Why Isn't There a Bridge Between Africa and Europe Despite Being Only 14 km Apart?

Africa and Europe are primarily separated by the Strait of Gibraltar, which is separated by the Strait of Gibraltar where the shortest distance between these two continents is about 14 km. 

But why isn’t there a bridge between Africa and Europe despite being only 14 km? The reason behind this is the unusual depth of the sea, active tectonic plates, strong ocean currents, and heavy international shipping traffic on these routes.

So, explore this article in more depth, and know and learn where the Strait of Gibraltar is, the reason behind why there isn’t a bridge between Africa and Europe with interesting facts.

Where is the Strait of Gibraltar located?

The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait waterway that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea, which is 3,700 km long and covers about 2.5 million square km, and the Strait of Gibraltar is only about 13 km wide.

This strait separates southern Spain located in Europe and northern Morocco located in Africa, and it is the narrowest point and distance between Europe and Africa is about only 14 km. 

The Strait of Gibraltar is very close to the African tectonic plates, which slide north, and as per National Geographic, the Strait of Gibraltar will be the Isthmus of Gibraltar, and the Mediterranean will be a large, salty, inland sea in a few thousand years.

Why Isn't There a Bridge Between Africa and Europe Despite Being Only 14 km Apart?

Now, despite being 14 km away between Africa and Europe, there still isn’t a bridge. Here are the reasons explained below:

Unusual Depth of the Strait of Gibraltar

The first reason is due to the unusual depth of the Strait of Gibraltar in this region. The level of seas varies in different positions, as at some positions, it has a depth of around 300 m, but at another point, it has a depth of around 980 m, which makes it difficult to build a bridge over this region.

This area lies near the African tectonic plates

The Strait of Gibraltar is located near the boundary between the African tectonic plates and the Eurasian plate.

There is a high chance of colliding these plates with each other, and due to this collision, these plates are still moving, which makes this geologically active, and there is a high chance of earthquakes in this region.

Strong Ocean Currents 

This strait has the powerful water movement because it connects two larger water bodies, one side to the Atlantic Ocean and the other side to the Mediterranean Sea.

When the Canary Current flows toward Africa, this makes the strongest ocean current flow toward the Strait of Gibraltar, which makes it difficult to build any bridges around this region. 

One of the World's Busiest Shipping Routes

In this region, there is maximum passing of ships for the transportation and connecting the major countries through this region from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, and making the bridges will require long spans of bridges that can cause the problems for passing the large cargo ships under this region. 

Interesting Facts

So these were all the major reasons for why there is not a bridge between Africa and Europe despite being only 14 km apart?