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'{{Short description|Arm of the Indian Ocean between Asia and Africa}} {{Multiple issues|{{More citations needed|date=June 2024}} {{Confusing|date=June 2024}}}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}} {{About|the body of water between Asia and Africa}} {{Infobox body of water | name = Red Sea | image_bathymetry = Red Sea topographic map-en.jpg | caption_bathymetry = | location = [[North Africa]], [[East Africa]], and [[West Asia]] | coords = {{Coord|22|N|38|E|region:EG_type:adm1st_scale:1000000|display=inline,title}} | type = [[Sea]] | inflow = [[Gulf of Aden]], [[Gulf of Suez]] | outflow = [[Bab-el-Mandeb]], [[Suez Canal]] | catchment = | basin_countries = * {{flag|Djibouti}} * {{flag|Egypt}} * {{flag|Eritrea}} * {{flag|Israel}} * {{flag|Jordan}} * {{flag|Saudi Arabia}} * {{flag|Sudan}} * {{flag|Yemen}} | length = {{cvt|2250|km|mi}} | width = {{cvt|355|km|mi}} | area = {{cvt|438000|km2|sqmi}} | depth = {{cvt|490|m|ft}} | max-depth = {{cvt|3040|m|ft}} | volume = {{cvt|233000|km3|cumi}} | residence_time = | shore = | elevation = | frozen = | islands = | cities = }} {{Contains special characters}} The '''Red Sea''' is a sea [[inlet]] of the [[Indian Ocean]], lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the [[Bab-el-Mandeb]] strait and the [[Gulf of Aden]]. To its north lie the [[Sinai Peninsula]], the [[Gulf of Aqaba]], and the [[Gulf of Suez]]—leading to the [[Suez Canal]]. It is underlain by the [[Red Sea Rift]], which is part of the [[Great Rift Valley]]. The Red Sea has a surface area of roughly {{cvt|438,000|km2|sqmi}},<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 June 2008 |title=State of the Marine Environment Report for the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden: 2006 |url=https://www.cbd.int/doc/meetings/mar/ebsaws-2015-02/other/ebsaws-2015-02-persga-submission1-en.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421194829/https://www.cbd.int/doc/meetings/mar/ebsaws-2015-02/other/ebsaws-2015-02-persga-submission1-en.pdf |archive-date=21 April 2021 |access-date=25 January 2020}}</ref> is about {{cvt|2250|km|mi}} long, and {{cvt|355|km|mi}} wide at its widest point. It has an average depth of {{cvt|490|m|ft}}, and in the central ''Suakin Trough'' it reaches its maximum depth of {{cvt|3040|m|ft}}.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dinwiddie |first=Robert |title=Ocean: The World's Last Wilderness Revealed |date=2008 |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |isbn=978-0-7566-2205-3 |editor-last=Thomas |editor-first=Louise |location=London |pages=452}}</ref> Approximately 40% of the Red Sea is quite shallow at less than {{cvt|100|m|ft}} deep, and about 25% is less than {{cvt|50|m|ft}} deep. The extensive shallow shelves are noted for their marine life and [[coral]]s. More than 1,000 [[invertebrate]] species and 200 types of soft and hard coral live in the sea. The Red Sea is the world's northernmost [[tropical]] sea, and has been designated a [[Global 200]] ecoregion. ==Extent== The [[International Hydrographic Organization]] defines the limits of the Red Sea as follows:<ref>{{Cite web |year=1953 |title=Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition |url=https://iho.int/uploads/user/pubs/standards/s-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008191433/http://www.iho.int/iho_pubs/standard/S-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf |archive-date=8 October 2011 |access-date=28 December 2020 |publisher=International Hydrographic Organization}}</ref>{{blockquote|''On the North.'' The Southern limits of the [[Gulf of Suez|Gulfs of Suez]] [A line running from [[Ras Muhammad National Park|Ràs Muhammed]] (27°43'N) to the South point of [[Shadwan]] Island (34°02'E) and thence Westward on a parallel (27°27'N) to the coast of [[Africa]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> and [[Gulf of Aqaba|Aqaba]] [A line running from Ràs al Fasma Southwesterly to Requin Island ({{coord|27|57|N|34|36|E|display=inline}}) through [[Tiran Island]] to the Southwest point thereof and thence Westward on a parallel (27°54'N) to the coast of the [[Sinai Peninsula]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>. ''On the South.'' A line joining [[Hisn Murad|Husn Murad]] ({{coord|12|40|N|43|30|E|display=inline}}) and [[Ras Siyyan]] ({{coord|12|29|N|43|20|E|display=inline}}).}} ==Exclusive economic zone== [[Exclusive economic zones]] in Red Sea:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sea Around Us {{!}} Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity |url=http://www.seaaroundus.org/data/#/eez |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223181456/http://www.seaaroundus.org/data/#/eez |archive-date=23 February 2016 |access-date=25 February 2021 |website=www.seaaroundus.org}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%" |- ! Number ! Country ! Area (Km²) |- | align=center|1 || {{KSA}} || align=center|186,392 |- | align=center|2 || {{SUD}} || align=center|92,513 |- | align=center|3 || {{EGY}} || align=center|91,279 |- | align=center|4 || {{ERI}} || align=center|78,383 |- | align=center|5 || {{YEM}} || align=center|35,861 |- | align=center|6 || {{DJI}} || align=center|7,037 |- style="background:#9acdff;" !Total |'''Red Sea''' || align=center|'''491,465''' |} Note: [[Halaib Triangle|Hala'ib Triangle]] disputed between Sudan and Egypt and calculated for both. ==Names== [[File:Tihama on the Red Sea near Khaukha, Yemen.jpg|thumb|[[Tihama]] on the Red Sea near Khaukha, [[Yemen]]]] [[File:Empty Coast in Farasan Island.jpg|thumb|Red Sea coast seen from [[Farasan Islands]]]] Red Sea has names in many languages (Modern {{lang-ar|البحر الأحمر|translit=al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar}}, Medieval {{lang-ar|بحر القلزم|translit=Baḥr al-Qulzum|link=no}}; {{Lang-hbo|יַם-סוּף|translit=[[Yam Suph|Yam Sūp̄]]}} or {{Lang-he|הַיָּם הָאָדוֹם|translit=hayYām hāʾĀḏōm}}; [[Coptic language|Coptic]]: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; [[Tigrinya language|Tigrinya]]: ቀይሕ ባሕሪ ''Qeyih Bahri''; {{Lang-so|Badda Cas }}; [[Afar language|Afar]]: "Qasa Bad". ''Red Sea'' is a direct translation of the [[Ancient Greek]] ''Erythra Thalassa'' ({{lang|grc|Ἐρυθρὰ Θάλασσα}}). The sea itself was once referred to as the [[Erythraean Sea]] by Europeans. As well as ''Mare Rubrum'' in [[Latin]] (alternatively ''Sinus Arabicus'', literally "Arabian Gulf"), the Romans called it ''Pontus Herculis'' (Sea of Hercules).<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Phillips |first1=Carl |last2=Villeneuve |first2=François |last3=Facey |first3=William |date=2004 |title=A Latin inscription from South Arabia |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41223821 |journal=Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies |volume=34 |pages=239–250 |jstor=41223821 |issn=0308-8421 |via=JSTOR |access-date=2 June 2023 |archive-date=2 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602143002/https://www.jstor.org/stable/41223821 |url-status=live }}</ref> Other designations include the {{lang-ar|البحر الأحمر|Al-Baḥr Al-Aḥmar}} (alternatively {{lang|ar|بحر القلزم}} ''Baḥr Al-Qulzum'', literally "the Sea of [[Clysma]]"), the [[Coptic language|Coptic]] ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ̀ⲛϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ̀nšari'', [[Syriac language|Syriac]] ܝܡܐ ܣܘܡܩܐ Yammāʾ summāqā, [[Somali language|Somali]] ''Badda cas'' and [[Tigrinya language|Tigrinya]] ''Qeyyiḥ bāḥrī'' (ቀይሕ ባሕሪ). The name of the sea may signify the seasonal blooms of the red-coloured ''[[Trichodesmium|Trichodesmium erythraeum]]'' near the water's surface.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Red Sea {{!