Red Sea : Concern
India remains “concerned” at the evolving situation in West Asia, and attacks against commercial vessels in and around the Red Sea threaten freedom of navigation and “impact our trade”, the government informed the Parliament recently.
- The Red Sea is a semi-enclosed, inlet (or extension) of the Indian Ocean between the continents of Africa and Asia.
- It is the world’s northernmost tropical sea and is also one of the most heavily traveled waterways.
- It is connected to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean to the south through the Gulf of Aden and the narrow strait of Bab el Mandeb.
- The northern portion of the Red Sea is bifurcated by the Sinai Peninsula into the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez, where it is connected to the Mediterranean Sea via the famous Suez Canal.
- It has a surface area of roughly 438,000 sq.km. and is about 2,250 km in length.
- Yemen and Saudi Arabia border the Red Sea to the east.
- It is bordered by Egypt to the north and west and by Sudan, Eritrea, and Djibouti to the west.
- It is one of the world’s warmest seas. It contains some of the world’s hottest and saltiest seawater.
- Its name is derived from the colour changes observed in its waters.
- Normally, the Red Sea is an intense blue-green; occasionally, however, it is populated by extensive blooms of the algae Trichodesmium erythraeum, which, upon dying off, turn the sea a reddish brown colour.
- Some well-known islands include Tiran Island, which is located near the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba, and Shadwan Island, which is located at the entrance of the Gulf of Suez.
