MESOSCALE EDDIES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN: Coherent eddies observed in two dimensional turbulent flows have a structure with an inner part called the core and an outer part called the circulation cell. The core is characterized by a dominance of vorticity while the circulation cell is dominated by deformation. The relative dominance is usually measured in terms of the Okubo-Weiss parameter (W) which is negative in the core and positive in the circulation cell. Thus the sign of W is, under some limitations, a way to determine connected regions of concentrated vorticity in the field. Due to the quasi-bidimensional nature of ocean flows on isopycnal surfaces, a criterion in terms of the Okubo-Weiss parameter is applied as a way to identify the core for eddies in the ocean. This method allows to detect the eddies in the Mediterranean sea from altimetric maps and the analysis of their sizes suggests that a definition of --intense-- eddies in terms of W can be roughly identified with mesoscale eddies. In addition, eddies can be tracked through consecutive maps to systematically obtain their trajectories. The results show that Mediterranean eddies are mainly located in specific areas of the Algerian Basin and the Levantine Basin. The paths and circuits thus obtained are validated with the trajectories of some eddies infered from AVHRR images.