}} sea, Middle East |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica Online Library Edition |publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Red-Sea |access-date=14 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123232055/https://www.britannica.com/place/Red-Sea |archive-date=23 January 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> <!-- Some{{Who|date=October 2009}} suggest that it refers to the mineral-rich red [[mountain]]s nearby, which are called Harei Edom (Hebrew: הרי אדום). ''[[Edom]]'', meaning "ruddy complexion", is also an alternative [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] name for the red-faced biblical character [[Esau]] (brother of [[Jacob]]), and the nation descended from him, the [[Edomites]], which in turn provides yet another possible origin for ''Red Sea''.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} --> A theory favored by some modern scholars is that the name ''red'' is referring to the direction south, just as the [[Black Sea]]'s name may refer to north. The basis of this theory is that some [[Pre-Indo-European languages|Asiatic languages]] used color words to refer to the [[5 cardinal point|cardinal directions]].<ref name="ChiTra">{{Cite web |title=How the Red Sea Got its Name |url=http://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/blog/how-the-red-sea-got-its-name-180950850/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926131326/https://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/blog/how-the-red-sea-got-its-name-180950850/ |archive-date=26 September 2019 |access-date=20 July 2015}}</ref> [[Herodotus]] on one occasion uses Red Sea and Southern Sea interchangeably.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Schmitt |first=Rüdiger |date=1996 |title=Considerations on the Name of the Black Sea |journal=Hellas und der griechische Osten |publisher=Saarbrücken |pages=219–224}}</ref> The name in Hebrew ''[[Yam Suph]]'' ({{lang-he|ים סוף|lit=Sea of Reeds}}) is of biblical origin. The name in {{Lang-cop|ⲫⲓⲟⲙ `ⲛϩⲁϩ}} ''Phiom Enhah'' ("Sea of Hah") is connected to [[Egyptian language|Ancient Egyptian]] root ''ḥ-ḥ'' which refers to water and sea (for example the names of the [[Ogdoad (Egyptian)|Ogdoad]] gods [[Heh (god)|Heh and Hauhet]]).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vycichl |first=Werner |title=Dictionnaire Etymologique de La Langue Copte |publisher=Peeters |year=1983 |location=Leuven |pages=320}}</ref> Historically, it was also known to western geographers as ''Mare Mecca'' (Sea of Mecca), and ''Sinus Arabicus'' (Gulf of Arabia).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arabia |url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/2919/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605202421/http://www.wdl.org/en/item/2919/ |archive-date=5 June 2013 |access-date=11 August 2013 |publisher=World Digital Library}}</ref> Some ancient geographers called the Red Sea the Arabian Gulf<ref>{{Cite book |last=Michael D. Oblath |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c5ya9QVCpIkC&q=Red+sea+as+Arabian+gulf&pg=PA53 |title=The Exodus itinerary sites: their locations from the perspective of the biblical sources |publisher=Peter Lang |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-8204-6716-0 |page=53 |access-date=19 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230210065000/https://books.google.com/books?id=c5ya9QVCpIkC&q=Red+sea+as+Arabian+gulf&pg=PA53 |archive-date=10 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> or Gulf of Arabia.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hill |first1=Andrew E. |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/9780520943728-073 |title=A survey of the Old Testament |last2=Walton |first2=John H. |date=2009 |publisher=Zondervan |isbn=978-0-310-28095-8 |edition=3 |location=Grand Rapids, Mich |pages=32|doi=10.1525/9780520943728-073 |s2cid=242765347 }}</ref> The association of the Red Sea with the [[Bible|biblical]] account of the Israelites [[crossing the Red Sea]] is ancient, and was made explicit in the [[Septuagint]] translation of the [[Book of Exodus]] from [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] to [[Koine|Koine Greek]] in approximately the third century BC. In that version, the ''[[Yam Suph]]'' ({{lang-he|ים סוף|lit=Sea of Reeds}}) is translated as ''Erythra Thalassa'' (Red Sea). The Red Sea is one of four seas named in English after common [[color term]]s – the others being the [[Black Sea]], the [[White Sea]] and the [[Yellow Sea]]. The direct rendition of the Greek ''Erythra thalassa'' in Latin as [[Mare Erythraeum]] refers to the north-western part of the [[Indian Ocean]], and also to a region on [[Mars]]. ==History== ===Ancient era=== [[File:C+B-Ship-Fig1-HatshepsuSailingBoat.PNG|thumb|upright=1.4|[[Ancient Egypt]]ian expedition to the [[Land of Punt]] on the Red Sea coast during the reign of Queen [[Hatshepsut]]]] The earliest known exploration of the Red Sea was conducted by [[ancient Egypt]]ians, as they attempted to establish commercial routes to [[Land of Punt|Punt]]. One such expedition took place around 2500 BC, and another around 1500 BC (by [[Hatshepsut]]). Both involved long voyages down the Red Sea.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fernandez-Armesto |first=Felipe |url=https://archive.org/details/pathfindersgloba00fern/page/24 |title=Pathfinders: A Global History of Exploration |publisher=W.W. Norton & Company |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-393-06259-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/pathfindersgloba00fern/page/24 24]}}</ref> The biblical [[Book of Exodus]] tells the account of the [[Israelites]]' [[Crossing the Red Sea|crossing of the sea]], which the Hebrew text calls ''[[Yam Suph]]'' ({{Lang-he|יַם סוּף}}). ''Yam Suph'' was traditionally identified as the Red Sea. Rabbi [[Saadia Gaon]] (882‒942), in his Judeo-Arabic translation of the [[Torah|Pentateuch]], identifies the crossing place of the Red Sea as ''Baḥar al-Qulzum'', meaning the [[Gulf of Suez]].<ref>''Tafsir'', Saadia Gaon, s.v. Exodus 15:22, ''et al''.</ref> In the 6th century BC, [[Darius the Great]], who was a prominent ruler of the [[Achaemenid Empire]] in Persia, undertook significant efforts to improve and extend navigation in the Red Sea. He sent reconnaissance missions to explore the Red Sea area and to identify its various navigational hazards, such as rocks and currents. This effort was significant, as it contributed to safer and more efficient navigation routes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Darius' Red Sea Canal Stele {{!}} cabinet |url=https://www.cabinet.ox.ac.uk/darius-red-sea-canal-stele |access-date=8 June 2023 |website=www.cabinet.ox.ac.uk |archive-date=16 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716120327/https://www.cabinet.ox.ac.uk/darius-red-sea-canal-stele |url-status=live }}</ref> [[File:Periplous of the Erythraean Sea.svg|left|thumb|upright=1.5|Settlements and commercial centres in the vicinity of the Red Sea involved in the [[spice trade]], as described in the ''[[Periplus of the Erythraean Sea]]'']] In addition to the maritime explorations, during the reign of Darius the Great, a canal was constructed linking the Nile River to the northern end of the Red Sea at Suez. This canal is sometimes referred to as the ancient Suez Canal. It played a pivotal role in improving trade and communication between the Nile Valley and the Red Sea, and beyond to the Indian Ocean. This canal was a predecessor to the modern [[Suez Canal]], which was constructed in the 19th century and continues to be one of the world's most important waterways.