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91-704: The climate is mild in both summer and winter, producing Mediterranean vegetation, with many gardens growing rare and exotic plants. Well-known gardens include those of the Borromean and Brissago Islands , that of the Villa Taranto in Verbania , and the Alpinia Botanical Garden above Stresa . Lake Maggiore is drained by the river Ticino , a main tributary of the Po . Its basin also collects

182-667: A Celtic civilization of the Iron Age developed. The latter was in turn conquered by the Romans , who called the lake Verbanus Lacus or Lacus Maximus . In Roman times a maritime line was created that linked the lake, thanks to Ticino , to Pavia , from where the ships would then continue along the Po to the Adriatic Sea . After the fall of the Western Roman Empire , the lake was under different domains. Most of

273-556: A German Schlager group wrote a song called "Lago Maggiore" that appears on their 1990 album Sieben Tage Sonnenschein . Mediterranean For other countries, click here . The Mediterranean Sea ( / ˌ m ɛ d ɪ t ə ˈ r eɪ n i ən / MED -ih-tə- RAY -nee-ən ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean , surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on

364-406: A greater area. Its mean height above the sea level is 193 metres; a deep lake, its bottom is almost everywhere below sea-level: at its deepest, 179 metres below. Its form is very sinuous so that there are few points from which any considerable part of its surface can be seen at a single glance. If this lessens the effect of the apparent size, it increases the variety of its scenery. While the upper end

455-488: A minimum temperature of around 7 °C (45 °F), so they are not hardy year-round in temperate climates, but become hardier as they mature. Citrus require minimal pruning by trimming overcrowded branches, with the tallest branch cut back to encourage bushy growth. Throughout summer, pinching back tips of the most vigorous growth assures more abundant canopy development. As mature plants may produce unwanted, fast-growing shoots (called "water shoots"), these are removed from

546-698: A modified berry with a tough, leathery rind. The rind is divided into an outer colored layer or zest , which is aromatic with essential oils , and an inner layer of white spongy pith. Inside are multiple carpels arranged as radial segments. The seeds develop inside the carpels. The space inside each segment is a locule filled with juice vesicles . Lemons contain numerous phytochemicals , including polyphenols , terpenes , and tannins . Lemon juice contains slightly more citric acid than lime juice (about 47 g/L), nearly twice as much as grapefruit juice, and about five times as much as orange juice. The lemon, like many other cultivated Citrus species,

637-423: A natural highlight after the moistened hair is exposed to sunlight. This works because citric acid acts as bleach. Lemons appear in paintings, pop art, and novels. A wall painting in the tomb of Nakht in 15th century BC Egypt depicts a woman in a festival, holding a lemon. In the 17th century, Giovanna Garzoni painted a Still Life with Bowl of Citrons , the fruits still attached to leafy flowering twigs, with

728-690: A period of some 600,000 years during the Messinian salinity crisis before being refilled by the Zanclean flood about 5.3 million years ago. The Mediterranean Sea covers an area of about 2,500,000 km (970,000 sq mi), representing 0.7% of the global ocean surface, but its connection to the Atlantic via the Strait of Gibraltar —the narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to

819-619: A storeroom of the military prosecutor's headquarters. Germany does not extradite its citizens convicted of war crimes in other countries. Those responsible for the Meina massacre were tried at home in Germany in 1968, convicted and sentenced to life in prison. However, in 1970, the German Supreme Court declared the statute of limitations for those particular war crimes to have expired, and the prisoners were released. Lake Maggiore

910-653: A surface area of about 213 square kilometres (82 sq mi), a maximum length of 54 km (34 mi) (on a straight line) and, at its widest, is 12 km (7 mi). Its main tributaries are the Ticino , the Maggia (forming a very large delta), the Toce (by which it receives the outflow of Lake Orta ) and the Tresa (which is the sole emissary of Lake Lugano ). The rivers Verzasca , Giona , and Cannobino also flow into

1001-441: A wasp on one of the fruits. The impressionist Edouard Manet depicted a lemon on a pewter plate. In modern art, Arshile Gorky painted Still Life with Lemons in the 1930s. In India , a lemon may be ritually encircled around a person in the belief that it repels negative energies. It is a common practice for Hindu owners of a new car to drive over four lemons, one under each wheel, crushing them during their first drive. This

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1092-404: A water spray to flush off the oil. The oil–water mixture is then filtered and separated by centrifugation . The leaves of the lemon tree are used to make a tea and for preparing cooked meats and seafoods . Lemons were the primary commercial source of citric acid before the development of fermentation -based processes. Lemon oil is used in aromatherapy . Lemon oil aroma does not influence

