Why Is There No Bridge Between Europe And Africa?

If you take a look at a world map, you’ll see that the southern tip of Europe and northern tip of Africa are virtually touching. A closer inspection shows these continents are separated by a stretch of sea known as the Strait of Gibraltar. However, at its narrowest, between Point Marroqui in Spain and Point Cires in Morocco, the strait is just 8.8 miles wide. Yet peculiarly, no bridge has ever been built to connect the two continents.

That’s especially head-scratching when you consider there are more than 50 bridges around the world that are a greater distance than the Strait of Gibraltar. In fact, the Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge, the world’s largest, runs for 102 miles, making it over 11 times longer than this stretch of sea’s width! And elsewhere on Earth, there are 10 more bridges that stretch longer than 8.8 miles entirely over water!

So, what’s going on? Why has no bridge been built between Europe and Africa? Let's uncover how sizeable ships, wicked waves, and even some ominous orcas have prevented a bridge between Europe and Africa from ever taking shape!

Strait Of Gibraltar Crossing

Before we delve into the reasons why no bridge has been built between Europe and Africa, let’s first uncover why exactly this crossing has been so sought after in the first place. The importance of this crossing can’t be overstated. After all, it would provide an easily-passable route from continent to continent.

This would allow 1.5 billion Africans easy-access to Europe, and 740 million Europeans easy-access to Africa. With likely millions of people crossing the bridge every single day, tourism in regions around the Gibraltar Strait would no doubt sky-rocket.

In 2022, Morocco ranked as the 2nd most visited African country for international arrivals, with tourism adding $9 billion to the country’s GDP. While in 2023, it’s estimated Europeans accounted for around 70% of all tourists in Morocco. With the introduction of a connecting to Morocco’s shore, tourism would only increase, bringing in more money for the country.

On the other side of the Strait, Spain is already well-renowned for its booming tourism trade. According to the World Tourism Organization, Spain was the 2nd most visited country in the world in 2018, with over 82 million tourists!

However, their nearby neighbors, Morocco, accounted for just over 1% of that total figure. Perhaps more tourists from Morocco, and the entire continent of Africa could visit Spain and Europe, with the installment of an easy-access bridge to the continent, boosting the tourist industry in Spain and Europe even more?

Tourists aren’t the only thing that could cross this bridge, though. Africa is currently the European Union’s 4th largest trading partner. Trade between the continents has been steadily rising over the years, with trading totaling some $295 billion in 2019.

Currently, the majority of goods are traded on ships, or air freights. However, if goods were able to transfer from continent to continent via a high-speed freight train, it’d make trade both quicker and cheaper. After all, a direct crossing would reduce reliance on cargo ships that take long maritime routes, or air freight, which is typically more expensive than rail-transported goods. So, considering this crossing could connect two continents, boosting tourism and trade, why’s it not happened?

Not only is the Strait of Gibraltar significant for being the gateway between two continents, it’s also one of the most important shipping routes in the world. This is the only waterway that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, and so ships are constantly passing through the Strait. In total, it’s estimated over 100,000 ships pass through the Strait of Gibraltar per year. For reference, the Panama Canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, sees 14,000 ships sail through each year, that’s just 14% of the Strait of Gibraltar’s sea traffic.

While a bridge between Europe and Africa may allow for freight trains to transport goods, it might seriously hamper massive trade ships that make their way along the Strait. Why? Firstly, building an 8 mile long bridge across this stretch of sea would take years to complete. The Rio–Niterói Bridge, which spans over 8 miles of water to connect Rio de Janeiro and Niterói, took 5 years to complete.

Obviously given the size of this project, large parts of the Strait would be impassable as construction works get underway. And, considering 100,000 ships pass through here every year, you can imagine how much of an impact that’d have on this major global shipping route.

Construction is one thing, but engineers would need to ensure that this bridge doesn’t keep disrupting this crucial shipping route when it’s fully built. Some pretty large container ships pass through the Strait, so the bridge would need to be tall enough to give enough clearance to these vast vessels. Take the CMA CGM Jacques Saadé.