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Colburn |first=Henry |date=2021 |title=King Darius' Red Sea Canal |url=https://hcommons.org/deposits/item/hc:44609/ |journal=FEZANA Journal |language=en-US |volume=35 |issue=4 |pages=27–30 |access-date=8 June 2023 |archive-date=16 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716120327/https://hcommons.org/deposits/item/hc:44609/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The construction of the canal during Darius's reign is evidenced by ancient records, including inscriptions. Darius commemorated the completion of the canal by creating stelae (stone monuments) with inscriptions in several languages, describing the construction and its benefits. The canal not only facilitated trade but also solidified Darius's control over Egypt and enhanced the Achaemenid Empire's economic and political power in the region. In the late 4th century BC, [[Alexander the Great]] sent Greek naval expeditions down the Red Sea to the [[Indian Ocean]]. Greek navigators continued to explore and compile data on the Red Sea. [[Agatharchides]] collected information about the sea in the 2nd century BC. The ''[[Periplus of the Erythraean Sea]]'' ("[[Periplus of the Red Sea]]"), a [[Greek language|Greek]] [[periplus]] written by an unknown author around the 1st century, contains a detailed description of the Red Sea's ports and sea routes.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fernandez-Armesto |first=Felipe |url=https://archive.org/details/pathfindersgloba00fern/page/32 |title=Pathfinders: A Global History of Exploration |publisher=W.W. Norton & Company |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-393-06259-5 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/pathfindersgloba00fern/page/32 32–33]}}</ref> The Periplus also describes how [[Hippalus]] first discovered the direct route from the Red Sea to [[India]]. The Red Sea was favored for [[Roman trade with India]] starting with the reign of [[Augustus]], when the [[Roman Empire]] gained control over the Mediterranean, [[Egypt]], and the northern Red Sea. The route had been used by previous states but grew in the volume of traffic under the Romans. From Indian ports goods from [[China]] were introduced to the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] world. Contact between Rome and China depended on the Red Sea, but the route was broken by the [[Aksumite Empire]] around the 3rd century AD.<ref>{{Cite book |last=East |first=W. Gordon |url=https://archive.org/details/geographybehindh0000east_z8c9/page/174 |title=The Geography behind History |publisher=W.W. Norton & Company |year=1965 |isbn=978-0-393-00419-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/geographybehindh0000east_z8c9/page/174 174–175]}}</ref> From antiquity [[slavery in Saudi Arabia|until the 20th-century]], the Red Sea was also a trade route of the [[Red Sea slave trade]] from Africa to the Middle East.<ref>The Palgrave Handbook of Global Slavery Throughout History. (2023). Tyskland: Springer International Publishing.</ref> ===Middle Ages and modern era=== During the [[Middle Ages]], the Red Sea was an important part of the [[spice trade]] route. In 1183, [[Raynald of Châtillon]] launched a raid down the Red Sea to attack the Muslim pilgrim convoys to Mecca.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mallett |first=Alex |date=2008 |title=A Trip down the Red Sea with Reynald of Châtillon |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27755928 |journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=143–144 |jstor=27755928 |issn=1356-1863 |access-date=2 June 2023 |archive-date=2 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602143004/https://www.jstor.org/stable/27755928 |url-status=live }}</ref> The possibility that Raynald's fleet might sack the holy cities of Mecca and Medina caused fury throughout the Muslim world.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mallett |first=Alex |date=2008 |title=A Trip down the Red Sea with Reynald of Châtillon |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27755928 |journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=146–147 |jstor=27755928 |issn=1356-1863 |access-date=2 June 2023 |archive-date=2 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602143004/https://www.jstor.org/stable/27755928 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, it appears that Reynald's target was the lightly armed Muslim pilgrim convoys, rather than the well guarded cities of Mecca and Medina, and the belief in the Muslim world that Reynald was seeking to sack the holy cities, due to the proximity of those cities to the areas that Raynald raided.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mallett |first=Alex |date=2008 |title=A Trip down the Red Sea with Reynald of Châtillon |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27755928 |journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=152–153 |jstor=27755928 |issn=1356-1863 |access-date=2 June 2023 |archive-date=2 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602143004/https://www.jstor.org/stable/27755928 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1513, trying to secure that channel to Portugal, [[Afonso de Albuquerque]] laid [[Siege of Aden|siege to Aden]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Newitt |first=M. D. D. |title=A history of Portuguese overseas expansion, 1400–1668 |publisher=New York Routledge |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-415-23979-0 |location=London |page=87}}</ref> but was forced to retreat. They cruised the Red Sea inside the [[Bab al-Mandab]], as the first fleet from Europe in modern times to have sailed these waters. Later in 1524 the city was delivered to Governor Heitor da Silveira as an agreement for protection from the [[Ottoman Empire in World War I|Ottomans]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mathew |first=K. M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kl3IR3RJTIEC&q=Heitor+da+Silveira+Aden&pg=PA136 |title=History of the Portuguese Navigation in India, 1497–1600 |year=1988 |publisher=Mittal Publications |isbn=978-81-7099-046-8 |access-date=19 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230210065001/https://books.google.com/books?id=Kl3IR3RJTIEC&q=Heitor+da+Silveira+Aden&pg=PA136 |archive-date=10 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1798, [[France]] ordered General [[Napoleon I|Napoleon]] to invade [[Egypt]] and take control of the Red Sea. Although he failed in his mission, the engineer [[Jean-Baptiste Lepère]], who took part in it, revitalised the plan for a canal which had been envisaged during the reign of the [[Pharaoh]]s. Several canals were built in ancient times from the Nile to the Red Sea along or near the line of the present [[Sweet Water Canal]], but none lasted for long. The [[Suez Canal]] was opened in November 1869. During the first half of the 20th-century, the [[Red Sea slave trade]] attracted substantional international condemnation. After the [[Second World War]], the Americans and Soviets exerted their influence whilst the volume of oil tanker traffic intensified. However, the [[Six-Day War]] culminated in the closure of the Suez Canal from 1967 to 1975. Today, in spite of patrols by the major maritime fleets in the waters of the Red Sea, the Suez Canal has never recovered its supremacy over the Cape route, which is believed to be less vulnerable to piracy.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}} [[Iran|Iranian]]-backed Yemini [[Houthis]] have [[Red Sea crisis|attacked Western ships, including warships]], during the [[Israel–Hamas war|2023-2024 Israel-Hamas war]]. One ship was hijacked and taken back to Yemen.