1183-591: A yet-to-be-created foundation named after the victim. The remains of the Bugatti were recovered on 12 July 2009. The sale took place at the Retro Mobile classic car exhibition in Paris on 23 January 2010. It was sold for €260,500. In May 2021, a cable car collapsed near the lake, killing 14 people. In May 2023 a boat capsized in a storm while travelling between Arona and Sesto Calende , killing 4 people. Among

1274-511: Is humid subtropical ( Cfa in the Köppen climate classification ). During winter, the lake helps to maintain a higher temperature in the surrounding region (since water releases heat energy more slowly than air). The temperatures are cooled down in summer by the breezes that blow on the water's surface, changing its colour. The area enjoys nearly 2300 hours of sunshine a year and an average annual temperature of 15.5 °C (60 °F). The water of

1365-720: Is 5,109 ± 1 m (16,762 ± 3 ft) in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea . It lies between latitudes 30° and 46° N and longitudes 6° W and 36° E . Its west–east length, from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Gulf of Alexandretta , on the southeastern coast of Turkey , is about 4,000 kilometres (2,500 mi). The north–south length varies greatly between different shorelines and whether only straight routes are considered. Also including longitudinal changes,

1456-619: Is a calque of the Latin name, from μέσος ( mésos , "in the middle") and γήινος ( gḗinos , "of the earth"), from γῆ ( gê , "land, earth"). The original meaning may have been 'the sea in the middle of the earth', rather than 'the sea enclosed by land'. Ancient Iranians called it the "Roman Sea", and in Classical Persian texts , it was called Daryāy-e Rōm (دریای روم), which may be from Middle Persian form, Zrēh ī Hrōm (𐭦𐭫𐭩𐭤 𐭩 𐭤𐭫𐭥𐭬). The Carthaginians called it

1547-652: Is a hybrid , in its case of the citron and the bitter orange . Lemons were most likely first grown in northeast India. The origin of the word lemon may be Middle Eastern. The word draws from the Old French limon , then Italian limone , from the Arabic ليمون laymūn or līmūn , and from the Persian لیمو līmūn , a generic term for citrus fruit, which is a cognate of Sanskrit ( nimbū , ' lime '). Lemons entered Europe near southern Italy no later than

1638-558: Is also available as a plant for domestic customers. There is also a pink-fleshed Eureka lemon with a green and yellow variegated outer skin. The Lisbon lemon is very similar to the Eureka and is the other common supermarket lemon. It is smoother than the Eureka, has thinner skin, and has fewer or no seeds. It generally produces more juice than the Eureka. The 'Femminello St. Teresa', or 'Sorrento' originates in Italy. This fruit's zest

1729-629: Is an annual open air festival at the end of July/beginning of August. It is organized in Armeno by the Mirapuri community. The first archaeological findings around the lake belong to nomadic people living in the area in prehistoric types. The first settlements discovered date from the Copper Age . Along the shores of the lake, between the 9th and 4th centuries BC. J.-C., the Golasecca culture ,

1820-402: Is believed to protect the driver from accidents. Hindu deities are sometimes depicted with lemons in their iconography , representing the attribute of wealth or abundance. In 20th century American self-improvement culture, Dale Carnegie advised readers "If You Have a Lemon, Make a Lemonade", meaning to make the best of what you have. In the 21st century, a defective machine such as a car

1911-403: Is completely alpine in character, the middle region lies between hills of gentler form, and the lower end advances to the verge of the plain of Lombardy . Lake Maggiore is the most westerly of the three great southern prealpine lakes, the others being Lake Como and Lake Garda. The lake basin has tectonic-glacial origins and its volume is 37 cubic kilometres (9 cu mi). The lake has

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2002-456: Is featured in American writer Ernest Hemingway 's novel A Farewell to Arms . The protagonist (Frederic Henry) and his lover (Catherine Barkley) are forced to cross the transnational border within the lake in a row boat to escape Italian carabinieri . It also appeared as the location of a fictional racetrack in the racing game Gran Turismo Sport and Gran Turismo 7 . Die Flippers ,

2093-517: Is high in lemon oils. It is the variety traditionally used in the making of limoncello . The 'Yen Ben' is an Australasian cultivar. Lemon is a rich source of vitamin C , providing 64% of the Daily Value in a 100 g reference amount (table). Other essential nutrients are low in content. Lemon juice and rind are used in a wide variety of foods and drinks, the juice for its sour taste, from its content of 5–6% citric acid . The whole lemon

