Sea is basic to the understanding of its oceanographic properties. Several features, in particular, are key elements in controlling the circulation, water-mass characteristics and interactions with the rest of the Mediterranean Sea.