home Thyroid Depth of the Red Sea, underwater world, countries, coordinates. Why is the Red Sea called Red? The Red Sea is the youngest, saltiest, most beautiful and richest

Depth of the Red Sea, underwater world, countries, coordinates. Why is the Red Sea called Red? The Red Sea is the youngest, saltiest, most beautiful and richest

Many people associate the Red Sea with a great opportunity to relax at the best, but inexpensive resorts with luxurious beaches, a large selection of hotels for every taste and an abundance of unforgettable entertainment.

The Red Sea on the World Atlas in Russian

Red sea has a number of features. Thanks to them, it is significantly different from other bodies of water.

What country is it in?

The Red Sea on the world map can be found where the African continent and the Arabian Peninsula diverge.

This body of water is part of the Indian Ocean and is located in a deep tectonic depression.

On north this water area has peculiar borders with, thanks to the Suez Canal, and on south through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait it is connected to the Arabian Sea, which is also part of the Indian Ocean.

Story

Geologically, the reservoir was formed at the junction of the African and Arabian lithospheric plates and it arose relatively recently - about 40 million years ago, when a deep crack arose in the earth's crust. Over millions of years, the hole was filled with ocean water, forming its own flora and fauna. Even today, the plates continue to move, so the shores constantly diverge, and its depth increases.

There are several versions of why the sea got its name:

In ancient times the south associated with the color red;
Blooming corals in water they change its shade;
Red rocks at sunset they give the sea a special hue.

More romantic legends tell that the sea began to be called red when a young man in love decorated the surface of the water for his beloved rose petals. And according to another version, it was in this sea Moses' pursuers drowned, when the waves converged again behind the Jews.

Which countries does it wash?

First of all, the countries that are associated when mentioning the Red Sea coast are and. In addition, the sea is surrounded by six other countries - Jordan, where it forms the Gulf of Aqaba, as well as the coasts of Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Yemen.

Description

Once upon a time the Red Sea was only small basin on the Afro-Asian continent, but over time the plates separated more and more, and the size of the reservoir increased.

Characteristics

Today, the depth in the central part of the sea reaches very impressive dimensions - 3000 meters, the depression from the fault - 1000 meters, and the coastal zone - up to 200 meters.

The length of the reservoir from north to south is 2350 km, and its width is 350 km. Water volume – 450 thousand square meters. km.

There are several features associated with the Red Sea:

Into the pond no river flows, so the water here is much clearer;
Heatwave increases the rate of evaporation, increasing the concentration of salt;
In the southern part of the sea there are islands, the largest archipelago is Dahlagh;
Due to the constantly high temperature, this body of water is considered.

The coast of the resort is very extensive, well-groomed and has good developed infrastructure. It is home to several dive centers offering a variety of dive sites. You can also go to Aqaba to explore the historical ones.

Coastal areas of other countries

Red Sea resorts located in other countries are less known, but most of them are developing steadily. Already available for Massawa holidays in Eritrea.

Due to its location on the world map, the Red Sea has all the conditions to ensure that your vacation remains eventful and unforgettable.

Watch a video about the shores of the Red Sea in Jordan:

You can see where the Red Sea is on the map above. The sea is located between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa in a tectonic basin. Through the Suez Canal in the north the sea connects with the Mediterranean, in the south the sea exits into the Indian Ocean.

Of all the seas, the Red Sea is the saltiest, yes, surprisingly, but it is believed that it is saltier than even the Dead Sea. This happens due to the fact that the Dead Sea is closed, and the Red Sea has an influx of salt water through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait where it connects with the Indian Ocean and at the same time, in a hot climate, it has evaporation from the surface of about 2000 mm per year with precipitation of only about 100 millimeters .

A sea into which no river flows

In addition to the hot climate, the Red Sea has one more feature - not a single river flows into the sea, but it is the rivers that carry fresh water to the seas. These are the main factors due to which the Red Sea is considered the saltiest sea in the world; in one year, 1000 cubic kilometers more water is introduced into the Red Sea than flows out of it.

One liter of Red Sea seawater contains about 41 grams of salt. Although in the depths of the sea there are places where there are more than 260 grams of salt per liter. The maximum depth of the sea, according to various estimates, does not exceed three kilometers, officially 2211 meters.

Where is the Red Sea

The Red Sea is an inland sea of the Indian Ocean and is located between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. This is one of the warmest and saltiest seas in the world. The Red Sea washes the shores of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Israel and Jordan.

In the north, the Red Sea is connected by the Suez Canal with the Mediterranean Sea, in the south by the Bab el-Mandeb Strait with the Arabian Sea. The peculiarity of the Red Sea is that not a single river flows into it, and rivers usually carry silt and sand with them, significantly reducing the transparency of sea water. Therefore, the water in the Red Sea is ideally clean and transparent.

The shores of the Red Sea are low, in the north they are adjacent to deserts, in the southern part the western coast is adjacent to mountainous Abyssinia. Many coral reefs, scattered throughout the coast, especially the Arabian, and in some places stretching for a long distance from the shore, constitute a distinctive feature of the Red Sea coast.

You can also familiarize yourself with the map of the Red Sea in more detail and find out the location of the main resorts:

A narrow trench, a rift, runs through the center of the sea, with depths exceeding 1000-1500 m, and in the north this trench breaks up into a series of depressions filled with brines that differ in temperature and salinity.

