251 Incredible Red Sea Facts That Are Quite Astonishing

Be it its interesting history, strategic location, or the lush coral reef ecosystem, the Red Sea has many fascinating aspects.

Since its waters cross the Tropic of Cancer, the Red Sea is the northernmost tropical sea in the world. A semi-enclosed extension of the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea is situated between Asia and Africa.

The Red Sea extends from Suez for about 1,200 mi (1,931.21 km) southeastward to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden, which eventually connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea to the south.

The Sinai Peninsula bifurcates the northern part of the Red Sea into the Gulf of Suez on the left and the Gulf of Aqaba on the right.

Near the northern end, the Red Sea connects to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal. Bordering the Red Sea is a total of six Asian and African countries. On the west lies the countries of Djibouti, Eritrea, and Sudan. Bordering the eastern coast of the Red Sea are the countries of Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

The Red Sea also shares its borders with Egypt on the west and north.

The Gulf of Aqaba, located in the northern part of the Red Sea, is bordered by Egypt, Jordan, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. From the Red Sea map, it's evident that Saudi Arabia shares the longest coastline with the Red Sea, almost stretching along the sea's entire length.

Somalia and some other areas are also considered Red Sea territories due to their proximity to the sea and similar geographical features as the six countries of Asia and Africa directly bordering the Red Sea.

That was just a sneak peek into the geography of the Red Sea. Read on to discover more interesting facts about the Red Sea!

The History Of The Red Sea

The history of the Red Sea takes us back to ancient Egypt, with the enchanting water body possibly featuring in the biblical 'Book of Exodus.' Here are some more interesting facts about the history of the Red Sea.

• The second book of the Bible, the 'Book of Exodus', chronicles the story of how Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and from the clutches of slavery. In the Exodus narrative, there is a mention of Moses and the Israelites crossing a water body, which, in Hebrew, is called the Yam Suph. The English translation of Yam Suph is Reed Sea, and it has traditionally been described as referring to the Red Sea.
• The Hebrew Bible has over 20 mentions of the phrase Yam Suph. However, the 'King James Bible', the most widely used English translation of the Bible, uses the term Red Sea in its narrative. Saadia Gaon was a prominent rabbi and Jewish philosopher active during the Abbasid Caliphate. In his Judeo-Arabic translation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (Torah), Saadia gaon identified Baḥar al-Qulzum as the crossing place of the Red Sea. Baḥar al-Qulzum refers to the Gulf of Suez.
• It's believed that the ancient Egyptians were the first people to have conducted explorations in the Red Sea in around 2500 and 1500 BC, the latter exploration conducted during the rule of the fifth Pharoah Hatshepsut. The ancient Egyptians were looking for trading routes southwards to the ancient Kingdom of Punt.
• Darius I of Persia in the 6th century BC, took the initiative to improve navigation in the Red Sea by locating currents and hazardous rocks. Then in the late 4th century BC, Alexander the Great dispatched naval expeditions to the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea. However, according to the Greco-Roman manuscript 'Periplus of the Erythraean Sea,' the Greek sailor Hippalus was the first to discover a direct route to India along the Red Sea, thereby opening up trading opportunities with Asia. Thereafter, during the reign of Caesar Augustus (63 BC-14 AD), the Roman Empire gained power over the northern Red Sea, Egypt, and the Mediterranean. Thereafter, the Red Sea became a favored channel for trading with India.
• In 1798, French general Napoleon Bonaparte was sent to invade Egypt and capture the Red Sea. French architect Jean-Baptiste Lepère was one of the members of the delegation that accompanied Bonaparte in his Egyptian mission. Lepère took an active interest in reviving plans for the construction of a canal on the Red Sea, a vision of the Pharaohs. However, even though several canals were built during the time, none lasted long.
• The Suez Canal was inaugurated in 1869, connecting the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea. Since then, the Suez Canal has been one of the busiest waterways in the world, with huge maritime traffic moving between Europe and Asia.

Creatures Found In The Red Sea

Despite the high salinity of its waters, the Red Sea is home to thriving marine life, particularly the coral reef systems. Let's take a look at some more facts about the various creatures found in the Red Sea.

