RED SEA (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – Geography)

Context: Germany and Hong Kong recently announced their decision to avoid the Red Sea, joining other shipping companies in response to Yemeni attacks on vessels that have disrupted global trade, leading to the establishment of a naval task force.

Red Sea

• About: The Red Sea is an inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia.

oAbout 12 percent of global trade passes through the Red Sea, which connects to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal, including 30 percent of container traffic.

• Bordering Countries: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea and Djibouti.
• Part of: African Rift Valley(Great Rift Valley).

Nearby important locations:

• Bab el Mandeb  Strait:  It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. (in the Indian ocean).
• Gulf of Aqaba: A large gulf at the northern tip of the Red Sea, east of the Sinai Peninsula and west of the Arabian Peninsula. Its coastline is divided among four countries: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
• Resource: These resources include petroleum deposits, evaporite deposits (resulting from evaporation, such as halite, sylvite, gypsum, and dolomite), sulfur, phosphates, and heavy-metal deposits.