At 256 feet tall, this big boy is one of the largest shipping containers in the world. The draft of this vessel is around 50 feet, meaning over 200 feet of the ship is above the waterline. That’d mean this bridge would need to be at least 206 feet above the water’s surface to give the ship enough clearance, and that’s not even mentioning how deep its foundations will travel down to reach the seafloor! More on that later!

Perhaps there’s a solution to this shipping situation, though. What if the Europe to Africa crossing was a drawbridge? When ships pass through, the drawbridge could simply split in two, tilting upwards, allowing any of those sizeable ships suitable clearance to sail through!

While that would be cool, the bridge would almost always be raised. After all, 100,000 ships pass through every year, which works out around one ship every 5 minutes, meaning the drawbridge would need to be raised every 5 minutes too. Considering drawbridges take around 2 minutes to rise and close, you can imagine how quickly those traffic jams would grow.

So the busyness of this shipping lane, means a drawbridge is off the table. That means if a crossing is ever to be built here, it’ll need to be easily more than 200 feet above the water level. However, as we’ll be investigating, height above water is the least of this crossing’s worries.

Strait Of Gibraltar Depth, Tectonic Activity & Geology

Though the narrowest point of the Strait is just over 8 miles wide, this stretch of water is deceptively deep. Incredibly, the Strait’s average depth here is 1,200 feet, with some sections plummeting down 3,000 feet! For context, that’s deep enough to stack up roughly 2 and a half Empire State Buildings! In comparison, the Golden Gate Strait, where the Golden Gate Bridge is found, has a maximum depth of just over 300 feet, just a tenth of the depth of the Gibraltar Strait!

But how does the deepest bridge in the world stack up? That honor goes to Padma Bridge, crossing the Ganges in Bangladesh. Yet the pile depth of this crossing is still only 417 feet deep. That means if a bridge were to be built over the Strait of Gibraltar, it’d need foundations 7 times deeper than the world’s deepest bridge just to ensure it wasn’t submerged in the sea!

But the sea’s deep depth isn’t the only issue for engineers. There’s yet another obstacle found far below the Strait’s seabed. To explain, let me take you on a science lesson. You probably know the Earth’s crust is made up of tectonic plates, all of which are constantly moving, just very slowly. As it happens, the Gibraltar Strait marks the site of the Azores-Gibraltar Transform Fault, where the African and Eurasian tectonic plates, and Iberian microplate meet.

As these plates grind past each other, they get stuck due to friction. Over time, this stress builds up until, you get an earthquake! As the Gibraltar Strait is directly above this fault zone, this region is prone to some sizeable seismic activity.

Take the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake. This colossal quake measured around 9.0 on the Richter scale, with its epicenter found just west of the Strait. To say it was devastating would be an understatement. In Lisbon alone, 12,000 buildings were destroyed.

To compound things further, the earthquake triggered a tsunami, with 20 foot waves crashing into Lisbon and 65 foot ones pounding into Cadiz, in southern Spain. Tragically, the earthquake and ensuing tsunami took the lives of as many as 70,000 people across Portugal, Spain and Morocco.

But that’s not the only quake to devastate the shores around the Strait. In 2004, northern Morocco was shook by the Al Hoceima earthquake, measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale. The city’s infrastructure was no match for the powerful tremors, with more than 2,500 buildings collapsing, as tragically, more than 600 people lost their lives.

This region is a natural disaster hotspot! But that doesn’t make bridge building here impossible. In Japan, the Akashi Bridge was constructed over the Akashi Strait fault, known for it’s explosive seismic activity. The bridge’s towers were constructed from steel, making them flexible enough to move with the earth when the quake hits.

Within the bridge’s towers are also 20 pendulum-like objects, called tuned mass dampers. Each damper hangs from a frame. If the tremor causes the bridge to lean one way, dampers swing in the opposite direction, preventing the bridge from toppling.

