Mediterranean Sea addition, the Gaza Strip and the British Overseas Territories of Gibraltar and Akrotiri and Dhekelia have coastlines on the sea. The Ancient Greeks called the Mediterranean simply 'the Sea' or sometimes 'the Great Sea', 'Our Sea', or 'the sea around us'. The Romans called it "Mare Magnum" 'Great Sea' or "Mare Internum" 'Internal Sea' and, starting with the Roman Empire, "Mare Nostrum" 'Our Sea'. The term "Mare Mediterrāneum" appears later: Solinus apparently used it in the 3rd century, but the earliest extant witness to it is in the 6th century, in Isidore of Seville. It means 'in the middle of
Operation Mare Nostrum €1.8 million from the External Borders Fund. Mare Nostrum was operated by the Italian Navy and saw ships operating near the coast of Libya. The operation's search and rescue component is claimed by advocacy groups like the European Council on Refugees and Exiles to have saved thousands of lives, but the operation was politically unpopular and extremely costly for just one EU state. The Italian government had requested additional funds in order to continue the operation, from the other EU member states, but they did not offer the requested support. The operation ended on 31 October 2014 and was superseded