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/10/houthis-call-wests-bluff-with-renewed-red-sea-drone-assault | title=Houthis call west's bluff with renewed Red Sea drone assault | newspaper=The Guardian | date=10 January 2024 | last1=Sabbagh | first1=Dan }}</ref> ==Oceanography== [[File:ISS036-E-011050.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Annotated view of the Nile and Red Sea, with a dust storm, viewed from the [[International Space Station]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 July 2013 |title=Egyptian Dust Plume, Red Sea |url=http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=81566 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222100350/http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=81566 |archive-date=22 February 2014 |access-date=4 February 2014 |website=earthobservatory.nasa.gov}}</ref>]] [[File:Day Pass down the Red Sea.ogv|thumb|upright=1.35|This video over the south-eastern [[Mediterranean Sea]] and down the coastline of the Red Sea was taken by the crew of Expedition 29 on board the International Space Station.]] The Red Sea is between arid land, [[desert]] and [[semi-desert]]. Reef systems are better developed along the Red Sea mainly because of its greater depths and an efficient water circulation pattern. The Red Sea water mass-exchanges its water with the [[Arabian Sea]], [[Indian Ocean]] via the [[Gulf of Aden]]. These physical factors reduce the effect of high salinity caused by evaporation in the north and relatively hot water in the south.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sofianos |first1=Sarantis S. |last2=Johns |first2=William E. |date=2002 |title=An Oceanic General Circulation Model (OGCM) investigation of the Red Sea circulation, 1. Exchange between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |language=en |volume=107 |issue=C11 |page=3196 |bibcode=2002JGRC..107.3196S |doi=10.1029/2001JC001184 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The [[climate]] of the Red Sea is the result of two [[monsoon]] seasons: a northeasterly monsoon and a southwesterly monsoon. Monsoon winds occur because of differential heating between the land and the sea. Very high surface temperatures and high salinities make this one of the warmest and saltiest bodies of seawater in the world. The average surface water temperature of the Red Sea during the summer is about {{cvt|26|C|F|0}} in the north and {{cvt|30|C|F|0|}} in the south, with only about {{cvt|2|C-change}} variation during the winter months. The overall average water temperature is {{cvt|22|C|F|0|}}. Temperature and visibility remain good to around {{cvt|200|m|ft}}. The sea is known for its strong winds and unpredictable local currents.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} The [[rainfall]] over the Red Sea and its coasts is extremely low, averaging {{cvt|60|mm|in|2}} per year. The rain is mostly short showers, often with thunderstorms and occasionally with dust [[storm]]s. The scarcity of rainfall and no major source of fresh water to the Red Sea result in excess evaporation as high as {{cvt|2050|mm|in|0}} per year and high salinity with minimal seasonal variation. A recent{{When|date=June 2023}} underwater expedition to the Red Sea offshore from [[Sudan]] and [[Eritrea]]<ref>[[BBC 2]] television program "''Oceans 3/8 The Red Sea''", 8 pm–9 pm Wednesday 26 November 2008</ref>{{Verify source|date=June 2023}} found surface water temperatures {{cvt|28|C|F|0}} in winter and up to {{cvt|34|C|F|0}} in the summer, but despite that extreme heat, the coral was healthy with much fish life with very little sign of [[coral bleaching]], with only 9% infected by ''[[Thalassomonas loyana]]'', the 'white plague' agent. [[Favia|''Favia favus'']] coral there harbours a virus, BA3, which kills ''T. loyana''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Virus power harnessed to protect Red Sea coral |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21528725-700-virus-power-harnessed-to-protect-red-sea-coral/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423092252/http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21528725.700-virus-power-harnessed-to-protect-red-sea-coral.html |archive-date=23 April 2015 |access-date=4 June 2023 |website=New Scientist |language=en-US}}</ref> Scientists are investigating the unique properties of these coral and their [[commensal]] [[algae]] to see if they can be used to salvage bleached coral elsewhere.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fitzgerald |first=Sunny |date=8 April 2020 |title=The super-corals of the Red Sea |url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200408-the-middle-eastern-corals-that-could-survive-climate-change |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220507075625/https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200408-the-middle-eastern-corals-that-could-survive-climate-change |archive-date=7 May 2022 |access-date=24 May 2022 |publisher=[[BBC Future]]}}</ref> ===Salinity=== The Red Sea is one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world, owing to high evaporation and low precipitation; no significant rivers or streams drain into the sea, and its southern connection to the [[Gulf of Aden]], an arm of the Indian Ocean, is narrow.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Por |first=F. D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=syn0CAAAQBAJ&q=salinity+of+the+Red+Sea+is+greater+than+the+world+average,&pg=PA65 |title=The Legacy of Tethys: An Aquatic Biogeography of the Levant |date=6 December 2012 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-94-009-0937-3 |language=en |access-date=19 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230210065003/https://books.google.com/books?id=syn0CAAAQBAJ&q=salinity+of+the+Red+Sea+is+greater+than+the+world+average,&pg=PA65 |archive-date=10 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> Its [[salinity]] ranges from between ~36&nbsp;[[per mil|‰]] in the southern part and 41&nbsp;‰ in the northern part around the [[Gulf of Suez]], with an average of 40&nbsp;‰. (Average salinity for the world's [[seawater]] is ~35&nbsp;‰ on the Practical Salinity Scale, or PSU; that translates to 3.5% of actual dissolved salts).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hanauer |first=Eric |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uh6mcZC8yWIC&q=salinity+of+the+Red+Sea+is+greater+than+the+world+average,&pg=PA67 |title=The Egyptian Red Sea: A Diver's Guide |date=1988 |publisher=Aqua Quest Publications, Inc. |isbn=978-0-922769-04-9 |language=en |access-date=19 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230210065001/https://books.google.com/books?id=uh6mcZC8yWIC&q=salinity+of+the+Red+Sea+is+greater+than+the+world+average,&pg=PA67 |archive-date=10 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> ===Tidal range=== In general, tide ranges between {{cvt|0.6|m|ft|1}} in the north, near the mouth of the Gulf of Suez and {{cvt|0.9|m|ft|1}} in the south near the Gulf of Aden, but it fluctuates between {{cvt|0.20|m|ft|2}} and {{cvt|0.30|m|ft|2}} away from the nodal point. The central Red Sea (Jeddah area) is therefore almost tideless, and as such the annual water level changes are more significant. Because of the small tidal range the water during high tide inundates the coastal [[sabkha]]s as a thin sheet of water up to a few hundred metres rather than flooding the [[sabkha]]s through a network of channels. However, south of Jeddah in the [[Shoiaba]] area, the water from the lagoon may cover the adjoining sabkhas as far as {{cvt|3|km|mi|0}}, whereas north of [[Jeddah]] in the [[Al-Kharrar]] area the sabkhas are covered by a thin sheet of water as far as {{cvt|2|km|mi|1}}. The prevailing north and northeast winds influence the movement of water in the coastal inlets to the adjacent sabkhas, especially during storms. Winter mean sea level is {{cvt|0.5|m|ft|1}} higher than in summer. Tidal velocities passing through constrictions caused by reefs, sand bars and low islands commonly exceed {{cvt|1–2|m/s|0}}. Coral reefs in the Red Sea are near Egypt, Eritrea, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=UNESCO World Heritage |title=Coral Reefs of the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6701/ |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en}}</ref> ===Current=== Detailed information regarding current data is lacking, partially because the currents are weak and both spatially and temporally variable. The variation of temporal and spatial currents is as low as {{cvt|0.5|m|ft|1}}{{clarify|what does this mean?