The discovery of depressions with hot brines in the Red Sea was a real scientific discovery in the sixties of the twentieth century. To date, more than 20 such depressions have been discovered in the deepest areas. The huge number of exotic fish of the Red Sea and the beauty of the coral reefs attract diving enthusiasts here.

Tourism in Egypt

Sights and interesting facts about the Red Sea.

Where is the Red Sea?

The Red Sea is the natural water boundary between the continents of Eurasia and Africa. Considered an inland sea of the Indian Ocean, it divides with its almost parallel shores the northeastern side of the African continent and the southern shores of the countries of the Middle East. The geological origin of the sea is associated with the divergence (drift) of the continents and the resulting series of faults - troughs, which turn into one another. The man-made Suez Canal completes the “official” separation of the continents and connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, providing a short shipping route from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean.

Why is the sea called Red?

Historians are finding out where the sea got its name. Several versions have a right to exist (although there is not much evidence):

In spring, the water takes on a reddish tint due to the excessive proliferation of red unicellular algae.
In ancient times, the cardinal directions had “colored” names: “northern” was called “black”, “southern” - “red”, “eastern” - “white”. The “Red” sea was named so, perhaps because it was further south relative to the “Middle Sea”.
The Arabs could have misread the ancient cuneiform records and instead of naming the sea from the Himyarites tribe, who considered the sea theirs, they called it the Arabic word “Akhmar” (red).

The ancient Greek geographer and historical writer Agatharchides of Knidos wrote the book “On the Red Sea (Erythraean)”, for the first time describing waters far from Greece.

Features of the Red Sea: climate, geology, water and unique living world

Both shores of the Red Sea are distinguished by a dry desert climate, only closer to the north it becomes mild Mediterranean, as on the coast of Turkey. In summer, the temperature above the sea reaches +50, in winter it drops to +22-25. Over the sea, only 100 mm of precipitation falls per year, which is considered an exceptionally small amount even for deserts. But 15 times more evaporates from the surface, and if not for the Indian Ocean, whose current replenishes and renews the water volume of the sea, it would dry up.

The Red Sea is considered the saltiest sea in the Indian Ocean (in which living organisms can live). 41 grams of salt/liter (and even more at the bottom thanks to salty springs) do not frighten animals, on the contrary, they attract them, since there is more oxygen in sea water.

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The coastal shelf gently drops to 200 meters, ending sharply with faults, the deepest of which reaches 3 kilometers. Very pure salt water is not polluted by any fresh river.

The fauna of the Red Sea is considered unique. The coral kingdom is so diverse that the sea has been declared a nature reserve of world significance. Growing at a rate of several millimeters per year, the coral banks and ridges have grown into multimeter-long limestone deposits along the shore. On the border of the abruptly falling coral shores, life is in full swing: coral fish, sea urchins and stars feeding on corals inhabit every square meter of the coastal shallows.

In the Red Sea, you can often find unique inhabitants of the sea: giant whale sharks, sea turtles and hammerhead sharks, giant rays and moray eels. To protect these animals, countries with developed tourism have introduced strict laws protecting the underwater world.

Popular Egyptian resorts of Hurghada, Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, Taba attract lovers of scuba diving and beach holidays, windsurfing and sailing yachts to the seashores. Comfortable hotels and Egyptian exotica provide tourists from all over the world with an unforgettable vacation.

The RED SEA, a Mediterranean sea of the Indian Ocean, is connected to it in its southern part through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north it is connected to the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal. Located between the northeastern edge of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula in southwestern Asia.

Area 460 thousand km 2, volume 201 thousand km 3. The greatest depth is 3039 m. The sea is significantly elongated from northwest to southeast (length 1932 km, width up to 306 km). The Red Sea, due to the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait, is the most isolated sea in the Indian Ocean. The shores are mostly flat, sandy, and rocky in places. The coastline is slightly indented; the eastern and western shores of the sea along their main length run almost parallel to each other. In the north there are two large elongated gulfs - the shallow Gulf of Suez and the deep-water Aqaba, separated by the Sinai Peninsula. In the coastal zone there are numerous small islands and coral reefs, large islands in the northern part are rare, most are located in the south, where they form groups, the most significant of which are Dahlak and Farasan.

