What is the name of the strait separating Europe from Africa at the western Mediterranean?

The Strait of Gibraltar separates Europe from Africa at the western entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. Spain lies to the north, Morocco lies to the south, and the strait connects the Mediterranean with the Atlantic Ocean. At its narrowest point, it is about 14 kilometres wide.

The strait is named after Gibraltar, the British Overseas Territory on its northern side. Gibraltar’s name comes from the Arabic Jabal Ṭāriq, meaning “Mountain of Tariq,” referring to the eighth-century commander Tariq ibn Ziyad. The nearby Moroccan mountain is Jebel Musa.

The Strait of Gibraltar is strategically important because ships passing between the Atlantic and Mediterranean must use it. It also controls a major exchange of water: relatively salty Mediterranean water flows outward at depth, while Atlantic water enters nearer the surface. Ancient writers often associated the strait with the Pillars of Hercules.