2184-438: Is home to several species of nesting waterfowl, it also represents an important corridor, a place of rest and feeding for migrations. For example: common merganser , mute swan , grebes , gulls , cormorants , ducks . A number of exotic species have established themselves in the lake, including pikeperch , which has been recorded since 1977; wels catfish , which was first noticed in the early 1990s; and ruffe , introduced in

2275-661: Is in Piedmont (provinces of Novara and Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola ) and the eastern in Lombardy ( province of Varese ), whereas the most northerly section extends 13 kilometres (8 mi) into the canton of Ticino , where it constitutes its lowest point above sea level as well as that of Switzerland . The culminating point of the lake's drainage basin is the Grenzgipfel summit of Monte Rosa at 4,618 metres (15,151 ft) above sea level. Lake Maggiore weather

2366-582: Is known as al-Baḥr [al-Abyaḍ] al-Mutawassiṭ ( البحر [الأبيض] المتوسط ) 'the [White] Middle Sea'. In Islamic and older Arabic literature, it was Baḥr al-Rūm ( بحر الروم ) or al- Baḥr al-Rūmī ( بحر الرومي ) 'the Sea of the Romans' or 'the Roman Sea' or Baḥr al-šām ( بحر الشام ) or al-Baḥr al-šāmī ( البحر الشامي ) ("the Sea of Syria"). At first, that name referred only to the eastern Mediterranean, but

2457-411: Is used in the manufacture of pectin , a gelling agent and stabilizer in food and other products. In Mediterranean countries including Morocco , lemons are preserved in jars or barrels of salt. The salt penetrates the peel and rind, softening them, and curing them so that they last almost indefinitely. Lemon oil is extracted from oil-containing cells in the skin. A machine breaks up the cells and uses

2548-404: Is used to make marmalade , lemon curd and lemon liqueurs such as Limoncello . Lemon slices and lemon rind are used as a garnish for food and drinks. Lemon zest , the grated outer rind of the fruit, is used to add flavor to baked goods. The juice is used to make lemonade and some cocktails . It is used in marinades for fish, where its acid neutralizes amines in fish. In meat,

2639-566: The Black Sea . In Persian, the name was translated as Baḥr-i Safīd , which was also used in later Ottoman Turkish . Similarly, in 19th century Greek, the name was Άσπρη Θάλασσα ( áspri thálassa ; "white sea"). According to Johann Knobloch, in classical antiquity , cultures in the Levant used colours to refer to the cardinal points: black referred to the north (explaining the name Black Sea ), yellow or blue to east, red to south (e.g.,

2730-653: The Columbian exchange of plants between the Old and New Worlds. It was mainly used as an ornamental plant and for medicine. In the 19th century, lemons were increasingly planted in Florida and California . In 1747, the English physician James Lind 's experiments on seamen suffering from scurvy involved adding lemon juice to their diets, though vitamin C was not yet known as an important dietary ingredient. Lemons need

2821-740: The Italian Lakes (Po). While the Mediterranean watershed is bordered by other river basins in Europe, it is essentially bordered by endorheic basins or deserts elsewhere. The following countries are in the Mediterranean drainage basin while not having a coastline on the Mediterranean Sea: The following countries have a coastline on the Mediterranean Sea: Several other territories also border

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2912-735: The Italian city-states like Amalfi and Genoa before the Crusades, according to the Cairo Geniza documents. A document dated 996 mentions Amalfian merchants living in Cairo . Another letter states that the Genoese had traded with Alexandria . The caliph al-Mustansir had allowed Amalfian merchants to reside in Jerusalem about 1060 in place of the Latin hospice . The Crusades led to

3003-783: The Punic Wars in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, the Roman Republic defeated the Carthaginians to become the preeminent power in the Mediterranean. When Augustus founded the Roman Empire , the Romans referred to the Mediterranean as Mare Nostrum ("Our Sea"). For the next 400 years, the Roman Empire completely controlled the Mediterranean Sea and virtually all its coastal regions from Gibraltar to

3094-641: The Red Sea ) and white to west. That would explain the Bulgarian Byalo More , the Turkish Akdeniz , and the Arab nomenclature described above, lit. "White Sea". Major ancient civilizations were located around the Mediterranean. The sea provided routes for trade, colonization, and war, as well as food (from fishing and the gathering of other seafood) for numerous communities throughout

3185-559: The Roman Empire , Mare Nostrum ("Our Sea"). The term Mare Mediterrāneum appears later: Solinus apparently used this in the 3rd century, but the earliest extant witness to it is in the 6th century, in Isidore of Seville . It means 'in the middle of land, inland' in Latin , a compound of medius ("middle"), terra ("land, earth"), and -āneus ("having the nature of"). The modern Greek name Μεσόγειος Θάλασσα ( mesógeios ; "inland")