Who’s to say the Gibraltar Strait crossing couldn’t implement some anti-quake mechanics like this? There is one more thing to discuss about the geology of this place. Researchers have also identified that the floor of the Strait has at least two deep quaternary clay channels. These channels consist of soft, unconsolidated clay deposits, which can be unstable and shift easily under pressure or due to geological activity. Probably not the best spot, considering the Strait’s quaky past, is it?

So not only would this crossing have to span at least 8 miles, it would also need to have foundations 3,000 feet deep, and somehow come quake-proof, despite the unstable channel it’d be built into. As you’ve probably figured by now, such a massive project ain’t cheap. For reference, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, a 34 mile bridge-tunnel system connecting Hong Kong, Macau, and China, cost $18 billion.

The Europe-to-Africa crossing doesn’t need to be 34 miles long. But considering the depth of the foundations and its need to be earthquake-proof, it’ll likely come to a similar figure. Though it’d be cool to take a short 8 mile trip from continent to continent, with a bill that steep, it’s not surprising work has never started on this crossing.

Plus, it’s not like there aren’t other ways across the water. Several ferries pass through the Strait every day, with two routes between Tarifa and Tangier Ville, as well as Algeciras and Tanger Med. And for those that suffer from seasickness, it’s also easy to fly across the Strait. In fact, there are around 1,000 flights from Europe to North Africa every single day! So, while a bridge would make access from Europe to Africa even easier, it's probably not worth so many billions, considering we can easily cross the Strait by ferry or flying.

Morocco-Spain Relations

So a bridge here would be insanely difficult to build and incredibly expensive, but they’re not the only factors holding this project back. The bridge would cross from Spain to Morocco, meaning both countries would have to co-operate on the planning, building and finances of the project. Unfortunately though, these two haven’t always been on the best terms.

To explain why, we’ve only got to look at the cities of Ceuta and Melilla in northern Morocco. While they’re both found in north Africa, these cities are Spanish territories. Ceuta was captured by the Portuguese in 1415, before being ceded to Spain in 1668. Whereas Melilla was conquered by the Spanish in 1497. Even in southern Morocco, Ifni, was conquered by Spain in 1860.

As you can imagine, most Moroccans aren’t too pleased about Spain having territories in their own country. After Morocco gained independence in 1956, people sought to reclaim territories that they felt belonged to Morocco. Specifically, violent demonstrations against Spanish rule broke out in Ifni, in 1957. Before long, Spanish forces fought back, starting the Ifni War.

The conflict waged on for 8 months, leading to over 700 casualties on the Spanish side, and some 1,000 on the Moroccan. Thankfully, hostilities ceased in April 1958, with the signing of the Treaty of Angra de Cintra, as Spain gave up its territory in southern Morocco.

However, even to this day, Spain still holds its territories of Ceuta and Melilla in the north. Unsurprisingly, Morocco believe the cities should be returned to their rightful owner. On the other hand, Spain rejects any talk of negotiation on the two cities. Instead, they insist, both have been Spanish for centuries, and are an integral part of the Spanish state. Who knows who the territories will end up belonging to in the future? One thing’s for sure, these two countries don’t meet eye-to-eye.

If that wasn’t complicated enough, there’s also the small matter of Gibraltar. Found on the southeastern coast of Spain, Gibraltar is a British Oversea Territory. It was captured in 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession, with the Spanish Crown formally ceding the territory to Britain in 1713.

Today, much to the annoyance of Spain, Gibraltar remains British. Though the bridge would likely be built west of Gibraltar, it would obviously cut through the Strait. And, considering Britain controls a portion of these waters, they’ll want a say in any goings-on.

Due to the scale of the project, co-operation between all the countries involved will be key. Perhaps if Spain returned Ceuta and Melilla to their rightful owner, and the U.K the same with Gibraltar, it’d improve relations? Whether that could happen in the future, no-one knows. One thing’s for sure, if a big, booming bridge is gonna be built from Europe to Africa, it’ll need co-operation and teamwork from all countries involved!

If all that wasn’t already enough to convince you why no bridge has been built across the Strait, there are a few darker, more disturbing theories, that’ll leave you facing sleepless nights. For some online theorists, the conniving critters in this stretch of sea, make building anything here risky business.

