The Red Sea, also known as the Arabian Gulf is an inlet of the Indian Ocean that lies between Africa and Asia.
It connects to the ocean at the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and also the Gulf of Aden, and in the north through the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez which leads to the Suez Canal.
This area of Egypt is bordered by a number of countries as follows: Eastern Shore: Saudi Arabia, Yemen.
Northern Shore: Egypt, Israel, Jorden.
Southern Shore: Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia.
Western Shore: Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan.
Lying as it does within the Great Rift Valley, the Red Sea has a surface area of around 169,100 square miles.
It is 2211 metres ad its deepest point, and has extensive shallow shelves around the edges which are noted for their marine life and corals.
There are over 1000 invertebrate species and over 200 soft and hard corals in the Red Sea, and it is the worlds most northern tropical sea.
There are also more than 1200 species of fish including 42 species of deep water fish here.
Around 10% of the fish found here can't be found anywhere else in the world.
The rich diversity found here is partly due to the 1,240 miles of coral reef that extend along its coastline many of which are thousands of years old.
The Egyptian government, who set up the Ras Mohammed National park here in 1983, govern the area protecting the local marine life.
Divers and snorkelers come here to experience this wealth of biodiversity.
The earliest exploration of the Red Sea was by the ancient Egyptians in around 2500 BC when they were attempting to establish commercial routes to Punt.
Later on in the 6th Century BC Darius the Great of Persia sent reconnaissance missions to the Red Sea which led to improved navigation of the region.
After that many people including Alexander the Great have continued to explore and compile information on the Red Sea, and at times it has been a favoured route for the spice trade amongst other things.
Lying as it does between arid land, desert and semi-desert the climate of the Red Sea is a result of two distinct monsoon seasons - one a north easterly monsoon, the other a south westerly one.
These monsoon winds occur because of the differential heating between land surface and sea.
Rainfall over the Red Sea and its coasts is very low and averages only 60mm per year.
It is best known within the tourist industry for its spectacular diving and snorkelling sites.
There are many recreational diving sites worth mentioning, but some of the best known are Ras Mohammed, SS Thistlegorm which is a shipwreck site, and Elphinstone.
The southern end of it is less sort after as a tourist zone because of the presence currently of pirates from Somalia, but the northern end where the popular Sharm el Sheikh beach lies is considered much safer.
It connects to the ocean at the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and also the Gulf of Aden, and in the north through the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez which leads to the Suez Canal.
This area of Egypt is bordered by a number of countries as follows: Eastern Shore: Saudi Arabia, Yemen.
Northern Shore: Egypt, Israel, Jorden.
Southern Shore: Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia.
Western Shore: Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan.
Lying as it does within the Great Rift Valley, the Red Sea has a surface area of around 169,100 square miles.
It is 2211 metres ad its deepest point, and has extensive shallow shelves around the edges which are noted for their marine life and corals.
There are over 1000 invertebrate species and over 200 soft and hard corals in the Red Sea, and it is the worlds most northern tropical sea.
There are also more than 1200 species of fish including 42 species of deep water fish here.
Around 10% of the fish found here can't be found anywhere else in the world.
The rich diversity found here is partly due to the 1,240 miles of coral reef that extend along its coastline many of which are thousands of years old.
The Egyptian government, who set up the Ras Mohammed National park here in 1983, govern the area protecting the local marine life.
Divers and snorkelers come here to experience this wealth of biodiversity.
The earliest exploration of the Red Sea was by the ancient Egyptians in around 2500 BC when they were attempting to establish commercial routes to Punt.
Later on in the 6th Century BC Darius the Great of Persia sent reconnaissance missions to the Red Sea which led to improved navigation of the region.
After that many people including Alexander the Great have continued to explore and compile information on the Red Sea, and at times it has been a favoured route for the spice trade amongst other things.
Lying as it does between arid land, desert and semi-desert the climate of the Red Sea is a result of two distinct monsoon seasons - one a north easterly monsoon, the other a south westerly one.
These monsoon winds occur because of the differential heating between land surface and sea.
Rainfall over the Red Sea and its coasts is very low and averages only 60mm per year.
It is best known within the tourist industry for its spectacular diving and snorkelling sites.
There are many recreational diving sites worth mentioning, but some of the best known are Ras Mohammed, SS Thistlegorm which is a shipwreck site, and Elphinstone.
The southern end of it is less sort after as a tourist zone because of the presence currently of pirates from Somalia, but the northern end where the popular Sharm el Sheikh beach lies is considered much safer.
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