|date=October 2021}} and are governed all by wind. During the summer, northwesterly winds drive surface water south for about four months at a velocity of {{cvt|15–20|cm/s|0}}, whereas in winter the flow is reversed resulting in the inflow of water from the Gulf of Aden into the Red Sea. The net value of the latter predominates, resulting in an overall drift to the north end of the Red Sea. Generally, the velocity of the tidal current is {{cvt|50–60|cm/s|0}} with a maximum of {{cvt|1|m/s|ft/s|1}} at the mouth of the al-Kharrar Lagoon. However, the range of the north-northeast current along the Saudi coast is {{cvt|8–29|cm/s|0}}.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} ===Wind regime=== The north part of the Red Sea is dominated by persistent north-west [[winds]], with speeds ranging between {{cvt|7|km/h|mph|1}} and {{cvt|12|km/h|mph|1}}. The rest of the Red Sea and the [[Gulf of Aden]] are subjected to regular and seasonally reversible winds. The wind [[regime]] is characterized by seasonal and regional variations in [[speed]] and [[direction (geometry, geography)|direction]] with average speed generally increasing northward.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Patzert |first=William C. |date=1 February 1974 |title=Wind-induced reversal in Red Sea circulation |url=https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0011-7471%2874%2990068-0 |journal=Deep Sea Research and Oceanographic Abstracts |language=en |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=109–121 |doi=10.1016/0011-7471(74)90068-0 |bibcode=1974DSRA...21..109P |issn=0011-7471}}</ref> Wind is the driving force in the Red Sea to transport material as suspension or as bedload. Wind-induced currents play an important role in the Red Sea in resuspending bottom sediments and transferring materials from sites of dumping to sites of burial in quiescent environment of deposition. Wind-generated current [[measurement]] is therefore important in order to determine the sediment dispersal pattern and its role in the erosion and accretion of the coastal rock exposure and the submerged coral beds.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Morcos |first=S. A. |date=1970 |title=Physical and chemical oceanography of the Red Sea |journal=Oceanography and Marine Biology Annual Review}}</ref> ==Geology== [[File:Dust red sea.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Dust storm]] over the Red Sea]] The Red Sea was formed by the [[Arabian Peninsula]] being split from the [[Horn of Africa]] by movement of the [[Red Sea Rift]]. This split started in the [[Eocene]] and accelerated during the [[Oligocene]]. The sea is still widening (in 2005, following a three-week period of [[tectonic]] activity it had grown by {{cvt|8|m|ft|disp=sqbr}}),<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Rose |first1=Paul |title=Oceans: Exploring the hidden depths of the underwater world |last2=Laking |first2=Anne |publisher=BBC Books |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-84-607505-6 |location=London}}</ref> and it is considered that it will become an ocean in time (as proposed in the model of [[John Tuzo Wilson]]). In 1949, a deep water survey reported anomalously hot [[brine]]s in the central portion of the Red Sea. Later work in the 1960s confirmed the presence of hot, {{cvt|60|C|F}}, saline brines and associated metalliferous muds. The hot solutions were emanating from an active subseafloor [[Rift (geology)|rift]]. [[Lake Assal (Djibouti)|Lake Asal]] in Djibouti is eligible as an experimental site to study the evolution of the deep hot brines of the Red Sea.<ref name="Boschetti-1">{{Cite journal |last1=Boschetti |first1=Tiziano |last2=Awaleh |first2=Mohamed Osman |last3=Barbieri |first3=Maurizio |date=2018 |title=Waters from the Djiboutian Afar: a review of strontium isotopic composition and a comparison with Ethiopian waters and Red Sea brines |journal=Water |volume=10 |issue=11 |pages=1700 |doi=10.3390/w10111700 |doi-access=free|hdl=11573/1202448 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> By observing the strontium isotope composition of the Red Sea brines, it is possible to deduce how these salt waters found at the bottom of the Red Sea could have evolved in a similar way to Lake Asal, which ideally represents their compositional extreme.<ref name="Boschetti-1" /> The high salinity of the waters was not hospitable to living organisms.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-662-28603-6 |title=Hot Brines and Recent Heavy Metal Deposits in the Red Sea |date=1969 |publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg |isbn=978-3-662-27120-9 |editor-last=Degens |editor-first=Egon T. |location=Berlin, Heidelberg |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-662-28603-6 |editor-last2=Ross |editor-first2=David A. |access-date=2 June 2023 |archive-date=1 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101162858/https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-662-28603-6 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=June 2023}} Sometime during the [[Tertiary]] period, the [[Bab el Mandeb]] closed and the Red Sea evaporated to an empty hot dry salt-floored sink. Effects causing this would have been: *A "race" between the Red Sea widening and [[Perim Island]] [[volcano|erupting]] filling the Bab el Mandeb with [[lava]]. *The lowering of world [[sea level]] during the [[Ice age|Ice Age]]s because of much water being locked up in the [[ice cap]]s. A number of volcanic islands rise from the center of the sea. Most are dormant. However, in 2007, [[Jabal al-Tair island]] in the Bab el Mandeb strait erupted violently. Two new islands were formed in 2011 and 2013 in the [[Zubair Group|Zubair Archipelago]], a small chain of islands owned by Yemen. The first island, Sholan Island, emerged in an eruption in December 2011, the second island, Jadid, emerged in September 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 December 2011 |title=MSN – Outlook, Office, Skype, Bing, Breaking News, and Latest Videos |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/45807839 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230210065003/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna45807839 |archive-date=10 February 2023 |access-date=10 November 2019 |website=NBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Israel |first=Brett |date=28 December 2011 |title=New Island Rises in the Red Sea |url=http://www.livescience.com/31004-red-sea-volcanic-island.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128081422/https://www.livescience.com/31004-red-sea-volcanic-island.html |archive-date=28 January 2022 |access-date=31 July 2015 |website=LiveScience.