• With its coasts lined by over 1242.74 mi (2000 km) of coral reefs, the southern Red Sea is one of the richest marine ecosystems in the world.
• The marine wildlife of the Red Sea includes thousands of fish species, invertebrates, and hundreds of species of corals, about 10% of which are endemic to the Red Sea region.
• Apart from the coral reefs, the Red Sea also supports marine habitats such as mangroves, seagrass beds, salt pans, and salt marshes. Given the delicate Red Sea environment and the arid coastal zones, the reef ecosystems are a boon to the marine life in the region, providing food and shelter for several living organisms.
• The lush reefs of the Red Sea are unique due to their adaptation to high temperature and salt concentrations. It is the efficient water circulation patterns and shallow water depths that allow the coral reefs to thrive in the hostile waters of the Red Sea.
• The Red Sea is home to a variety of fish species, such as the Red Sea dottybacks, triple fins fish, and the Red Sea butterflyfishes. The presence of the Red Sea coral reefs allows juvenile fish to survive and grow into adulthood.
• The Red Sea is home to a large variety of sharks, including the hammerhead shark, tiger shark, oceanic whitetip shark, thresher shark, gray reef shark, whale shark, nurse shark, and many more.
• Apart from the coral reefs, fishes, and sharks, other Red Sea creatures include dolphins, dugongs, and turtles. Around eight different species of dolphins are thought to co-habit the Red Sea waters along with the myriad Red Sea fish species and sharks. Dolphin species include spinner dolphins, common bottlenose dolphins, Indo-pacific bottlenose dolphins, long-beaked common dolphins, pantropical spotted dolphins, humpback dolphins, Risso's dolphins, and Bryde's whales.
• Commonly known as sea cows, dugongs are marine mammals and relatives of manatees. Habitat destruction and water contamination from industrial run-off severely threaten the dugong population in the Red Sea.
• The Egyptian Red Sea harbors four turtle species, namely, the olive-ridley turtles, leatherback turtles, hawksbill turtles, and green turtles. Loggerhead turtles are more common in the Gulf of Aden.
• Due to its diverse marine life, the Red Sea has been designated as a Global 200 ecoregion by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The WWF defines an ecoregion as a large area of land or water characterized by a high degree of biodiversity or species richness and unusual ecological processes.

The Benefits Of The Red Sea

The Red Sea is not only one of nature's most spectacular marvels but also a key asset in the global economy. Also, did you know that the salt from the Red Sea has several health benefits? Let's take a look at some more facts relating to the benefits of the Red Sea.

• The Red Sea is a hub of five main types of mineral resources, namely, petroleum deposits, phosphates, sulfur, heavy metal deposits, and evaporate deposits such as dolomite, gypsum, sylvite, and halite.
• The Red Sea harbors oil and natural gas deposits, one of the most prominent ones being near Jamsah Promontory at the junction of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Suez.
• Several nations located along the Red Sea exploit the oil and natural gas deposits for industrial and commercial benefits.
• The coral reefs house many fish and other marine organisms that humans consume, thereby supporting the livelihood of millions of people living along the coasts of the Red Sea.
• Fisheries and the tourism industry heavily depend on coral reefs. Egypt shares about 932.06 mi (1,500 km) of coastline with the Red Sea and is dotted with breathtaking sites for recreational activities, such as Daedalus Reef, Ras Mohammed, St. John's Reef, Elphinstone's Reef, Rocky Island, and The Brothers. Popular resorts in the region include the Marsa Alam, Hurghada, El Gouna, Safaga, Taba, and Dahab. Thanks to the warm and crystal waters, tourists can engage in Red Sea dives, snorkeling, and swimming.
• About 25% of the Red Sea is less than 164.04 ft (50 m) deep, and 40% is shallower than 328.08 ft (100 m), providing a lot of area for recreational sports.
• Many people believe that the Red Sea salt and its water offer a magical concoction with several amazing health benefits. Studies have found that the traces of minerals and radioactive elements found in the Red Sea sand can help cure rheumatoid arthritis. Reportedly, patients can get the health benefits of the sand by burying themselves in the sand at dusk and dawn.
• The mountainous terrain around the Red Sea naturally blocks wind and sand storms suspended with harmful UV rays. Hence, the locales are ideal for treating psoriasis, a chronic skin disease.
• The saltiness of the Red Sea waters, paired with the black sand of the soil can help reduce skin inflammations.
• As well as enjoying swimming and bathing, the warm and salty Red Sea waters are said to improve blood circulation and restore essential minerals in the body.

More Interesting Red Sea Facts

Want to know more about the Red Sea? Here are some more facts about the salty water body!

