The Tyrrhenian sea is 475 miles long and ranges from 60 to 300 miles wide. It is connected to the
Ionian Sea by the
Straight of Messina. The name is derived from the
Tyrrhenoi which is the ancient name for the Etruscans. The primary ports are Naples and Palermo. The
Aeolian archipelago is volcanic - the seven main
islands are of volcanic origin. Furthermore, there are three active volcanoes in the arc:
- Stromboli - erupting almost continously for 2000 years
- Vulcano - explosive eruptions, most recently in 1888
- Lipari - most recent eruption 1,400 years ago.
There is also an underwater volcano named
Mount Marsili (currently believed to be
dormant). This sea mount raises almost 10,000 feet from the sea bed near
Naples, its peak lies 1650 feet below the surface. This
volcano appears to be one of the youngest ones in the the
Mediterranean.
France /---\ Italy
------/ \
Ligurian \
Sea \
/-\ \
|C| \
| | \*
\-/ \
\
/----\ \
| Sa | \*
| rd | Tyrrhenian \ V
| in | Sea \ /\
| ia | \ \ \
\----/ | | \
| |
o / /
/ /
/--------\ \/
| * V | Ionian
\ Sicily | Sea
\_______/