Orca Attacks In Gibraltar

In May 2023, a crew of experienced sailors were enjoying the sunset, as they coasted through the Strait. Then, all of a sudden, they felt an almighty blow coming from the hull of the ship. As they looked overboard, they were shocked to see the ship’s rudder had been torn off. The culprits? A pod of orca whales that’d viciously attacked the boat! Before long, the vessel started taking on water and sinking. Though the passengers were brought to shore by a rescue boat, they were more than a little shaken up by the incident.

Orcas nudge rudder of yacht near Gibraltar by Guardian News

Shockingly though, this isn’t the first time some boisterous orcas have caused trouble in the Strait. In fact, since May 2020, researchers have documented around 700 incidents of orcas ramming into boats around here. So, what makes these animals so aggressive? Theories have ranged from food scarcity, with orcas seeing the boats as competition for fishy feasts, while others suggest these massive mammals are simply sinking boats for the fun of it!

Unsurprisingly, this makes constructing a bridge in these ominously orca-filled waters a challenge. Especially considering these beasts can grow over 30 feet-long, swim 35 mph and come with a bite force of 19,000 PSI, that’s nearly 120 times stronger than a humans! Nightmare fuel confirmed!

While the reason for their behavior isn’t known, the targeted attacks on boats show they’re capable of reacting to perceived disturbances in their environment. And what’s more disturbing than constructing a 9 mile bridge across the Strait? That means equipment involved in the building, like construction barges, or transport vessels, could be rammed by these bus-sized behemoths too, delaying timelines and increasing the cost of the project.

Even more significantly, these wicked whales offer a threat to any humans working on the bridge. Many jobs, like underwater welders, or commercial divers, requires working under the water’s surface. Can you imagine how scary it’d be working in the Strait of Gibraltar, with those yacht-ramming orcas lurking? And, considering these guys can take down a vessel in no time, you can imagine how much damage they could inflict on a human they spotted in the Strait!

But these orcas may not be the only conniving creatures patrolling this stretch of sea. According to the ancient Greek historian, Diodorus Siculus, Hercules narrowed the width of the Strait of Gibraltar, to prevent Atlantic Ocean monsters from entering the Mediterranean Sea.

Chances are old Diodorus was being a little fanciful. Still, on the slight chance he’s speaking the truth, that means creatures so large, they wouldn’t fit through the Strait’s 9 mile width were lurking around these waters. What do you reckon Diodorus was referring to? Some towering tentacled troublemaker? A colossal Kraken-like creature? Maybe even a supersized sinister sea serpent?

Proposals For A Bridge Across The Strait Of Gibraltar

Yet, despite all those reasons, talk of a bridge passing over the Strait of Gibraltar has refused to die down. In 2004, American architect, Eugene Tssui came out with an outlandish idea. He proposed building an 9 mile crossing between Tarifa and Point Cires. On either side, the first mile of the bridge would extend out from the coastline, before gradually sloping down into a waterproof concrete-made underwater tunnel for two miles at a maximum depth of 650 feet.

That’d make Tssui’s bridge deep enough to avoid obstructing ships, but also much shallower than the 3,000 foot seabed. While ships sail overhead, the tunnel would have hundreds of vehicles moving through it. With 24 lanes, cars, buses and even trains could zoom under the waves of the Strait! After a few miles, the tunnel will then slope upwards, meeting, and bare with me here, a 3 mile wide floating island in the middle of the Strait.

But that’s just the start of it. The island would contain: a resort, theater, and some 150 wind turbines! If that wasn’t impressive enough, the wind turbines would be supplemented by 80 underwater turbines underneath the island. According to Tssui, the bridge would generate enough renewable energy to power the southern Spanish city of Cadiz, as well as the entire nation of Morocco. Even better, based on the electrical generation the island would produce, the bridge would soon payback its $10 billion cost!

