Red Sea

The Red Sea is a sea <a href="/facts/Inlet/uVuBo3Xl">inlet</a> of the <a href="/facts/Indian_Ocean/Kv0crwKG">Indian Ocean</a>, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the <a href="/facts/Bab-el-Mandeb/VWBU2BHD">Bab-el-Mandeb</a> Strait and the <a href="/facts/Gulf_of_Aden/uq1YrFP4">Gulf of Aden</a>. To its north lie the <a href="/facts/Sinai_Peninsula/SEyERdHm">Sinai Peninsula</a>, the <a href="/facts/Gulf_of_Aqaba/axWHgYhX">Gulf of Aqaba</a>, and the <a href="/facts/Gulf_of_Suez/as05NQ95">Gulf of Suez</a>—leading to the <a href="/facts/Suez_Canal/1zYoNryp">Suez Canal</a>. It is underlain by the <a href="/facts/Red_Sea_Rift/93sHEDf1">Red Sea Rift</a>, which is part of the <a href="/facts/Great_Rift_Valley/9RT9pneS">Great Rift Valley</a>.
The Red Sea has a surface area of roughly 438,000 km2 (169,000 sq mi), is about 2,250 km (1,400 mi) long, and 355 km (221 mi) wide at its widest point. It has an average depth of 490 m (1,610 ft), and in the central Suakin Trough, it reaches its maximum depth of 3,040 m (9,970 ft).
Approximately 40% of the Red Sea is quite shallow at less than 100 m (330 ft) deep and about 25% is less than 50 m (160 ft) deep. The extensive shallow shelves are noted for their marine life and <a href="/facts/Coral/j7fBLrpw">corals</a>. More than 1,000 <a href="/facts/Invertebrate/3CyqCVnN">invertebrate</a> species and 200 types of soft and hard coral live in the sea. The Red Sea is the world's northernmost <a href="/facts/Tropical/Iv1es8Ih">tropical</a> sea and has been designated a <a href="/facts/Global_200/dD68V73m">Global 200</a> ecoregion.

Red Sea open-in-new

Red Sea