Drying the Mediterranean Project “Atlantropa” – Webtekno

If this utopian project, which could never be put into practice for various reasons, had been done, perhaps many of us would be We migrated from Turkey to different regions and the balance of the world had changed considerably.

So what exactly was the goal of the “Atlantropa” project and by whom was it put forward? For what reasons was it not implemented? If it were implemented What would happen to us? Let’s look at the answers to all these questions together.

As a result of the energy demand in the 20th century, different ideas and projects emerged.

We are consuming natural resources at alarming levels, we are recklessly increasing the world population by constantly having children, and our increasing energy demand; It significantly shaped the course of the 20th century, as it does today.

Innovations in transportation and the spread of electrical networks in the 1900s, Solutions to the energy problem It required production. A “utopian” idea came to the mind of German-born architect Hermann Sörgel (1885-1952). The project, called “Atlantropa” or “Panropa”, was the idea of ​​​​building a giant dam across the Dardanelles and the Strait of Gibraltar.

In the plan put forward in the spring of 1928, a dam of incredible size was to be built.

The dams to be built would be so large that The largest structure humanity has ever seen (Actually, even the concrete on Earth would not be enough). This project attracted the attention of Adolf Hitler and he supported and made incredible investments to bring it to life.

Dams would be an inexhaustible source of energy and raw materials for countless people. world’s largest hydroelectric plant The first and largest of the dams to be built would be built along the Strait of Gibraltar, and while it would meet half of Europe’s electricity needs, the main water supply of the Mediterranean would be cut off. The second dam would theoretically be built by closing the Black Sea, while the third would extend from Tunisia to Sicily.

According to the project, two continents would be connected to each other.

Evaporation will cause sea level to drop by up to 200 metres, creating new areas along the coast, Europe, It would be connected to Africa by land. When two continents merged and became a single continent, these newly gained lands; It would be used for agriculture, infrastructure expansion and as urban space.

Although the Mediterranean will disappear due to salinization as a result of this project, the reason for the cancellation of the project is It wasn’t ecological concerns. It was canceled for political reasons because it could not be implemented neither during the Nazi regime nor in the post-war period.

Additionally, Hermann Sörgel died in a traffic accident on December 25, 1952, and the sponsors of the project, including Atlantropa Institute When they disbanded, they had to consign the project to history.

So what would happen to us if the Mediterranean dried up?

The dry region left over from the Mediterranean would probably be the hottest part of the world, as it is far below sea level. So it could not accommodate any human being. Already temperature problem if not There are other problems. Since the water of the Mediterranean is very salty, the exposed area would consist of salt masses and this would make agriculture impossible.

Additionally, the surrounding lands would also become desert. with Southern Europe Türkiye would start to dry out and as a result, rainfall would decrease. Ultimately, agriculture in Europe would also be affected, and animals living near the Mediterranean would not survive.

Did you think it would be limited to this? Since the water from the discharged sea will be redistributed to the oceans rise in sea levels; It would flood cities like Amsterdam, New Orleans, Sacramento, Copenhagen and Shanghai.

In other words, it was impossible for the Atlantropa project to be implemented anyway. Still, it was an interesting project and found its way into popular culture:

Philip K. Dick “The Man in the High Castle” In his work and the Amazon Studios series, the drying of the entire Mediterranean with a dam was mentioned.

Moreover “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” The project was mentioned in his book, but it was not included in the movie.

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