3276-528: The "Syrian Sea". In ancient Syrian texts, Phoenician epics and in the Hebrew Bible , it was primarily known as the "Great Sea", הים הגדול HaYam HaGadol , ( Numbers ; Book of Joshua ; Ezekiel ) or simply as "The Sea" ( 1 Kings ). However, it has also been called the "Hinder Sea" because of its location on the west coast of the region of Syria or the Holy Land (and therefore behind a person facing

3367-579: The 16th century and also maintained naval bases in southern France (1543–1544), Algeria and Tunisia. Barbarossa , the Ottoman captain is a symbol of this domination with the victory of the Battle of Preveza (1538). The Battle of Djerba (1560) marked the apex of Ottoman naval domination in the eastern Mediterranean. As the naval prowess of the European powers increased, they confronted Ottoman expansion in

3458-524: The 7th century, and with it the religion of Islam , which soon swept across from the east; at its greatest extent, the Arabs, under the Umayyads , controlled most of the Mediterranean region and left a lasting footprint on its eastern and southern shores. A variety of foodstuffs, spices and crops were introduced to the western Mediterranean's Spain and Sicily during Arab rule, via the commercial networks of

3549-602: The Islamic world. These include sugarcane, rice, cotton, alfalfa, oranges, lemons, apricots, spinach, eggplants, carrots, saffron and bananas. The Arabs also continued extensive cultivation and production of olive oil (the Spanish words for 'oil' and 'olive'— aceite and aceituna , respectively—are derived from the Arabic al-zait , meaning 'olive juice'), and pomegranates (the heraldic symbol of Granada) from classical Greco-Roman times. The Arab invasions disrupted

3640-602: The Levant, being the only state in history to ever do so, being given the nickname "Roman Lake". The Western Roman Empire collapsed around 476 AD. The east was again dominant as Roman power lived on in the Byzantine Empire formed in the 4th century from the eastern half of the Roman Empire . Though the Eastern Roman Empire would continue to hold almost all of the Mediterranean, another power arose in

3731-542: The Mediterranean Sea (from west to east): Lemons The lemon ( Citrus × limon ) is a species of small evergreen tree in the Citrus genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae , native to Asia , including Northeast India where it was first grown. It is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange . The tree's yellow fruit is used throughout the world, primarily for its juice . The pulp and rind are used in cooking and baking. The juice of

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3822-592: The Mediterranean Sea and separates the Iberian Peninsula in Europe from Morocco in Africa —is only 14 km (9 mi) wide. The Mediterranean Sea encompasses a vast number of islands , some of them of volcanic origin. The two largest islands, in both area and population, are Sicily and Sardinia . The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and the deepest recorded point

3913-852: The Mediterranean Sea is the Nile , which takes its sources in equatorial Africa. The basin of the Nile constitutes about two-thirds of the Mediterranean drainage basin and encompasses areas as high as the Ruwenzori Mountains . Among other important rivers in Africa, are the Moulouya and the Chelif , both on the north side of the Atlas Mountains . In Asia, are the Ceyhan and Seyhan , both on

4004-450: The Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea without ship lock, because the water level is essentially the same. The westernmost point of the Mediterranean is located at the transition from the Alborán Sea to the Strait of Gibraltar, the easternmost point is on the coast of the Gulf of Iskenderun in southeastern Turkey. The northernmost point of the Mediterranean is on the coast of the Gulf of Trieste near Monfalcone in northern Italy while

4095-411: The Mediterranean towards East Africa and Asia. This led to a preference for the Mediterranean countries and their ports like Trieste with direct connections to Central and Eastern Europe experienced a rapid economic rise. In the 20th century, the 1st and 2nd World Wars as well as the Suez Crisis and the Cold War led to a shift of trade routes to the European northern ports, which changed again towards

4186-456: The acid partially hydrolyzes tough collagen fibers, tenderizing it. In the United Kingdom , lemon juice is frequently added to pancakes eaten to celebrate Shrove Tuesday . Lemon juice is used as a short-term preservative on certain foods that tend to oxidize and turn brown after being sliced ( enzymatic browning ), such as apples , bananas , and avocados : its acidity suppresses oxidation by polyphenol oxidase enzymes. Lemon peel