• Do you know why the Red Sea is called the Red Sea? Well, there are several theories regarding the origin of its name. According to some people, the name comes from the seasonal blooms of red-colored cyanobacteria called Trichodesmium erythraeum. Also known as sea sawdust, seasonal blooms of Trichodesmium erythraeum are visible to the naked eye and often impart a reddish-brown hue to the Red Sea.
• Apart from this scientific explanation of the Red Sea's color, a historical theory is that the term 'red' in the Red Sea actually indicates the waterbody's southern location with respect to the ancient beliefs of the Mediterranean world. The reason behind such a theory is that in ancient languages, the colors black referred to the north, while the color red referred to the south. In Arabic, the Red Sea is known as Al-Baḥr Al-Aḥmar.
• The Red Sea is also scattered with thousands of volcanic islands. For instance, the Dahlak Archipelago, with over 300 islands, lies in the western Red Sea, and the Farasan Islands are located in the east. The southern part of the Red Sea houses its two largest island groups. Some of the most well-known Red Sea islands are the Shadwan Island, which is located at the mouth of the Gulf of Suez, and the Tiran Island, which is situated near the entrance of the Gulf of Aqaba. The Red Sea islands of Perim, Kamaran, Socotra, and Hanish all fall under the jurisdiction of Yemen.
• The Red Sea's maximum depth is about 9,973.75 ft (3,040 m) in the central Suakin Trough. At its widest point, the Red Sea is about 220.59 mi (355 km) wide. The Red Sea is about 1,398.09 mi (2,250 km) long, and it covers a total area of approximately 169,100 sq mi (437,967 sq km). The Red Sea's narrowest point is at the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where the sea is only 16.16-31.06 mi (26-50 km) wide.
• The Red Sea was created as a result of the Continental Drift and Arabia breaking away from Africa. The split began in the Eocene Period about 55 million years ago and intensified during the Oligocene epoch. The northern part of the Red Sea opened up about 20 million years ago, and the Gulf of Suez about 30 million years ago. It is believed that the Red Sea is still widening today and will eventually transform into an ocean in time.
• At some point during the Tertiary Period (about 66-2.6 million years ago), the strait of Bab el-Mandeb closed and the Red Sea evaporated to a hot and dry salt sink. It was a result of eruptions in the Perim Island filling Bab el-Mandeb with lava and global sea levels lowering due to water being tied up in ice caps during the Ice Age.
• The Red Sea occupies a major chunk of a rift valley in the continental crust of the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. The rift valley is part of a more complex rift system that runs southwards through Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania and northwards from the Gulf of Aqaba to form the Wadi Aqaba-Dead Sea-Jordan Rift. From the southern portion of the Red Sea, the rift system extends eastward to form the Gulf of Aden.
• Do you know what gave rise to the rugged mountainous terrains of the areas adjoining the Red Sea? Well, the Red Sea valley cuts across the Arabian-Nubian Shield, a continuous chunk of Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks formed more than 540 million years ago. The rocks were formed under intense heat and pressure conditions deep within the Earth, and its outcrops are what resulted in the rugged mountainous terrain in the areas around the Red Sea.
• The region around the Red Sea experiences hot, sunny days with scanty rainfall. Adding to that, no river empties into the Red Sea. However, the evaporation loss is pretty high, more than 81 in (205.74 cm) per year. The loss due to evaporation is compensated for by water inflow via the eastern channel of Bab el-Mandeb.
• The Red Sea is one of the saltiest water bodies on Earth, with an average salinity of about 40 parts per 1000.
• The tidal range in the Red Sea is about 2.95 ft (0.9 m) in the south near the Gulf of Aden and 1.97 ft (0.6 m) in the north near the Gulf of Suez. The Jeddah area or the central Red Sea is almost tideless and it's where the annual water level changes are most significant.
• During summers, the Red Sea's average surface temperature is about 78.8 F (26 C) in the north and 86 F (30 C) in the south. Temperatures during the winter months can vary by about 35.6 F (2 C).
• The Red Sea is quite difficult to navigate. While the shorelines of the northern half of the Red Sea have a few natural harbors, the abundance of coral reefs in the southern portions restricts harbor facilities and blocks navigable channels. Besides, sandstorms, heat shimmers, and highly unpredictable water currents increase navigational difficulties. Blasting and dredging keep the channel at the Bab el-Mandeb Strait open to maritime traffic.
• The Red Sea has been a hotspot of scientific research since World War II, with most studies concerned with the sea's geological structure, chemical and biological properties, and oil explorations. Some of the prominent research cruises to have set sail on the Red Sea include the 'Albatross' (1948) and the 'Glomar Challenger' (1971), along with many others interested in discovering more about this natural phenomenon.
• Apart from the vibrant marine life, the depths of the Red Sea waters are scattered with remnants of shipwrecks. One of the most well-known is the remains of the SS Thistlegorm, a British armed merchant navy ship that was sunk by German bombers on Oct 6, 1941, near Red Sea's Ras Mohammed. Today, it's a popular diving site among tourists.
• According to some archaeologists, Moses crossed the Red Sea at the Gulf of Suez. Also, Mount Sinai, located on the Sinai Peninsula on the northern extremes of the Red Sea, is believed to be the site where Moses received the Ten Commandments. The Saint Catherine's Monastery stands at the spot.