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| Strait of Messina | |
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 Satellite photo of the Strait of Messina with names. NASA image. | |
  Strait of Messina  Strait of Messina  Strait of Messina  Strait of Messina | |
| Location | Tyrrhenian Sea–Ionian Sea |
| Coordinates | 38°14′45″N 15°37′57″E / 38.24583°N 15.63250°E |
| Type | Strait |
| Basin countries | Italy |
| Min. width | 3.1 km (1.9 mi) |
| Settlements | Messina, Villa San Giovanni, Reggio Calabria, Scilla, Calabria |
The Strait of Messina (Italian: Stretto di Messina; Sicilian: Strittu di Missina) is a narrow strait between the eastern tip of Sicily (Punta del Faro) and the western tip of Calabria (Punta Pezzo) in Southern Italy. It connects the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north with the Ionian Sea to the south, within the central Mediterranean. At its narrowest point, between Torre Faro and Villa San Giovanni, it is 3.1 km (1.9 mi) wide. At the city of Messina, it is 5.1 km (3.2 mi) wide. The strait's maximum depth is about 250 m (820 ft).
The strait has strong tidal currents that create a unique marine ecosystem.[1] The rock in the town of Scilla, Calabria at the north of the strait and a natural whirlpool in the northern portion of the strait have been linked to the Greek legend of Scylla and Charybdis.[2] In some circumstances, the mirage of Fata Morgana can be observed when looking at Sicily from Calabria. With its bottleneck shape, it is also a compulsory point of transit in the migration of many bird species.
In 1957, a 220 kV overhead power line was built across the Strait of Messina. Its pylons are among the highest in the world. This power line has since been replaced by a submarine power cable, but the pylons remain and are protected as historical monuments (see Pylons of Messina).
On July 10, 2024, Estonian athlete Jaan Roose crossed the Strait of Messina on a slackline spanned between the two Messina Pylons. He surpassed the previous longest slackline walk of 2,710 meters and completed a distance of 3,600 meters.[3]
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: TheSanti63 (25 August 2010), Correnti nello Stretto di Messina
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Andrews, Tamra (2000). Dictionary of Nature Myths: Legends of the Earth, Sea, and Sky. Oxford University Press. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-19-513677-7. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
- ^ "Jaan Roose attempts Messina Strait - on a slackline!". Red Bull. 10 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.