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Relief and geological structure of the bottom . The bottom topography includes a shelf with numerous coral structures, a continental slope and a bed, which is almost entirely occupied by a narrow abyssal trough, elongated along the longitudinal axis of the sea and divided by a number of transform faults into separate deep-sea depressions that have received individual names (Albatross, Atlantis, Valdivia, Discovery, Oceanographer and others, about 20 in total). The width of the shelf in the northern part is from 1 to 20 km, gradually increasing to the south to 100 km or more. In the southernmost part of the sea, adjacent to the Babel-Mandeb Strait, the shelves on the opposite shores are separated only by a small trench about 200 m deep. The sedimentary cover of the shelf area is composed of Lower Miocene terrigenous and volcanic-sedimentary rocks with evaporite horizons (thickness 2-4 km), which overlain by Pliocene-Quaternary calcareous and silty-calcareous silts. The cover rests on fault-broken folded metamorphic rocks and granites of the African-Arabian platform. The underwater slopes of the Red Sea depression are ledges composed of continental rocks overlain by coral limestones. The bottom of the deep-sea basin of the Red Sea is divided into two parts according to its morphology and structure: a wide and flat northwestern part (up to about 23° north latitude) and a narrow and highly dissected southeastern part. In the northwestern part, the bottom of the basin is occupied by a wide (about 100 km) accumulative plain, bordered by steps with steep mountains, the tops of which often form reefs, shoals, and islands. Within the lateral steps, the bottom is composed of horizontally lying or gently folded, mainly carbonate, sediments, which are underlain by a layer of limestone and evaporites. Sediments overlie a granitic-metamorphic basement, which pinches out in the direction of the trough axis; in the same direction the thickness of the sedimentary layer decreases. The southeastern part of the basin is characterized by a large (2000-3000 m) depth, the presence of an axial trench complicated by numerous depressions, one of which is confined to the greatest depth of the Red Sea. In the mid-1960s, in a number of depressions (Atlantis I, Discovery, Chain, etc.), bottom waters with a very high temperature (over 60 ° C) and salinity (over 260‰) were discovered - the so-called hot brines, similar in chemical composition with relict brines from oil wells. The bottom of the depressions is lined with Pliocene-Quaternary metal-bearing silts with very high concentrations of compounds of iron, zinc, copper and other metals. Bottom sediments rest on basalts and basic igneous rocks of the dike complex (the second layer of the oceanic crust). In the southeastern part of the basin, modern underwater volcanism is observed, the heat flow is increased compared to the average level characteristic of the ocean floor; The epicenters of earthquakes are concentrated near the axial trench.

In geotectonic terms, the Red Sea depression is an intercontinental rift structure, which is a link in the East African Rift System and connects through the Gulf of Aden rift with the Arabian-Indian spreading ridge of the Indian Ocean. To the north, the Red Sea rift continues into the Gulf of Aqaba and is connected by a regional strike-slip fault to the Dead Sea rift basin and the Jordan Valley. In the rift zone of the Red Sea, starting from the late Miocene, new formation of the oceanic crust occurs, accompanied by the expansion of the seabed (spreading), as a result of which the Arabian Peninsula moves away from Africa and the opening of the ocean basin occurs. The rate of separation of lithospheric plates is estimated to be about 1-2 mm per year.

Climate. The climatic conditions of the Red Sea are determined, first of all, by the fact that its basin belongs to one of the most pronounced arid regions of the Earth. The presence of deserts surrounding the sea area in the northeastern part of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula leads to the predominance of dry and hot weather, characteristic of a continental tropical climate.

The main mechanism of weather formation is the regional system of atmospheric circulation in the space surrounding the Red Sea, determined by the presence of stationary and seasonal centers of atmospheric action: an anticyclone in northern Africa, an area of low pressure in the central part of Africa and an alternating extreme of atmospheric pressure over Central Asia.

Their interaction leads to the fact that for most of the year, north-northwest winds dominate over the entire Red Sea water area, and only south of 20° north latitude from October to April, during the winter Indian Ocean monsoon, do south-southeast winds prevail. Daily breezes are developed in coastal areas. Significant daily and seasonal fluctuations in air temperature are characteristic. The average daily temperature in mid-summer in the north is about 27 °C, in the south about 33 °C, in winter 17 and 23 °C, respectively. The observed maximum temperature in the south is about 47 °C, the minimum temperature in the north is below 6 °C. Rainfall over the sea is extremely rare, the average annual number of days with precipitation is no more than 10. Precipitation is observed mainly in winter - from a few mm in the north to 200 mm in the south. With the exception of some areas, the average relative humidity does not exceed 70%. In some cases (during the action of the Khamsin and Samum desert winds), humidity can drop to 5%. The Red Sea is characterized by dust fogs and mirages. Evaporation from the sea surface due to the high average temperature and great dryness of the air is very significant - more than 200 cm/year, which far exceeds the corresponding figures for all other areas of the World Ocean located in the same latitudinal zone. The greatest frequency of clear skies averages 250 days a year. From May to October there are 20-28 days with minimal cloudiness, from November to April - 13-22.

Hydrological regime. Not a single river flows into the Red Sea. Only in the north, sometimes, after the passage of the next Mediterranean cyclone, the beds of dry rivers are filled with rainwater flowing into the sea in the form of short-term turbid streams; river flow actually does not matter for the marine hydrological regime. Level fluctuations in the Red Sea are caused by the seasonal course of evaporation from its surface, tides, which are mainly semi-diurnal in nature, and surge phenomena under the influence of seasonal winds in the southern part of the basin.

An increase in the density of sea water due to its winter cooling also plays a small role. All these factors, to one degree or another, affect level fluctuations, but since the stability of the sea volume is largely regulated by water exchange with the Indian Ocean through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the resulting fluctuations in the average monthly water level for the sea as a whole are small, up to 30-35 cm. In the middle part of the sea, the spring tide is about 25 cm, in the extreme southern and northern regions - up to 1-1.5 m. Non-periodic surge level fluctuations are most significant in the northern parts of the Gulf of Suez and Aqaba and in the south in the bays of the islands Dahlak, where amplitudes can exceed 1.5 m. Storms occur quite rarely and mainly in the north of the region.

Water circulation in the Red Sea is characterized by significant seasonal variability. In the southern part, from November to March, the surface current is directed north-northwest along the east coast at a speed of about 50 cm/s. From June to September, currents in the opposite direction prevail here. In the summer, under the influence of the winds that dominate the entire water area, the transport of surface water towards the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait develops at a speed of 20-30 cm/s. In the central part of the sea, at 20-21° north latitude, under certain wind conditions, large-scale gyres are observed.