Amazing as that sounds, you'd doubt that 150 wind turbines and 80 underwater turbines would be capable of powering Morocco, a nation of nearly 40 million people! After all, researchers estimate that some 48,000 wind turbines would be needed to power the U.K, whose population is only 30 million more than Morocco’s!

Regardless, Tssui’s ambitious idea certainly would make travelling the Strait fun, all while generating electricity, serving as a tourist destination, and all without the need for any deep bridge foundations. Despite that, the project doesn't sound very realistic leaving questions unanswered such as how would a 3 mile-wide island float in the first place? And, how exactly does a massive concrete tunnel stay at a depth of 650 feet without sinking to the seabed. And how would this thing would hold up in the event of an earthquake?

Underground Tunnel Proposal

But what if there was another way across this Strait, such as a tunnel that goes under the Strait’s seabed? As far back as 1930, Spain proposed constructing an underwater tunnel here, allowing vehicles to safely cross between Africa and Europe.

However, researchers surveying the Strait ruled this out. The seafloor was made of extremely hard rock, making drilling a tunnel through impossible. To get around this, one engineer suggested fixing a prefabricated concrete tunnel to the seafloor with super-long high-tension cables. Unsurprisingly though, given this was the 1930s, the plan was deemed extremely difficult and too unrealistic.

While this tunnel-talk may sound fanciful, it wouldn’t be the first tunnel built connecting two countries. The Channel Tunnel, or Chunnel, which links the U.K and France, was opened in 1994, costing around $30 billion! The Chunnel is over 30 miles long, making it over three times the length of any potential crossing between Europe and Africa.

So how come the Chunnel got the go-ahead? For starters, the Channel only dives down to 250 feet at its deepest point, less than one-tenth of the deepest section of the Gibraltar Strait.

On top of that, the Channel’s seafloor is made of chalk, making tunnelling easier compared to the seabed in the Strait of Gibraltar. For decades, tunnel-talk quietened down. That was until 1979, when Spain and Morocco agreed to conduct studies on how feasible a tunnel under the Strait would be. They came up with the Europe-Africa Gibraltar Strait Fixed Link.

This would consist of railway that’d travel over 500 miles, from Madrid in Spain, to Casablanca in western Morocco. Most importantly, around halfway through the journey, the tunnel would travel down through the Strait of Gibraltar.

Engineers have recommended if a tunnel were to be built, it shouldn’t be at the Strait’s narrowest point, but shifted west between Tarifa and Tangiers. This would mean the tunnel would have to cross through 17 miles of water, making it around twice the length of any crossing at a narrower section of the Strait. However, on the revised route, the tunnel would have a maximum depth of 1,500 feet. Though that’s still roughly six times as deep as the Channel Tunnel, it’s still only half the depth of the narrowest crossing in the Strait.

Promising as that sounds, for this tunnel to be materialized, engineers will still have to overcome the extremely hard seafloor, as well as the ever-present issue of earthquakes! As a result, little has been done to make this tunnel a reality.

That could soon change, however. In 2023, Portugal, Spain and Morocco were chosen as the host countries for the 2030 soccer World Cup. It will mark the centenary World Cup competition, and for the first time, three countries from two continents will host the tournament. Undoubtedly, fans will want to travel between Portugal, Spain and Morocco for matches as quickly and efficiently as possible. And who knows, maybe this is the motivation these countries need for their tunnel build?

In June 2023, Spain splashed around $2.5 million in funding for a design study on the proposed tunnel. They disclosed the rail-link could carry up to 12.8 million passengers between the two continents per year. On top of that, it’ll take just 5 hours to get from Madrid to Casablanca, 7 hours quicker than travelling by car and ferry! After nearly 100 years of discussion maybe that all-illusive Europe-to-Africa crossing will finally be realized?

With talks between Spain and Morocco over the construction of a tunnel under the Strait ongoing, who knows whether we’ll finally see a crossing stretching from continent-to-continent in the future? One thing’s for sure, though, the Strait of Gibraltar isn’t something you’re gonna be getting over anytime soon!

If you were amazed at why there's no bridge between Europe and Africa, you might want to read about why the Amazon river has no bridges. Thanks for reading!