4277-406: The ages. The earliest advanced civilizations in the Mediterranean were the Egyptians and the Minoans , who traded extensively with each other. Other notable civilizations that appeared somewhat later are the Hittites and other Anatolian peoples , the Phoenicians , and Mycenean Greece . Around 1200 BC the eastern Mediterranean was greatly affected by the Bronze Age Collapse , which resulted in

4368-407: The area as generic Mediterranean Sea, in the Western Basin. It does not recognize the label Sea of Sardinia . Note 2: Thracian Sea and Myrtoan Sea are seas that are part of the Aegean Sea . Note 3: The Black Sea is not considered part of it. The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Mediterranean Sea as follows: Stretching from the Strait of Gibraltar in

4459-520: The composition of the soil and the abundance of siliceous rocks. Lemons , olive trees and bay olive trees grow there. The spontaneous vegetation is composed of yew , holly and chestnut trees on the surrounding hills. The lake is a habitat to two species of whitefish, Coregonus and, less widespread, Coregonus lavaretus . Both live in deep water and come ashore only during the spawning in early December. There are also perch , pike, chub , burbot , torpedo, eels and Alburnus arborella . The lake

4550-449: The current settlements originated in the Middle Ages when the lake was under the Della Torre , Visconti , the Borromeo and Habsburg families. Clashes also took place on the waters of the lake between military fleets, such as in 1263, when the Della Torre ships fought against those of the Visconti near Arona or, between 1523 and 1524, when the Borromeo clashed against Francesco II Sforza and in 1636 between French and Spanish always in

4641-465: The dead were 2 Italian intelligence agents as well as a former agent of Mossad . This incident is part of the Lake Maggiore massacres during WWII. Meina is a municipality located 77 kilometres (48 miles) northwest of Milan, on the southern shores of Lake Maggiore. The Hotel Meina was located north of the town of Meina and was owned by Alberto and Eugenia Behar, Sephardic Jews who had moved to Italy from Constantinople. In September 1943, an armistice

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4732-512: The destruction of many cities and trade routes. The most notable Mediterranean civilizations in classical antiquity were the Greek city states and the Phoenicians , both of which extensively colonized the coastlines of the Mediterranean. Darius I of Persia , who conquered Ancient Egypt, built a canal linking the Red Sea to the Nile, and thus the Mediterranean. Darius's canal was wide enough for two triremes to pass each other with oars extended and required four days to traverse. Following

4823-437: The east by the Levant in West Asia , on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Europe , on the south by North Africa , and on the west almost by the Morocco–Spain border . The Mediterranean has played a central role in the history of Western civilization . Geological evidence indicates that around 5.9 million years ago, the Mediterranean was cut off from the Atlantic and was partly or completely desiccated over

4914-420: The east), which is sometimes translated as "Western Sea". Another name was the "Sea of the Philistines ", ( Book of Exodus ), from the people inhabiting a large portion of its shores near the Israelites . In Modern Hebrew , it is called הים התיכון HaYam HaTikhon 'the Middle Sea'. In Classic Persian texts was called Daryāy-e Šām (دریای شام) "The Western Sea" or "Syrian Sea". In Modern Standard Arabic , it

5005-443: The entire Mediterranean. Once, most of the trade between Western Europe and the East was passing through the region , but after the 1490s the development of a sea route to the Indian Ocean allowed the importation of Asian spices and other goods through the Atlantic ports of western Europe. The sea remained strategically important. British mastery of Gibraltar ensured their influence in Africa and Southwest Asia. Especially after

5096-399: The flourishing of trade between Europe and the outremer region. Genoa, Venice and Pisa created colonies in regions controlled by the Crusaders and came to control the trade with the Orient. These colonies also allowed them to trade with the Eastern world. Though the fall of the Crusader states and attempts at banning of trade relations with Muslim states by the Popes temporarily disrupted

5187-614: The fourth-floor hotel rooms. It took an extra day for the Germans to reach and execute them. The family included three young children whose lives were not spared despite pleas from older family members. Among those killed were Dino Fernandez-Diaz (76 years old), Pierre Fernandez-Diaz (46), Liliane (Scialom) Fernandez-Diaz (36), Jean Fernandez-Diaz (17), Robert Fernandez-Diaz (13), Blanchette Fernandez-Diaz (12), Marco Mosseri (55), Ester Botton (52), Giacomo Renato Mosseri (22), Odette Uziel (19), Raoul Torres (48), Valerie Nahoum Torres (49), and Daniele Modiano (51). In total, sixteen Jewish residents of

5278-432: The hotel were executed. Its owners, the Behar family, survived due to the efforts of the Turkish consulate. The Italian police report on the Meina massacre was lost but resurfaced in 1994, along with hundreds of other files of war crimes committed post-armistice by Germans who still occupied or were retreating from Italian soil. These files had been hidden in a wooden cabinet, the so-called " cabinet of shame ", discovered in