The hydrological structure of the sea is characterized by the presence of three main water masses. The upper layer (0-150 m) is occupied by water with a relatively low salinity of Indian Ocean origin. Deeper (up to 300-350 m) lies the intermediate Red Sea water mass proper, formed in the north under the influence of winter vertical convection. Finally, the lower layer is also a deep water mass formed in the north with high salinity (>40‰) and a constant temperature of about 20 °C. The average surface water temperature in winter ranges from 22 °C in the north to 26 °C in the south. In the central part of the sea in winter and spring, due to circulation patterns, an increase in water temperature up to 27 °C is observed. In summer, the average surface water temperature in the north is about 27 °C, and in the south it can exceed 32 °C. A small influx of fresh water and intense evaporation from the sea surface lead to a significant increase in water salinity, which in the north reaches the highest value in the seas of the World Ocean (Gulf of Suez), the lowest average salinity of surface water is about 37‰. Its values gradually decrease towards the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. Water exchange through this strait plays an important role in the hydrological regime of the sea. The salty deep waters of the Red Sea flow through it into the Indian Ocean and spread at the depth of their density over large spaces. In turn, from the Gulf of Aden to the north, as a rule, in winter, there is a surface gradient and wind current, compensating for the decrease in the volume of sea water due to evaporation.

History of research. The sea apparently got its name from the presence of planktonic algae in it, which have a reddish tint during the flowering period. According to another version, this name was given under the impression of the reddish coastal mountains of the Sinai Peninsula, reflected on the water surface. The proximity of the Red Sea to the centers of ancient Afro-Asian civilizations made it famous many millennia ago. The sea has long served the peoples of North Africa and Arabia as an important transport artery along which their trade routes passed. Modern scientific research into the Red Sea actually began only in the 19th century, after European expeditions that explored the Indian Ocean visited it. One of the first among them to travel by sea after the creation of the Suez Canal in 1869 was the Russian round-the-world expedition on the Vityaz under the command of Captain 1st Rank S. O. Makarov and the German one on the Valdivia. From the Vityaz in March 1889, 4 oceanographic stations were carried out in the Red Sea to a depth of 600 m. The main studies that made it possible to obtain existing ideas about the nature and resources of the sea were carried out in the 20th century. Among them, special mention should be made of the expeditions of European countries and the United States during the International Geophysical Year (1957-58), and the work of the International Indian Ocean Expedition (1960-1965). Several special oceanographic expeditions in the Red Sea in the 1960-80s were carried out by scientific vessels of the USSR. Particularly interesting were the results obtained by the expedition of the Institute of Oceanology of the Academy of Sciences named after P. P. Shirshov in 1979-80 using the Pisis underwater manned vehicles, from which for the first time visual observation of the surface of the brine layer, water sampling and geological survey of the bottom were carried out.

Economic use.

The Red Sea is the most important transport route after the construction and commissioning of the Suez Canal. On the coasts of the Red Sea there are large modern ports that handle large flows of various cargo: Suez, Bur Safaga (Egypt), Port Sudan (Sudan), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Massawa (Eritrea), Hodeidah (Yemen), etc. Underwater Oil fields are being developed on the shelf of the northern part of the sea, in the Gulf of Suez (Egypt), several fields have been discovered on the southern shelf (Eritrea, Saudi Arabia). Phosphorite deposits developed in the Red Sea (Egypt) are of great economic importance. Reserves of non-ferrous and precious metals are concentrated at the bottom of the rift zone. Fish production is gradually increasing and other seafood is being caught - crustaceans, mollusks (mainly squid), etc. At the end of the 20th century, the tourism business developed rapidly, a network of seaside resorts of various classes was created on the coast of the northern part of the sea, the largest of which are Sharm-el- Sheikh, Hurghada (Egypt), Aqaba (Jordan), Eilat (Israel).

Ecological state. Active industrial and resort development of the coast and waters of the Red Sea, especially oil production and transportation, pose a real threat to the safety of its unique ecosystem. The most polluted areas of the sea are in its northern part, in the Gulf of Suez. Almost all coastal states take certain measures to protect and control the marine environment. International conventions provide for serious sanctions against anthropogenic pollution of the Red Sea with household waste and oil products, which pose a particular danger here due to the large number of transit transport ships.

Lit.: Kanaev V.F., Neiman V.G., Parin N.V. Indian Ocean. M., 1975; Monin A. S. et al. Immersion in brines of the Red Sea depressions // Reports of the USSR Academy of Sciences. 1980. T. 254. No. 4; Metalliferous sediments of the Red Sea / Edited by A. P. Lisitsyn, Yu. A. Bogdanov. M., 1986; Plakhin E. A. Hydrology of the Mediterranean Seas. L., 1989; Red sea. St. Petersburg, 1992.

V. G. Neumann.

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Exploring the Indian Ocean, between the Arabian and Hindustan peninsulas, we will see the Arabian Sea. Its area is one of the largest in the world, it is 4832 thousand square meters. km, the deepest depression is 5803 meters.

In ancient times this sea was called the Eritrean Sea. The Indus River flows into the Arabian Sea. The seashores are indented by bays and bays, they are high and rocky, partly low-lying deltaic. The largest gulfs of the sea are Aden, it is connected to the Red Sea by the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Kutch, Cambay and Oman, it is connected to the Persian Gulf by the Strait of Hormuz.