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Oskin |first1=Becky |last2=SPACE.com |date=30 May 2015 |title=Red Sea Parts for 2 New Islands |url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/red-sea-parts-for-2-new-islands |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150803072542/http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/red-sea-parts-for-2-new-islands/ |archive-date=3 August 2015 |access-date=31 July 2015 |website=Scientific American}}</ref> Approximately 40% of the Red Sea is quite shallow at less than {{cvt|100|m|ft}} deep, with about 25% less than {{cvt|50|m|ft}} deep.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2024-06-15 |title=Red Sea {{!}} Map, Middle East, Shipping, Marine Ecosystems, & Geology {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Red-Sea |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> ===Oil and gas=== Undiscovered oil reserves in the region have been estimated at 5,041 MMBO. Undiscovered gas reserves in the region have been estimated at 112,349 BCFG. Undiscovered natural gas reserves have been estimated at 3,077 MMBNGL.<ref>Schenk, Christopher. ''World Petroleum Resources Project Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and ...'' https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs//2010/3119/pdf/FS10-3119.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230107220429/https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2010/3119/pdf/FS10-3119.pdf |date=7 January 2023 }} .</ref> Most of these plays are controlled by the structure of the basin.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Dolson |first1=John C. |last2=Shann |first2=Mark V. |last3=Matbouly |first3=Sayed I. |last4=Hammouda |first4=Hussein |last5=Rashed |first5=Rashed M. |year=2001 |title=Egypt in the Twenty-First Century: Petroleum Potential in Offshore Trends |journal=GeoArabia |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=211–230 |bibcode=2001GeoAr...6..211D |doi=10.2113/geoarabia0602211 |s2cid=221322448|doi-access=free }}</ref> Normal faults are common as the Red Sea occupies an active diverging margin. These targets are commonly found below the Salt deposits of the [[Middle Miocene]]. Modern development is focused on the following fields. The Durwara 2 Field was discovered in 1963, while the Suakin 1 Field and the Bashayer 1A Field were discovered in 1976, on the Egyptian side of the Red Sea. The Barqan Field was discovered in 1969, and the Midyan Field in 1992, both within the Midyan Basin on the Saudi Arabian side of the Red Sea. The 20-m thick [[Middle Miocene]] Maqna [[formation (geology)|Formation]] is an oil source rock in the basin. [[Oil seep]]s occur near the [[Farasan Islands]], the [[Dahlak Archipelago]], along the coast of Eritrea, and in the southeastern Red Sea along the coasts of Saudi Arabia and Yemen.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lindquist |first=Sandra |title=The Red Sea Province: Sudr-Nubia(!) and Maqna(!) Petroleum Systems, USGS Open File Report 99-50-A |date=1998 |publisher=US Dept. of the Interior |pages=6–7, 9}}</ref> ===Mineral resources=== {{unreferenced section|date=May 2022}} [[File:Red sea stony beach taba egypt.jpg|thumb|Red Sea coast in [[Taba, Egypt|Taba]], [[Egypt]]]] In terms of mineral resources the major constituents of the Red Sea sediments are as follows: *Biogenic constituents: :Nanofossils, [[foraminifera]], [[pteropod]]s, siliceous fossils *[[Volcanogenic lake|Volcanogenic]] constituents: :[[Tuff]]ites, [[volcanic ash]], [[montmorillonite]], [[cristobalite]], [[zeolite]]s *Terrigenous constituents: :[[Quartz]], [[feldspar]]s, rock fragments, [[mica]], heavy minerals, [[clay minerals]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=SudanTribune |date=2015-10-07 |title=Sudan, Saudi Arabia discuss minerals exploration in the Red Sea |url=https://sudantribune.com/article55069/ |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=Sudan Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> *Authigenic minerals: :[[Sulfide mineral]]s, [[aragonite]], [[calcite]], protodolomite, [[Dolomite (mineral)|dolomite]], quartz, [[chalcedony]]. *Evaporite minerals: :[[Magnesite]], [[gypsum]], [[anhydrite]], [[halite]], [[polyhalite]] *Brine precipitate: :Fe-montmorillonite, [[goethite]], [[hematite]], [[siderite]], [[rhodochrosite]], [[pyrite]], [[sphalerite]], anhydrite. ==Ecosystem== [[File:Hawksbill turtle at Elphinstone Reef, Red Sea, Egypt (35150034493).jpg|thumb|[[Hawksbill sea turtle]] in the [[Elphinstone Reef]]]] [[File:Nudibranch egg ribbon at Shaab Mahmoud.JPG|thumb|upright|Nudibranch egg ribbon at Shaab Mahmoud]] The Red Sea is a rich and diverse ecosystem. For example more than 1200 fish species have been recorded in the Red Sea <ref name="fishbase">{{Cite web |last1=Froese |first1=Rainer |last2=Pauly, Daniel |year=2009 |title=FishBase |url=http://www.fishbase.org/TrophicEco/FishEcoList.php?ve_code=5 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217070339/http://www.fishbase.org/TrophicEco/FishEcoList.php?ve_code=5 |archive-date=17 December 2020 |access-date=12 March 2009}}</ref>, of which 10% are endemic, found nowhere else <ref>{{Cite book |last=Siliotti |first=A. |title=Fishes of the red sea |year=2002 |publisher=Geodia Edizioni Internazionali |isbn=978-88-87177-42-8 |editor-last=Verona, Geodia}}</ref>. Since the opening of the Suez Canal in November 1869, over a thousand marine species from the Red Sea — from plankton, seaweeds, invertebrates to fishes — have migrated northward and settled in the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. To the point that a number of them now form a significant component of the Mediterranean ecosystem. The resulting change in biodiversity, without precedent in human memory, is currently accelerating, in particular for fishes according to surveys engaged by the [[Mediterranean Science Commission]].<ref>Atlas of Exotic Fishes in the Mediterranean Sea. 2nd Edition. 2021. (F. Briand Ed.) CIESM Publishers, Paris, Monaco 366 p.[https://ciesm.org/catalog/index.php?article=2021]</ref> [[File:Red sea coral reef.jpg|thumb|Red Sea coral and marine fish]] The rich diversity of the Red Sea is in part due to the {{cvt|2000|km|mi|-1}} of [[coral reef]] extending along its coastline; these fringing reefs are 5000–7000 years old and are largely formed of stony [[acropora]] and [[porites]] corals. The reefs form platforms and sometimes lagoons along the coast and occasional other features such as cylinders (such as the [[Blue Hole (Red Sea)]] at [[Dahab]]). The Red Sea also hosts many offshore reefs, including several true atolls. Many of the unusual offshore reef formations defy classic (i.e., Darwinian) coral reef classification schemes, and are generally attributed to the high levels of tectonic activity that characterize the area. Both offshore and coastal reefs are visited by pelagic species of fish, including many of the 44 recorded species of shark, and by many species (over 175) of [[nudibranch]], many of which are endemic to the Red Sea.<ref name="SAW Yonow">{{Cite magazine |last=Yonow |first=Nathalie |year=2012 |title=Nature's Best-Dressed |url=http://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/201204/nature.s.best-dressed.htm |url-status=live |magazine=Saudi Aramco World |publisher=Aramco Services Company |volume=63 |pages=2–9 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220045032/http://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/201204/nature.s.best-dressed.htm |archive-date=20 December 2018 |access-date=11 December 2018 |number=4}}</ref>. Other coastal Red Sea habitats include [[sea grass]] beds, [[Dry lake|salt pans]], [[mangroves|mangrove]] and [[salt marshes|salt marsh]]. Furthermore the deep Red Sea [[brine pools]] have been extensively studied with regard to their microbial life, characterized by its diversity and adaptation to extreme environments. The high marine biodiversity of the area is recognized by the Egyptian government, which set up the [[Ras Mohammed|Ras Mohammed National Park]] in 1983. The rules and regulations governing this area protect local marine life, which has become a major draw for diving enthusiasts who should be aware that although most Red Sea species are innocuous, a few are hazardous to humans.