The Red Sea is a mediterranean sea lying between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. It is an inlet of the Indian Ocean. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To the north of the Red Sea lies the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez, which leads 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 438,000 km2 (169,000 sq mi), is about 2,250 km (1,400 mi) long, and 355 km (221 mi) across at its widest point. It has an average depth of 490 m (1,610 ft), and in the central Suakin Trough, it reaches its maximum depth of 2,730 m (8,960 ft). The Red Sea is quite shallow, with approximately 40% of its area being less than 100 m (330 ft) deep, and approximately 25% being less than 50 m (160 ft) deep. The extensive shallow shelves are noted for their marine life and corals. 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:On the North. The Southern limits of the Gulfs of Suez [A line running from 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] and Aqaba [A line running from Ràs al Fasma Southwesterly to Requin Island (27°57′N 34°36′E) through Tiran Island to the Southwest point thereof and thence Westward on a parallel (27°54'N) to the coast of the Sinai Peninsula]. On the South. A line joining Husn Murad (12°40′N 43°30′E) and Ras Siyyan (12°29′N 43°20′E).
Exclusive economic zone Exclusive economic zones in Red Sea:
Note: Hala'ib Triangle disputed between Sudan and Egypt and calculated for both.
Name The Red Sea has names in many languages of the region:
Modern Standard Arabic: البحر الأحمر, romanized: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar; Medieval Arabic: بحر القلزم, romanized: Baḥr al-Qulzum; Hebrew: הַיָּם הָאָדוֹם, romanized: hayYām hāʾĀḏōm; Biblical Hebrew: יַם־סוּף, romanized: Yam Sūf Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ, romanized: Phiom Enhah, or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ, Phiom ǹšari Tigrinya: ቀይሕ ባሕሪ, romanized: Qeyyiḥ bāḥrī Somali: Badda Cas Afar: Qasa Bad The English term Red Sea is a direct translation of the Ancient Greek Erythrà Thálassa (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 (lit. 'Arabian Gulf')—the Romans called it Pontus Herculis (lit. 'Sea of Hercules'). Other designations include the Arabic البحر الأحمر (Al-Baḥr Al-Aḥmar; alternatively, بحر القلزم, Baḥr Al-Qulzum, 'the Sea of Clysma'); the Coptic ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ̀ⲛϣⲁⲣⲓ (Phiom ̀nšari); the Syriac ܝܡܐ ܣܘܡܩܐ (Yammāʾ summāqā); the Somali Badda Cas; and the Tigrinya ቀይሕ ባሕሪ (Qeyyiḥ bāḥrī). The name of the sea may signify the seasonal blooms of the red-coloured Trichodesmium erythraeum near the water's surface. A theory favored by some modern scholars is that the name red refers to the direction south, just as the Black Sea's name may refer to the north. The basis of this theory is that some Pre-Indo-European languages used color words to refer to the cardinal directions. Writing in the fifth century BCE, Herodotus uses the Red Sea and Southern Sea interchangeably. The term Yam Suph (יַם־סוּף, 'Sea of Reeds') derives from the tale of God's parting of the Red Sea for the Israelites. Historically, it was also known to Western geographers as Mare Mecca ('Sea of Mecca') and Sinus Arabicus ('Arabian Gulf'). Some ancient geographers also called the Red Sea the "Arabian Gulf" or the "Gulf of Arabia".
History
Ancient era
The earliest known exploration of the Red Sea was conducted by ancient Egyptians, as they attempted to establish commercial routes to Punt. One such expedition took place around 2500 BCE and another around 1500 BCE (by Hatshepsut). Both involved long voyages down the Red Sea. The Hebrew Biblical Book of Exodus relates the account of the Israelites' crossing the Red Sea, which the Hebrew text calls Yam Suph (יַם־סוּף). Yam Suph was traditionally identified as the Red Sea. Rabbi Saadia Gaon (882‒942 CE), in his Judeo-Arabic translation of the Torah, identifies the crossing place of the Red Sea as Baḥar al-Qulzum, meaning the "Gulf of Suez". In the 6th century BCE, 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 and identify its navigational hazards, such as rocks and currents. This effort was significant, as it contributed to safer and more efficient navigation routes.
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