The Arabian Sea is part of the Indian Ocean. The sea is divided into two basins - the Arabian, with a depth of more than 5,300 meters, and the Somali, which is about 4,600 meters deep. They are framed by two underwater plateaus less than 1800 meters deep.

The expanses of water cross the Arabian-Indian mid-ocean ridge in a rift valley whose depth is more than 3,600 meters.
The relief of the sea bottom was formed in the Mesozoic-Cenozoic, most of it in the Pliocene. Near the Indus River delta, the shelf is cut by submarine canyons. Its width off the coast of India and Goa is 120 km, depth up to 220 meters, near the Gulf of Cambay - depth 90 meters and width 352 km. Approaching the Makran coast, the shelf narrows to 35 km, decreasing in a westerly direction. The slope of the continent to a depth of 2750 meters is covered with terrigenous sediments, and the basins are covered with red clay.
The Arabian Sea is distinguished by the fact that there are few islands here, most of them are located off the coast, the largest being the Laccadive Islands and Socotra. The climate here is tropical, monsoon; in winter the winds blow from the north-east, bringing clarity and coolness. In summer, southwestern directions predominate, determining humidity and cloudiness. Typhoons are possible in autumn, spring and summer. In the winter months, the air temperature is 20-25 degrees Celsius, in the summer - 25-29 degrees, precipitation falls from 25 to 125 mm per year, in the east the amount can increase to a maximum of 3000, especially in the summer. The water temperature in winter is 22-27 degrees, in summer – 23-28 degrees, the maximum occurs in May, when the temperature of the surface layer of water is 29 degrees Celsius. Due to the fact that the waters of the Arabian Sea remain warm all year round, a large number of popular world resorts are located on the coasts of the Arabian Sea. One of the most popular among them is Goa, a state in southern India. Every year, a huge number of tourists fly to Goa to relax on the sandy Goan shores, attend local excursions and swim in the soft waters of the Arabian Sea.

Before you understand where the Red Sea is on the map, it will be interesting to learn about the factors under which it was formed. It is worth noting that now this is the main “transport artery” in Israel, along which hundreds of ships move. But it might not have come to this if not for constantly developing engineering.

How it all began?

Red sea

The Red Sea is considered a very young sea because its history dates back only 30-40 million years. The appearance of this body of water is directly related to the displacement of continental plates, namely the African and Arabian. After which free space appeared, which over time began to be filled with ocean waters.

History says that in ancient times the Red Sea was also used by the Phoenicians. They were then known as skilled sailors and traders, and this site provided them with access to the Indian Ocean. They used it to reach the shores of India, which was one of the main trading partners. Over time, when the existence of a cape located in southern Africa became known, the path from Europe to India shifted slightly. At the same time, the large expanse of water began to be used to a greater extent for internal transport communications between different parts of its coast.

Afterwards, in order to optimize relations between France and Egypt, it was decided to build the Suez Canal, but on the contrary, it quarreled the countries belonging to Europe and the Red Sea basin. Even the Arab-Israeli war broke out, which lasted from 1967 to 1973. Full operation of the channel began only in 1975.

Interesting! This sea on the map looks like a tunnel connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean. Considering that it is the main channel for transporting goods between countries such as Africa, Asia and Europe, ships on it are not uncommon.

More detailed and scientific information

Despite the worldwide fame of one of the saltiest in Israel, not everyone knows exactly where the Red Sea is. And it is located between the continent of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. To be more precise, it is a deep and narrow space framed by steep and sheer slopes. Assessing the Red Sea on a world map, it is noticeable that its length is several times greater than its width, namely 7 times.

On the southern side, the oceanic section, due to the presence of the Bab el-Mandeb Gulf, connects with the Gulf of Aden, and also provides access to the Indian Ocean. In the northern part it borders on the Mediterranean Sea and the Suez Canal. The shores of the Red Sea are characterized by smooth and sandy shores; rocky surfaces are very rare. Their vegetation is sparse. Where the Red Sea is located on the map, there are many small islands. The largest land areas are mainly located in the southern part. For example, in the middle of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, an island named Perim rises, and it is this island that divides it into 2 parts.

Interesting! The shelf is clearly visible in the relief of the Red Sea; its width increases from north to south, ranging from 10 to 100 km. When a depth of 100 meters is reached, a pronounced ledge of the continental slope begins.

Speaking about where and in which country the Red Sea is located, it is worth highlighting the following autonomous states:

the Republic of Djibouti, located in East Africa;
the state of Egypt, located in North Africa;
Israel - located in Southwestern Asia;
the Republic of Yemen - the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula;
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - located on the Arabian Peninsula;
East African states of Sudan and Eritrea.

The location of the depression in the continental-tropical climate zone explains high temperatures and significant seasonal variability. All this is a reflection of the thermal influence of the continents.

Flora, fauna and water

Colorful coral reefs of the red sea

Sea waters are characterized by a high salt concentration; this is explained by the scanty amount of precipitation and intense evaporation in such conditions. The salinity of the Red Sea is 41%. If you want to quickly find where the Red Sea is on the world map, focus on the tropical zone.

Without exaggeration, we can say that the described part of the ocean is simply a paradise for people such as:

divers;
fishermen;
underwater hunters.