5369-421: The human immune system , but may contribute to relaxation. An educational science experiment involves attaching electrodes to a lemon and using it as a battery to produce electricity. Although very low power, several lemon batteries can power a small digital watch. Lemon juice forms a simple invisible ink , developed by heat. Lemon juice is sometimes used to increase the blonde color of hair, acting as

5460-436: The immediate coastline on all sides of the Mediterranean tends to have strong maritime moderation. The sea was an important route for merchants and travellers of ancient times, facilitating trade and cultural exchange between the peoples of the region. The history of the Mediterranean region is crucial to understanding the origins and development of many modern societies. The Roman Empire maintained nautical hegemony over

5551-416: The investigation was over, yet that never happened. When the chain corroded, the car sunk to the lake bed, where it was rediscovered on 18 August 1967 by local diver Ugo Pillon and became a favourite target for divers thereafter. When one of the divers, Damiano Tamagni, was killed in a hold-up on 1 February 2008, his friends from the Ascona divers' club decided to lift and sell the car wreck to raise funds for

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5642-422: The lake has a comfortable temperature of 20 to 22 °C (68 to 72 °F) in July and August. In winter snowfall is erratic and primarily affects the higher elevations. Rainfall is heaviest in May and lowest during the winter months. The flora is strongly influenced by the lake basin, which has allowed the proliferation of typically Mediterranean plants, and also of plants native to the Atlantic areas favoured by

5733-467: The lake. Its outlet is the Ticino which, in turn, joins the river Po just south-east of Pavia . The lake's jagged banks are surrounded by the Pennine and Lepontine Alps , and Lugano Prealps . Prominent peaks around the lake are the Gridone , Monte Tamaro , Monte Nudo and the Mottarone . The highest mountain overlooking Lake Maggiore is Monte Rosa (4,634 m; 15,203 ft), located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) west of it. The western bank

5824-408: The lemon is about 5–6% citric acid , giving it a sour taste. This makes it a key ingredient in drinks and foods such as lemonade and lemon meringue pie . The fruits have appeared in art since the time of ancient Egypt. In 2022, world production was 22 million tonnes , led by India with 18% of the total. The lemon tree produces a pointed oval yellow fruit . Botanically this is a hesperidium ,

5915-443: The main branches at the bottom or middle of the plant. There is reputed merit in the tradition of urinating near a lemon tree. In cultivation in the UK , the cultivars "Meyer" and "Variegata" have gained the Royal Horticultural Society 's Award of Garden Merit (confirmed 2017). millions of tonnes In 2022, world production of lemons (combined with limes for reporting) was 22 million tonnes led by India with 18% of

6006-588: The major ranges bordering Southern Europe. Total annual precipitation is significantly higher on the European part of the Mediterranean basin, especially near the Alps (the 'water tower of Europe') and other high mountain ranges. As a consequence, the river discharges of the Rhône and Po are similar to that of the Nile, despite the latter having a much larger basin. These are the only three rivers with an average discharge of over 1,000 m /s (35,000 cu ft/s). Among large natural fresh bodies of water are Lake Victoria (Nile basin), Lake Geneva (Rhône), and

6097-401: The mid-1990s. Wels catfish in excess of 50 kg in weight have been fished from the lake. The Sacred Mountain of Ghiffa is a Roman Catholic devotional complex in the comune of Ghiffa , ( Piedmont , northern Italy ), overlooking Lake Maggiore. It is one of the nine Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy , included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. The Spirit of Woodstock Festival

6188-455: The middle of the 19th century, the lake began to experience strong tourist development, particularly after Queen Victoria 's stay in Baveno in 1879. In 1936, a Bugatti Type 22 Brescia Roadster, built in 1925, was sunk in the lake by employees of Zürich architect Marco Schmucklerski, when Swiss customs officials investigated whether he had paid taxes on the car. The Bugatti was attached to an iron chain making it possible to recover it once

6279-414: The migrants and arrest the traffickers of immigrants. In 2015, more than one million migrants crossed the Mediterranean Sea into Europe. Italy was particularly affected by the European migrant crisis . Since 2013, over 700,000 migrants have landed in Italy, mainly sub-Saharan Africans. The Mediterranean Sea connects: The 163 km (101 mi) long artificial Suez Canal in the southeast connects

