The Red Sea is an inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia, its water is one of the warmest in the world due to its location on both sides of the Tropics. Learn more about this topic here!
Characteristics of the Red Sea
The Red Sea is inserted between the Indian Ocean to the south and the Mediterranean Sea to the north, naturally separating Africa from Asia in the Middle East. The shape of the Red Sea is very long, quite narrow but very long, with the southern entrance at the level of the Gulf of Aden (Indian Ocean) and ending in the north by the Gulfs of Suez and Aquaba.
The Red Sea covers an area of approximately 438,000 km2, with a maximum length of 2250 km and at its widest point, 355 km wide. The maximum depth is 2.211 meters in the central reserve trench, and an average depth of 490 m. However, there are also many shallow flats, known for their biological richness and coral marine life.
The sea is home to more than 1000 species of invertebrates and 200 hard and soft corals. Its shores, surrounded by mountains, plunge rapidly to depths of 1000 meters; only a fifty-meter-wide continental shelf colonized by reefs borders it.
Therefore, the Gulf of Aqaba behaves like a giant channel isolated from the main basin, while the Gulf of Suez is just a flat and shallow sea (80 to 90 m maximum) poor in reefs.
Name's origin
There are several competing theories surrounding the origin of the Red Sea's colorful name, one popular suggestion crediting seasonal blooms of a type of algae, which make the normally clear water appear a deep orange-red.
It is clear that the Red Sea does not bear the name of the permanent color of its waters, the ancient Greeks, in fact, were shocked by the coloration that this sea sometimes assumed in correspondence with a particular phenomenon that "colored" its waters with a red very intense.
The Red Sea can occur anywhere on the planet: marine and coastal waters turn red due to the presence of an immense amount of algae with a high concentration of chlorophyll and carotene, they are the same pigments that give organisms their red color. vegetables.
In general, red tides are caused by various species of microscopic unicellular algae or by protozoa called dinoflagellates that grow explosively and with uncontrollable speed: their concentration can reach 50 million specimens per liter of water and their filamentous appendages.
riparian countries
If you want to know where the Red Sea is , you must visit some of the countries that comprise it, which are:
- To the north: Israel and Jordan
- To the west and north: Egypt
- To the west: Sudan, Djibouti and Eritrea
- To the east: Yemen and Saudi Arabia
- To the south: Djibouti and Eritrea
Physical properties of the Red Sea
The Central Red Sea lies between two distinct hydrographic and atmospheric regimes, in this majestic sea, the reversal of seasonal monsoons regulates the exchange of water between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. In the northern Red Sea, intermediate and occasionally deep waters form during the winter to maintain the basin's circulation.
The Red Sea supports a rich and diverse ecosystem, it is a unique environment due to the lack of permanent rivers flowing into it. The Red Sea has a negative global water balance (ie evaporation is greater than rainfall and river runoff combined).
Oceanic semblances are defined as sharp terms between different water masses and are usually accompanied by horizontal gradients of temperature and humidity , salinity, density, nutrients and other assets.
The Red Sea Current is an upwelling oceanographic phenomenon whereby deeper, generally cooler, nutrient-rich water is brought to the surface to replace water that has been displaced by offshore or offshore winds.
Tourism
The Red Sea is one of the world's top diving destinations, and for decades scuba enthusiasts have been heading there specifically for primarily underwater vacations.
Today, this coast has become a major sun and sea vacation destination favored both by families seeking a peaceful break on the beach at a full-service hotel and by scuba divers to bring the Red Sea to life along with the corals and fish.
Many people who live near the reefs depend on tourism for a living and resort towns are no exception.
The attractions of the Red Sea are its sea beds: they are absolutely magnificent, a multitude of colorful fish, magnificent corals and some shipwrecks to give it life, the desert mountain range that borders the Red Sea allows tourists to go on a camel or vehicle excursion rustic.
Various festivals are organized, as well as religious and national celebrations, but also events such as fishing competitions or camel races, a tourism festival is also organized in summer, on this occasion those who decide to visit it can benefit from great discounts in hotels and restaurants. .
The Red Sea is warm enough to visit year-round, with an average water temperature of 66°F, even in December and January, this rises to an average of 84°F in the summer months, making the shallow parts of the sea are as warm as bath water.
Important coastal cities
The coastline stretches from the Gulf of Suez to the Sudanese borders and showcases all kinds of sea life and deserts, tourists from all over the world come to the Red Sea cities not only for beach vacations and diving activities, but also for explore deserts, valleys and Bedouin nights.
Among the Red sea cities the most famous ones are Hurghada and Sharm al Sheikh where you will find some religious destinations from the early Christian period, if you like deep sea diving activities this is definitely your place where you will see more than 800 species of rare fish, exotic coral reef settlements.
There are also other cities that highlight the Red Sea, which are mentioned below:
- Asab
- Massawa
- Hala'ib
- port sudan
- Safaga
- The Suweis
- Eilat
- Aqaba
- Dahab
- Jedda
IHO delimitation
The State of Eritrea and the Republic of Yemen claimed sovereignty over a group of islands in the Red Sea and disagreed on the location of their maritime boundary. The Arbitration Agreement, between the Parties dated October 3, 1996, required the Tribunal to rule on these two matters in separate stages.
The Tribunal found that neither Party made a significantly more compelling case for ownership of either island based on old title, as argued by Yemen, or succession of title.
"Limits of the Oceans and Seas, Special Publication 23, 3rd Edition, 1953, published by the International Hydrographic Organization."
- Latitude 20°18'56,6"N (20,31573096°)
- Longitude 38° 44' 6.2" E (38.73504211°)