<ref name="Lieske-1">{{Cite book |last1=Lieske |first1=Ewald |title=Coral reef guide: Red Sea to Gulf of Aden, South Oman |last2=Myers |first2=Robert F. |last3=Fiedler |first3=Klaus E. |publisher=Collins |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-00-715986-4 |location=London}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=June 2023}} == Desalination plants == There is extensive demand for [[Desalination|desalinated]] water to meet the needs of the population and the industries along the Red Sea. There are at least 18 desalination plants along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia which discharge warm [[brine]] and treatment chemicals ([[chlorine]] and [[Anti-fouling agent|anti-scalants]]) that [[Coral bleaching|bleach]] and kill [[coral]]s and cause diseases in the fish. This is only localized, but it may intensify with time and profoundly impact the fishing industry.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mabrook |first=Badr |date=1 August 1994 |title=Environmental impact of waste brine disposal of desalination plants, Red Sea, Egypt |url=https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0011-9164%2894%2900108-1 |journal=Desalination |series=Proceedings of the IDA and WRPC World Conference On Desalination and Water Treatment |language=en |volume=97 |issue=1 |pages=453–465 |doi=10.1016/0011-9164(94)00108-1 |bibcode=1994Desal..97..453M |issn=0011-9164 |access-date=4 June 2023 |archive-date=1 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101162814/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0011916494001081?via%3Dihub |url-status=live }}</ref> ==Trade== The Red Sea serves an important role in the [[global economy]], with cargo vessels traveling between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea every year, thus shortening the path between [[Asia]] and [[Europe]] almost by half (as compared to traveling around Africa via the Atlantic Ocean).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rodrigue |first=Jean-Paul |date=1 November 2017 |title=Geographical Impacts of the Suez and Panama Canals |url=https://transportgeography.org/contents/chapter1/emergence-of-mechanized-transportation-systems/suez-panama-canal-geography-impacts/ |access-date=4 June 2023 |publisher=Hofstra University |language=en-US |publication-place=New York |archive-date=4 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604204437/https://transportgeography.org/contents/chapter1/emergence-of-mechanized-transportation-systems/suez-panama-canal-geography-impacts/ |url-status=live }}</ref> 12% of global trade passes through the Red Sea.<ref name="rsce">{{cite news |last=Yerushalmy |first=Jonathan |date=20 December 2023 |title=Red Sea crisis explained: what is happening and what does it mean for global trade? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/19/red-sea-shipping-crisis-bp-oil-explained-what-is-happening-and-what-does-it-mean-for-global-trade |work=The Guardian |access-date=3 January 2024}}</ref> This includes 30% of global [[Container ship|container]] traffic.<ref name="rsce"/> ===Tourism=== [[File:Elath Eilat Israel Strand Hotel datafox.jpg|thumb|Hotels in [[Eilat]], [[Israel]]]] The sea is known for its [[recreational diving]] sites, such as [[Ras Mohammed]], [[SS Thistlegorm]] (shipwreck), [[Elphinstone Reef]], [[The Brothers, Egypt|The Brothers]], [[Daedalus Reef]], [[St. John's Reef]], [[Rocky Island (Egypt)|Rocky Island]] in [[Egypt]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scuba Diving in Egypt – Red Sea – Dive The World Vacations |url=http://www.dive-the-world.com/diving-sites-red-sea.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130623214316/http://www.dive-the-world.com/diving-sites-red-sea.php |archive-date=23 June 2013 |access-date=15 March 2013 |website=www.dive-the-world.com}}</ref> and less known sites in [[Sudan]] such as [[Sanganeb]], [[Abington, Sudan|Abington]], [[Angarosh]] and [[Shaab Rumi]]. The Red Sea became a popular destination for diving after the expeditions of [[Hans Hass]] in the 1950s, and later by [[Jacques-Yves Cousteau]].<ref name="Cousteau">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mTCj-DUHro |title=Jacques Cousteau's underworld village in the Red Sea |date=23 April 2010 |publisher=BBC Earth |access-date=11 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627162343/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mTCj-DUHro |archive-date=27 June 2018 |url-status=live |people=Philippe Cousteau Jnr}}</ref> Popular tourist resorts include [[El Gouna]], [[Hurghada]], [[Safaga]], [[Marsa Alam]], on the west shore of the Red Sea, and [[Sharm-el-Sheikh]], [[Dahab]], and [[Taba, Egypt|Taba]] on the [[Egypt]]ian side of [[Sinaï]], as well as [[Aqaba]] in [[Jordan]] and [[Eilat]] in [[Israel]] in an area known as the [[Red Sea Riviera]]. The popular tourist beach of Sharm el-Sheikh was closed to all swimming in December 2010 due to several serious [[2010 Sharm El Sheikh shark attacks|shark attacks]], including a fatality. As of December 2010, scientists are investigating the attacks and have identified, but not verified, several possible causes including over-fishing which causes large sharks to hunt closer to shore, tourist boat operators who chum offshore for shark-photo opportunities, and reports of ships throwing dead livestock overboard. The sea's narrowness, significant depth, and sharp drop-offs, all combine to form a geography where large deep-water sharks can roam in hundreds of meters of water, yet be within a hundred meters of swimming areas. The Red Sea Project is building highest quality accommodation and a wide range of facilities on the coast line in Saudi Arabia. This will allow people to visit the coastline of the Red Sea by the end of 2022 but will be fully finished by 2030.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 April 2020 |title=Saudi Arabia's 'The Red Sea Project' breaks ground on coastal village |url=https://english.alarabiya.net/en/life-style/travel-and-tourism/2020/04/20/Saudi-Arabia-s-The-Red-Sea-Project-breaks-ground-on-coastal-village |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209103910/https://english.alarabiya.net/en/life-style/travel-and-tourism/2020/04/20/Saudi-Arabia-s-The-Red-Sea-Project-breaks-ground-on-coastal-village |archive-date=9 December 2020 |access-date=4 December 2020 |website=Al Arabiya English |language=en}}</ref> {{see also|2016 Hurghada attack|2017 Hurghada attack|2006 Dahab bombings|2005 Sharm El Sheikh bombings|2004 Sinai bombings|Metrojet Flight 9268}} Tourism to the region has been threatened by occasional terrorist attacks, and by incidents related to food safety standards.