The Red Sea is a long, narrow strip of water between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. On a map it looks like a crack, and that is close to what it is: a rift where two plates are pulling apart. It connects the Mediterranean, through the Suez Canal, with the Indian Ocean, through the strait of Bab el-Mandeb, which makes it one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.
The countries on each shore
On the African side, from north to south:
- Egypt, including the Sinai Peninsula.
- Sudan, with Port Sudan as its main harbour.
- Eritrea, with the ports of Massawa and Assab.
- Djibouti, at the southern entrance, facing Bab el-Mandeb.
On the Asian side:
- Jordan, at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba, with its only port at Aqaba.
- Saudi Arabia, which holds the longest coastline, with Jeddah as its main Red Sea city.
- Yemen, on the south-eastern shore down to the strait.
Israel also reaches the sea at Eilat, a short stretch of coast at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba between Egypt and Jordan.
The two gulfs around Sinai
At its northern end the Red Sea splits in two, and the Sinai Peninsula sits between the branches like a wedge.
- The Gulf of Suez, to the west, is shallow and leads to the town of Suez, the southern entrance of the Suez Canal.
- The Gulf of Aqaba, to the east, is narrow and deep, and four countries share its shores: Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Resort towns on the Gulf of Aqaba and at the southern tip of Sinai, such as Sharm el-Sheikh and Dahab, are popular with divers and snorkellers.
Bab el-Mandeb, the southern gate
At the southern end the sea narrows to a strait between Yemen on one side and Djibouti and Eritrea on the other. Its name, often translated as the Gate of Tears, reflects how difficult it was to sail. Beyond it lies the Gulf of Aden, then the open Indian Ocean. Together with the Suez Canal, this strait means that a large share of trade between Europe and Asia passes through the Red Sea, and any disruption here reroutes ships around the whole of Africa.
A sea that is still widening
The Red Sea sits on the boundary between the African and Arabian plates. The two are slowly moving apart, which is why the sea is long, straight and deep in the middle. The same system continues south-west into the Afar region of Ethiopia and Djibouti, where the Great Rift Valley begins on land.
Warm water and coral reefs
Few rivers flow into the Red Sea, and the climate around it is hot and dry, so evaporation is high. The result is water that is warm and saltier than the open ocean. Those conditions support long coral reefs along both coasts, from the Gulf of Aqaba down to the islands of Sudan and Eritrea. Diving tourism in Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia relies on them.
Islands worth finding on a map
- Tiran and Sanafir, at the entrance of the Gulf of Aqaba, which control access to the ports of Aqaba and Eilat.
- The Farasan Islands, off the south-western coast of Saudi Arabia.
- The Dahlak Archipelago, off the Eritrean port of Massawa, a scattering of low coral islands.
- The Hanish Islands, in the south between Eritrea and Yemen, once the subject of an international arbitration between the two countries.
When to visit
Summers around the Red Sea are long and fiercely hot, and the air on the southern coasts is humid as well. Most visitors come between autumn and spring, when the air is milder and the water is still warm enough for diving. The north, around Sinai and the Gulf of Aqaba, is cooler in winter than the south.
Who protects it
The countries around the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden cooperate through PERSGA, the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. According to the organization, it has seven member states: Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It was established under the Jeddah Convention of 1982 and is hosted by Saudi Arabia in Jeddah. Its work focuses on overfishing, marine pollution and the destruction of sensitive habitats.
Somalia appears on that list because the organization covers the Gulf of Aden as well as the Red Sea itself.
Reading the Red Sea with neighbouring regions
The sea sits where three regions of this site meet. The map of the Middle East covers the Arabian side, the map of North Africa covers Egypt and Sudan, and the map of East Africa takes in Eritrea, Djibouti and the Horn. To follow shipping routes in both directions, see the map of the Indian Ocean beyond Bab el-Mandeb and the map of the Mediterranean beyond the Suez Canal.
PERSGA presents its member states and programmes on its official website.