6370-435: The naval battles of Abukir (1799, Battle of the Nile ) and Trafalgar (1805), the British had for a long time strengthened their dominance in the Mediterranean. Wars included Naval warfare in the Mediterranean during World War I and Mediterranean theatre of World War II . With the opening of the lockless Suez Canal in 1869, the flow of trade between Europe and Asia changed fundamentally. The fastest route now led through

6461-428: The number of drowned refugees in the region as a direct result of the policies. An Azerbaijani official described the sea as "a burial ground ... where people die". Following the 2013 Lampedusa migrant shipwreck , the Italian government decided to strengthen the national system for the patrolling of the Mediterranean Sea by authorising " Operation Mare Nostrum ", a military and humanitarian mission in order to rescue

6552-613: The region when the Battle of Lepanto (1571) checked the power of the Ottoman Navy . This was the last naval battle to be fought primarily between galleys . The Barbary pirates of Northwest Africa preyed on Christian shipping and coastlines in the Western Mediterranean Sea. According to Robert Davis, from the 16th to 19th centuries, pirates captured 1 million to 1.25 million Europeans as slaves. The development of oceanic shipping began to affect

6643-468: The sea for centuries and is the only state to have ever controlled all of its coast. The countries surrounding the Mediterranean and its marginal seas in clockwise order are Spain , France , Monaco , Italy , Slovenia , Croatia , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Montenegro , Albania , Greece , Turkey , Syria , Lebanon , Israel , Palestine ( Gaza Strip ), Egypt , Libya , Tunisia , Algeria , and Morocco ; Cyprus and Malta are island countries in

6734-617: The sea. In addition, Northern Cyprus ( de facto state ) and two overseas territories of the United Kingdom ( Akrotiri and Dhekelia , and Gibraltar ) also have coastlines along the Mediterranean Sea. The drainage basin encompasses a large number of other countries, the Nile being the longest river ending in the Mediterranean Sea. The Ancient Egyptians called the Mediterranean Wadj-wr/Wadj-Wer/Wadj-Ur. This term (literally "great green")

6825-714: The second century AD, during the time of Ancient Rome . They were later introduced to Persia and then to Iraq and Egypt around 700 AD. The lemon was first recorded in literature in a 10th-century Arabic treatise on farming; it was used as an ornamental plant in early Islamic gardens . It was distributed widely throughout the Arab world and the Mediterranean region in the Arab Agricultural Revolution between 1000 and 1150. A section on lemon and lime tree cultivation in Andalusia , Spain ,

6916-476: The shortest shipping route between the multinational Gulf of Trieste and the Libyan coastline of the Gulf of Sidra is about 1,900 kilometres (1,200 mi). The water temperatures are mild in winter and warm in summer and give name to the Mediterranean climate type due to the majority of precipitation falling in the cooler months. Its southern and eastern coastlines are lined with hot deserts not far inland, but

7007-788: The south side of the Taurus Mountains . In Europe, the largest basins are those of the Rhône , Ebro , Po , and Maritsa . The basin of the Rhône is the largest and extends up as far north as the Jura Mountains , encompassing areas even on the north side of the Alps . The basins of the Ebro, Po, and Maritsa, are respectively south of the Pyrenees , Alps, and Balkan Mountains , which are

7098-584: The southern ports through European integration, the activation of the Silk Road and free world trade. In 2013, the Maltese president described the Mediterranean Sea as a "cemetery" due to the large number of migrants who drowned there after their boats capsized. European Parliament president Martin Schulz said in 2014 that Europe's migration policy "turned the Mediterranean into a graveyard", referring to

7189-599: The southernmost point is on the coast of the Gulf of Sidra near the Libyan town of El Agheila . Large islands in the Mediterranean include: The Alpine arc , which also has a great meteorological impact on the Mediterranean area, touches the Mediterranean in the west in the area around Nice . The typical Mediterranean climate has hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Crops of the region include olives , grapes , oranges , tangerines , carobs and cork . The Mediterranean Sea includes 15 marginal seas : Note 1: The International Hydrographic Organization defines

7280-660: The term was later extended to the whole Mediterranean, it was also called Baḥr al-Maghrib ( بحر المغرب ) ("the Sea of the West"). A name that was used mainly for the western basin. In Turkish , it is the Akdeniz 'the White Sea'; in Ottoman, ﺁق دڭيز , which sometimes means only the Aegean Sea . The origin of the name is not clear, as it is not known in earlier Greek, Byzantine or Islamic sources. It may be to contrast with

7371-481: The total. Mexico and China were major secondary producers (table). The 'Bonnie Brae' is oblong, smooth, thin-skinned, and seedless. These are mostly grown in San Diego County , US. The 'Eureka' grows year-round and abundantly. This is the common supermarket lemon, also known as "Four Seasons" ( Quatre Saisons ) because of its ability to produce fruit and flowers together throughout the year. This variety