A fascinating world opens up right at the shore, as soon as you put on your mask and dive under the water. The first thing that strikes you is the huge number of corals of different colors, sea urchins, sponges and fish. At first glance, it may seem that the local inhabitants compete with each other in brightness of color and unusual shapes. Due to the ideal conditions created by nature itself, hundreds of species of flora and fauna are able to live and reproduce in the Red Sea. Here you can even find endemics (especially rare species, genera and families of plants/fish).

Attention! To date, scientists have been able, by exploring the seabed, to describe one and a half thousand invertebrate creatures, no less species of fish, as well as about 300 varieties of corals that form huge and beautiful reefs.

Many people simply dream of seeing amazing landscapes with their own eyes, appreciating the beauty of underwater life. It is worth noting that modern ichthyologists believe that only about 60% of the inhabitants of the Red Sea have been discovered today. It is difficult to explore the sea 100% because in some places the depth reaches 3 km. Moreover, new questions constantly appear to which scientists have not yet received answers. For example, why certain types of fish (30%) living in one part of the sea cannot survive in another part.

We should not forget that in addition to its beauty, the sea is fraught with many dangers. The most important are corals, sponges and jellyfish, touching which is strictly prohibited. Sea urchin pricks and poisonous snake bites also cause burns. All this is fraught not only with allergic reactions and large blood loss, but also with death.

It was through the ancient Red Sea that the prophet Moses led his people out of Egyptian slavery. Its waters were plied by the ships of the kings of Greece, Rome and Egypt. It remembers Cleopatra and Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and King Solomon.

The sea stretches from north to south for two thousand kilometers. Its width at its widest point is about 330 kilometers. The Red Sea is located between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. In the north it is divided into two Gulfs of Suez and Eilat, named after the Israeli international resort of Eilat. The Jordanians call this Gulf of Aqaba, named after the city of Aqaba. Eilat and Aqaba are two small cities located on opposite sides of the bay in its northern part.

The Gulf of Eilat is very deep. It is located in a geological fault zone. The continuation of this fault in the northern direction is the Arava Valley, the lowest point on the planet - the Dead Sea, the Jordan River, and Lake Kinneret.

In the north of the Gulf of Suez is the Suez Canal, connecting the Red and Mediterranean seas. Sea cargo ships traveling between Asia and Europe save a lot of time and fuel by passing through the Suez Canal. For Egypt, this canal is of great importance and brings considerable income to the treasury. Attempts to build a canal were made by the Egyptian pharaohs and later by Napoleon, but the project was implemented only in the middle of the last century.

Such an important strategic facility has more than once become the cause of international aggravation of the situation and wars.

Today this sea washes the shores of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel.

Egypt's decision to build another canal between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean was recently announced. The project involves costs of $4 billion, which is comparable to the annual income to the treasury from the existing canal. Due to the turbulent situation in Egypt, tourism profits have fallen sharply and the desire to connect Europe and Asia with another channel is understandable. After all, 10% of all maritime traffic passes through the Suez Canal. About 50 ships pass through it every day. Ships travel one hundred and ninety kilometers along the canal in approximately 14 hours.

Interestingly, a road tunnel runs under the Suez Canal, connecting Africa with the Sinai Peninsula.

Nowadays, most experienced tourists associate the Red Sea with the names of the resort cities of Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada, and Eilat.

This is one of the warmest and saltiest seas. It has ideal conditions for coral reproduction. The Red Sea has crystal clear water, due to the fact that not a single river flows into it, which means that silt and sand do not fall into the sea.

The variety of corals and fish of unusual colors attract tourists and diving enthusiasts from all over the world to the shores of the Red Sea. Corals grow very slowly, on average 1 cm per year. Therefore, the formation of reefs takes more than one century. Dead corals are a skeleton, a base, devoid of polyps. Sea urchins hide among the corals during the day and emerge from their hiding places at sunset.

Water

Most of the Red Sea is located in the tropical zone. High solar activity and lack of precipitation contribute to intense evaporation of water. The exchange of water in the sea occurs only in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The Suez Canal, whose width is only 350 meters at the surface of the water and 50 meters at the bottom, is not worth taking into account. Therefore, the salinity of the sea is twice as high as, for example, in Cherny. In the Black Sea - 18%, in the Azov Sea - 11%, in the Mediterranean - 38%, and the water salinity in the Red Sea is 41%.

When water is exchanged in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, over the course of a year, more than 1,000 cubic kilometers of water enters the Indian Ocean.

Name

There are several versions of the origin of the name of the sea. Among them, historical and poetic ones prevail, mentioning the exodus of the Jews from Egypt and the peculiarities of the Hebrew language. However, if you look at the seashore at sunset, the color of the mountains and their reflection in the water have an obvious red tint. Most likely, this circumstance determined the name of the sea.

The coral reef of the Red Sea stretches from Eilat and Aqaba along the coasts of Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia for a distance of about 2000 kilometers. Egyptian resorts are widely known for their abundance of corals, warm climate and clean water. In the very south of the Sinai Peninsula is the famous Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Hurghada is located on the opposite shore at the base of the Gulf of Suez.

Fish

A quarter of all marine life on planet Earth can be found in the depths of the Red Sea.

Moray eels, warts, tuna, trevally, unicorn fish, triggerfish, whitetip gray shark, hammerhead shark, butterfly fish, snappers, barracudas, turtles, dolphins, parrot fish, lionfish, eels, manta rays inhabit this sea.