<ref name="WalshKaraszDeath">{{Cite news |last1=Walsh |first1=Declan |last2=Karasz |first2=Palko |date=24 August 2018 |title=Hundreds of Tourists Evacuated From Hotel in Egypt After Britons' Sudden Death |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/24/world/middleeast/egypt-hotel-thomas-cook.html |url-status=live |access-date=26 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180825225328/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/24/world/middleeast/egypt-hotel-thomas-cook.html |archive-date=25 August 2018}}</ref><ref name="RegevCriticalBlow">{{Cite news |last=Regev |first=Dana |date=15 July 2017 |title=Egypt's tourism industry suffers a critical blow |publisher=DW |url=http://www.dw.com/en/egypts-tourism-industry-suffers-a-critical-blow/a-39705321 |url-status=live |access-date=26 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716032022/http://www.dw.com/en/egypts-tourism-industry-suffers-a-critical-blow/a-39705321 |archive-date=16 July 2017}}</ref> ===Security=== {{See also|Red Sea crisis}} The Red Sea is part of the [[sea road]]s between [[Europe]], the [[Persian Gulf]] and [[East Asia]], and as such has heavy [[shipping|shipping traffic]]. Government-related bodies with responsibility to police the Red Sea area include the [[Port Said Port Authority]], [[Suez Canal Authority]] and [[Red Sea Ports Authority]] of [[Egypt]], [[Jordan Maritime Authority]], [[Israel Port Authority]], [[Saudi Ports Authority]] and [[Sea Ports Corporation, Sudan|Sea Ports Corporation]] of [[Sudan]]. [[Houthi]] rebels in Yemen have increased attacks on shipping vessels since mid-November 2023. The blocking of Israeli-linked ships was in response to Israel's war on [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]]. <ref name="rsce" /> In January 2024, it was reported that Red Sea shipping volumes have dropped to 30% of normal levels due to Houthi intervention.<ref>{{Cite news |title=The Middle East faces economic chaos |url=https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/01/18/the-middle-east-faces-economic-chaos |access-date=2024-01-21 |newspaper=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}</ref> In response, the US has announced a maritime coalition to defend shipping in the Red Sea for the [[Operation Prosperity Guardian]].<ref name="rsce" /> In January 2024, US and British forces undertook dozens of air and sea strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. US President Joe Biden reportedly authorized strikes, despite not having congressional approval. <ref name="ikp">{{cite news |last=Fazeli |first=Yaghoub |date=16 January 2024 |title=Iran's Khamenei praises Houthis' Red Sea attacks, hopes they will continue |url=https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2024/01/16/Iran-s-Khamenei-praises-Houthis-Red-Sea-attacks-hopes-they-will-continue |work=Alarabiya News |access-date=16 January 2024}}</ref> ==Bordering countries== [[File:Red Sea map.svg|thumb|A four color map of the Red Sea and its bordering countries]] The Red Sea may be geographically divided into three sections: the Red Sea proper, and in the north, the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez. The six countries bordering the Red Sea proper are: *Eastern shore: **[[Saudi Arabia]] **[[Yemen]] *Western shore: **[[Egypt]] **[[Sudan]] **[[Eritrea]] **[[Djibouti]] The Gulf of Suez is entirely bordered by Egypt. The Gulf of Aqaba borders Egypt, [[Israel]], [[Jordan]] and Saudi Arabia. In addition to the standard geographical definition of the six countries bordering the Red Sea cited above, areas such as [[Somalia]] are sometimes also described as Red Sea territories. This is primarily due to their proximity to and geological similarities with the nations facing the Red Sea and/or political ties with them.<ref name="Barth">{{Cite book |last=Barth |first=Hans-Jörg |title=Sabkha ecosystems, Volume 2 |publisher=Springer |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-4020-0504-6 |page=148}}</ref><ref name="Makinda">{{Cite book |last=Makinda |first=Samuel M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5cYOAAAAQAAJ |title=Superpower diplomacy in the Horn of Africa |publisher=Routledge |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-7099-4662-5 |page=37}}</ref> ==Towns and cities== Towns and cities on the Red Sea coast (including the coasts of the Gulfs of Aqaba and Suez) include: {{div col|colwidth=22em}} *[[Ain Sokhna]], Egypt (العين السخنة) *[[Al Hudaydah]], Yemen (الحديدة) *[[Al Lith]], Saudi Arabia (الليِّث) *[[Al Qunfudhah]], Saudi Arabia (القنفذة) *[[Al-Qusayr, Egypt|Al-Qusair]], Egypt (القصير) *[[Al Wajh]], Saudi Arabia (الوجه) *[[Aqaba]], Jordan (العقبة) *[[Asseb]], Eritrea (ዓሰብ / عصب) *[[Dahab]], Egypt (دهب) *[[Duba, Saudi Arabia|Duba]], Saudi Arabia (ضباء) *[[Eilat]], Israel (אילת) *[[El Gouna]], Egypt (الجونة) *[[El Tor, Egypt|El Tor]], Egypt (الطور) *[[Suez]], Egypt (السويس) *[[Hala'ib]], Egypt and Sudan (حلايب) (disputed) *[[Haql]], Saudi Arabia (حقل) *[[Hirgigo]], Eritrea (ሕርጊጎ / حرقيقو) *[[Hurghada]], Egypt (الغردقة) *[[Jeddah]], Saudi Arabia (جدة) *[[Jizan|Jazan]], Saudi Arabia (جازان) *[[Marsa Alam]], Egypt (مرسى علم) *[[Massawa]], Eritrea (ምጽዋዕ / مصوع) *[[Mokha]], Yemen (المُخا) *[[Moulhoule]], Djibouti (مول هولة) *[[Nuweiba]], Egypt (نويبع) *[[Port Sudan]], Sudan (بورت سودان) *[[Rabigh]], Saudi Arabia (رابغ) *[[Safaga]], Egypt (سفاجا) *[[Sharm El Sheikh]], Egypt (شرم الشيخ) *[[Soma Bay]], Egypt (سوما باي) *[[Suakin]], Sudan (سواكن) *[[Taba (Egypt)|Taba]], Egypt (طابا) *[[Thuwal]], Saudi Arabia (ثول) *[[Yanbu]], Saudi Arabia (ينبع) {{div col end}} ==See also== {{Portal|Ocean|Water|Asia|Africa}} *[[Benjamin Kahn]] *{{MS|al-Salam Boccaccio 98}} ferry disaster *[[Crossing the Red Sea]], a Biblical tale from the [[Book of Exodus]] *[[Red Sea Dam]] *[[Robert Moresby]] *[[The Red Sea Project]] ==Notes== {{notelist}} ==References== {{Reflist|33em}} ==Further reading== * {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Red Sea | volume= 22 |last1= Dickson |first1= Henry Newton |author1-link= Henry Newton Dickson | pages = 970–971 |short=1}} *{{Cite book |last1=Hamblin |first1=W. Kenneth |title=Earth's Dynamic Systems |last2=Christiansen |first2=Eric H. |publisher=Prentice-Hall |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-13-745373-3 |edition=8th |location=Upper Saddle River |name-list-style=amp}} *Miran, Jonathan. (2018). "The Red Sea," in David Armitage, Alison Bashford and [[Sujit Sivasundaram]] (eds.), ''Oceanic Histories'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), pp.&nbsp;156–181. ==External links== {{sister project links}} *[http://www.coral-reef-info.com/red-sea-coral-reefs.html Red Sea Coral Reefs] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20120326031330/http://www.redseadivinghurghada.co.uk/underwater-photography.html Red Sea Photography] *{{Cite web |last1=Potts |first1=D.T. |last2=Gillies |first2=Sean |last3=Scalfano |first3=Perry |last4=Talbert |first4=R. |last5=Elliott |first5=Tom |last6=Becker |first6=Jeffrey |date=2 March 2021 |title=Places: 39290 (Arabicus Sinus/Erythr(ae)um/Rubrum Mare) |url=http://pleiades.stoa.org/places/39290 |access-date=2 June 2023 |publisher=Pleiades}} {{List of African seas}} {{List of seas}} {{Countries bordering the Red Sea}} {{Corals}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Red Sea| ]] [[Category:Tourist attractions in Egypt]] [[Category:Egypt–Sudan border]] [[Category:Eritrea–Sudan border]] [[Category:Great Rift Valley]] [[Category:Marine ecoregions]] [[Category:Saudi Arabia–Yemen border]] [[Category:Suez Canal]] [[Category:Underwater diving sites]] [[Category:Marginal seas of the Indian Ocean]] [[Category:Gulfs of the Indian Ocean]] [[Category:Geography of East Africa]] [[Category:Geography of North Africa]] [[Category:Geography of the Middle East]] [[Category:Geography of West Asia]] [[Category:Horn of Africa]] [[Category:Seas of Africa]] [[Category:Seas of Asia]] [[Category:Bodies of water of Egypt]] [[Category:Bodies of water of Eritrea]] [[Category:Bodies of water of Israel]] [[Category:Bodies of water of Jordan]] [[Category:Bodies of water of Saudi Arabia]] [[Category:Bodies of water of Sudan]] [[Category:Seas of Yemen]] [[Category:Inlets of Asia]] [[Category:Articles containing video clips]]'