7462-672: The trade in western Europe and brought it to a halt. However, the Norsemen developed the trade from Norway to the White Sea , while also trading in luxury goods from Spain and the Mediterranean. The Byzantines in the mid-8th century retook control of the area around the north-eastern part of the Mediterranean. Venetian ships from the 9th century armed themselves to counter the harassment by Arabs while concentrating trade of Asian goods in Venice. The Fatimids maintained trade relations with

7553-600: The trade relations between Western and Eastern Europe while disrupting trade routes with Eastern Asian Empires. This, however, had the indirect effect of promoting trade across the Caspian Sea . The export of grains from Egypt was re-routed towards the Eastern world . Products from East Asian empires, like silk and spices, were carried from Egypt under the Arab rule to ports like Venice and Constantinople by sailors and Jewish merchants. The Viking raids further disrupted

7644-702: The trade with the Orient, it however continued. Europe started to revive, however, as more organized and centralized states began to form in the later Middle Ages after the Renaissance of the 12th century . Ottoman power based in Anatolia continued to grow, and in 1453 extinguished the Byzantine Empire with the Conquest of Constantinople . Ottomans gained control of much of the eastern part sea in

7735-607: The waters between Arona and Angera. From the fourteenth century until the end of the eighteenth century, navigation on the lake and on the Ticino was also used to transport the heavy blocks of marble obtained from the quarries located around the lake towards the main Lombard construction sites: the cathedral of Milan and the Certosa di Pavia . Methane was first discovered and isolated by Alessandro Volta as he analysed marsh gas from Lake Maggiore, between 1776 and 1778. From

7826-467: The waters of several large lakes, notably Lake Lugano (through the Tresa ), Lake Orta (through the Toce ) and Lake Varese (through the Bardello). Lake Maggiore is 64.37 km (40 mi) long, and 3 to 5 km (2 to 3 mi) wide, except at the bay opening westward between Pallanza and Stresa , where it is 10 km (6 mi) wide. It is the longest Italian lake, although Lake Garda has

7917-657: The west to the entrances to the Dardanelles and the Suez Canal in the east, the Mediterranean Sea is bounded by the coasts of Europe, Africa, and Asia and is divided into two deep basins: The drainage basin of the Mediterranean Sea is particularly heterogeneous and extends much further than the Mediterranean region. Its size has been estimated between 4,000,000 and 5,500,000 km (1,500,000 and 2,100,000 sq mi), depending on whether non-active parts (deserts) are included or not. The longest river ending in

8008-700: Was declared between Italy and the Allies. At that time, the Hotel Meina housed a number of Jewish guests, most of them escapees of the Nazi occupation of Greece . The area around Lake Maggiore was not under Allied control but was occupied by the German Waffen-SS, specifically the infamous Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler . Captain Hans Krüger, who directed operations in Meina and the surrounding villages,

8099-572: Was in charge of locating the Jews in that area and was responsible for the Lake Maggiore massacres in which approximately 54 Jews were murdered. On the night of 22 September 1943, most of the Jewish residents of the Hotel Meina were executed and their bodies were thrown into Lake Maggiore. The Fernandez-Diaz family, a family of Greek Sephardic Jews from Thessaloniki, barricaded themselves in one of

8190-632: Was included in Ibn al-'Awwam 's 12th-century agricultural work, Kitāb al-Filāha ("Book on Agriculture"). The first substantial cultivation of lemons in Europe began in Genoa in the middle of the 15th century. It was introduced to the Americas in 1493, when Christopher Columbus brought lemon seeds to Hispaniola on his voyages. Spanish conquest throughout the New World helped spread lemon seeds, part of

8281-734: Was the name given by the Ancient Egyptians to the semi-solid, semi-aquatic region characterized by papyrus forests to the north of the cultivated Nile delta, and, by extension, the sea beyond. The Ancient Greeks called the Mediterranean simply ἡ θάλασσα ( hē thálassa ; "the Sea") or sometimes ἡ μεγάλη θάλασσα ( hē megálē thálassa ; "the Great Sea"), ἡ ἡμετέρα θάλασσα ( hē hēmetérā thálassa ; "Our Sea"), or ἡ θάλασσα ἡ καθ’ ἡμᾶς ( hē thálassa hē kath’hēmâs ; "the sea around us"). The Romans called it Mare Magnum ("Great Sea") or Mare Internum ("Internal Sea") and, starting with

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