Red Sea in Egypt

The most popular activity among divers is a “safari” - going out to sea on a small vessel or boat for one or several days to famous underwater attractions. And there are many of them.

The most famous and infamous of them is the "Blue Hole". A popular and extreme place for many inexperienced and arrogant divers, it became the place of their last dive.

The Blue Hole in Dahab is a vertical hole surrounded by corals, 130 meters deep. At a depth of 50 meters it communicates with the sea.

Video

However, Blue Hole is far from the only thing that attracts underwater sports enthusiasts in Egypt.

The choice is wide: Jackson Reef at Thira Island, Yolanda Reef and Shark Reef at Cape Muhammad, Curles Reef, Elphinstone Reef, Daedelus Reef (Abu el-Kizan), Abu Nohas Reef, Woodhouse Reef, Thomas Reef, Gordon Reef, Lagoon Reef, Cape Katie, Cape Um Sid, Cape Nazran, Turtle Bay, Naama Bay, Tower, Nier Garden, Middle Garden, Fan Garden, White Knight, Brothers Islands (El - Akawain).

Depending on your preparation, you can choose a dive site whose difficulty will correspond to your experience. For example, diving at Jackson Reef is considered not difficult and not dangerous. For the more experienced - Woodhouse Reef, Thomas Reef with strong undercurrents.

Of course, the ships “Thistlegorm”, “Dunraven”, the bulk carrier “GhiannisD” and the sailing ship “Carnetic” that sank in the Red Sea also do not go unnoticed by diving fans.

The Royal Navy freighter Thistlegorm was sunk by German bombers in the autumn of 1941. Next to it, at a depth of about 30 meters, lies a steam locomotive, carriages, motorcycles... The ship was first discovered by Jacques Yves Cousteau.

Legendary diving pioneer Cousteau spent more than ten years exploring the Red Sea. The world first learned about the indescribable beauty of the Red Sea thanks to the books and underwater filming of Jacques Cousteau. His film In a Silent World won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

The underwater world appears no less vibrant and fantastic in the Gulf of Eilat, where the depth reaches 1200 meters and the water is always calm.

Eilat

In Eilat, the coral reef comes close to the western shore of the bay.

On the beach of the Princess Hotel, near Egyptian Taba, you can admire the corals and fish from the bridges, as they say, without getting your feet wet. The water is so clear that the bottom is clearly visible at a depth of several meters. Moray eels, stingrays, sharks, dolphins, crabs, and starfish inhabit the waters of the Red Sea.

Corals in the Red Sea on the western beaches of Eilat begin almost right next to the shore. Therefore, you can only enter the water in specially designated areas.

All you need is a mask and a snorkel to swim among the corals and their inhabitants. Often among the piles of corals of the reef you can find a threatening-looking moray eel. It is absolutely safe to be in the water as long as you don’t touch anything. Sharks prefer to live in the more southern waters of the Red Sea, off the coast of Sudan. When you come to Eilat on vacation, be sure to visit the Underwater Observatory and see for yourself the riot of colors and the endless variety of shapes and colors of the underwater world of the Red Sea.

Origin of the name of the Red Sea. Famous resorts, dangerous inhabitants of the deep sea.

Our planet is amazingly beautiful. There are so many beautiful places on it that travelers dream of visiting them all.

The Red Sea: where is it located on the world map, which countries does it wash, what ocean area does it belong to?

The Red Sea is an inland body of water in the Indian Ocean. It is located between Africa and Asia, or more precisely, the Arabian Peninsula in a tectonic fault. It is the only one in the world that does not receive new water from rivers, since none of them flow into it.

The Red Sea washes the shores of such countries as:

Location of the Red Sea on the Map

Location of the Red Sea on the World Map

As vacation approaches, many of us flip through the pages of travel magazines and websites offering interesting vacation options. Another useful activity is to study forums and reviews of tourists who have already visited the places of our dreams.

Continuing the theme of holidays in different parts of the world, let's talk about the Red Sea, its attractions and water temperature by month.

Why is the Red Sea called Red Sea?

slide with a photograph of underwater inhabitants near a coral and text about the origin of the name of the Red Sea

There is no clear answer to this question. There are versions and romantic stories.

Among the first known are the following:

Rocks - sailors saw the reflection of red rocks in the water at sunset.
Corals - their abundance in the depths of the sea gives it such a color if you look down from a bird's eye view.
Blood is a biblical story about the passage of Moses through the waters of the sea, which closed over the heads of his pursuers.
Translation error - until the 6th century, there lived on the coast a people who did not have vowel sounds in their language. By adding them at our discretion in the Arabic version, we got this name.
The color of water inhabitants - if corals live in water and grow, this is a sign of its purity. It is logical that the fauna world feels good in such conditions. There are many red fish in the Red Sea.
Geographical location - the Assyrian calendar assigned its own color to the main cardinal directions. So the south symbolizes red.
An error in the interpretation of an ancient word - let us return again to the biblical story of Moses. It talks about his passage through the Sea of Reeds. But one of the translators into English lost one letter in the word. And so the sea turned red.

The stories that gave this name to the sea tell of:

A man in love who strewn the surface of the sea with red rose petals in order to betray the depth of his feelings to the lady of his heart.
A rich miser who made a huge fortune selling a hot spice - red pepper. But the inhabitants of the city in which he lived expelled him. Due to overload, the rich man's ship sank, and the surface of the water turned red due to pepper that got into the water from the ship's holds.

What is the water temperature in the Red Sea by month?

a man dipped a thermometer into the water of the Red Sea to determine its temperature

Since this sea is mostly located in the tropical zone, the temperature of its waters is comfortable for swimming all year round and does not fall below +20℃.

Peak warmth occurs from July to October. For more information about the temperature indicators of the Red Sea waters, see the figure below.

monthly fluctuations in water temperature in the Red Sea on the shores of Egypt

However, due to the extent of the sea area from north to south, there are fluctuations in water temperature. See the figure below for average data.

average water temperatures of the Red Sea

What are the resorts on the Red Sea and the best cities in Israel and Jordan for a beach holiday?

photo of the beach on the Red Sea - Aqaba, Jordan

Every country whose shores are washed by the Red Sea has resorts worthy of attention. They welcome tourists all year round and delight with their level of service in addition to the beauty of the water and its depths.

If you are thinking about which resorts to visit on this sea, pay attention to:

Hurghada and Sharm in Egypt
Eilat and Coral Beach in Israel
Aqaba and Tela Bay in Jordan

Why is the Red Sea the saltiest, what explains the high salinity of the Red Sea?

slide about the salinity of the Red Sea and its location on the map

The high percentage of salt in the water of the Red Sea is not accidental. There are several reasons for this:

lack of new waters, since not a single river flows into it
location in a hot climate, therefore, a large amount of fumes

Are there sharks in the Red Sea, and what dangerous inhabitants and fish are there?

Since the Red Sea has corals, its fauna is very diverse. And sharks live here. There are tiger and gray reef. Regarding the latter, we note that it is typical for the Indian Ocean.

Among the dangerous fish and inhabitants of the waters of this warm salty sea you can find:

moray eels - they do not attack first, only in cases of scuba divers approaching too close,
the blue-finned ballistod, also known as the giant triggerfish, the Titan triggerfish and the yellow-faced pseudoballista, another name is the yellow-faced triggerfish - they are dangerous during the spawning period; their females selflessly defend their nest,
surgeon fish - its tail fins are sharper than a blade, aggressive when meeting a person,
stonefish, or wartfish - disguises itself as a rock bottom, its poisonous spines on the dorsal fin are dangerous,
lionfish, or lion fish - never attack, injuries are possible due to human negligence on the poisonous rays of the fins,
scorpionfish - hide in thickets and at the bottom in silt, have poisonous processes on the dorsal fins,
stingrays - with a poisonous spike on the tail, hiding in the mud at the bottom,
barracudas - rarely attack, are dangerous with sharp teeth of the lower jaw, leave lacerations,
cone snails - the most dangerous species geographical and textile,
crown of thorns starfish - their poisonous spines located throughout the body are dangerous,
fire corals - touching them leaves poisonous burns.

Why can't you feed the fish in the Red Sea?

tourist feeds bread to fish in the Red Sea

There are several reasons, each significant:

Firstly, the digestive system of fish is not adapted to digest human food.
Like any animal that is fed by humans, it requires supplementation and a regular supply of food.
If a person refuses, the fish is able to attack and bite him. Here it should be remembered that the underwater world of the Red Sea is replete with dangerous species of fish that inject poison into the human body through a bite.
The fish live in an ecosystem that worked just fine without people. The loss of one or more links in the food chain inevitably provokes the death of others.

Underwater world of the Red Sea, corals: description

field of colorful corals in the Red Sea

Coral colonies in the Red Sea are the center of life not only for marine inhabitants, but also for people. The smallest representatives of the coral reef are polyps. They form their colonies thanks to calcium carbonate produced by unicellular algae. She lives in the soft tissues of coral.

Live corals have color; dead corals are white, solid structures. The former build their branches on the latter. This is how corals grow in width, length and height. By the way, their growth rate is scanty, about 1 cm per year.
Polyps in their body produce 2 colors - blue and red. However, in the Red Sea there are even black corals, which are highly valued in jewelry.
The yellow tones are added to them by zooxanthellae, a microalgae that lives in the soft tissue of coral.
The polyp has a mouth through which it sucks in food, as well as small tentacles around it. In a number of species, the latter have poisonous hairs, which the body shoots at the prey.
There are also polyps that exude a poisonous aroma, paralyze small plankton, or have sticky mucus on the surface to which it sticks.
Polyps hunt only at night. Among the polyps there are meat eaters and vegetarians. The former feed on small crustaceans and plankton.
Coral settlements prefer shallow depths - up to 100 m of clean, warm water. Since they live thanks to algae, the latter need sunlight for photosynthesis.

In the Red Sea you will find a huge number of coral species. This:

brainiacs
soft eight-rayed
dendroneftia
sacrophytons of different shapes - ball, mushroom, curved
orange
xenidia
fiery
gorgonians
bright red sunny
heteroxenia
cell favia
Arabian acropa

Together they form a unique symbiosis with the local fauna and attract tourists to look into their world again and again.

So, we looked at the history of the origin of the name of the Red Sea, its geographical location, and its most famous resorts. We looked into the depths of the sea to get acquainted with dangerous inhabitants and types of corals.

If you are planning a winter vacation, choose a trip to the Red Sea. It's warm, beautiful, and fun for any company. We wish you unforgettable impressions and bright photos!