Gulf of Aden

Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden, as viewed from space (top) and on a map (bottom)
Location	East Africa and West Asia
Coordinates	12°N 48°E
Type	Gulf
Basin countries	List  Djibouti  Somalia  Yemen 1 de facto[1]  Somaliland
Surface area	410,000 km^2 (160,000 sq mi)^[dubious – discuss]
Average depth	500 m (1,600 ft)
Max. depth	2,700 m (8,900 ft)
Max. temperature	28 °C (82 °F)
Min. temperature	15 °C (59 °F)
Settlements	Aden, Zinjibar, Shuqrah, Ahwar, Balhaf, Mukalla, Ash-Shihr, al-Hami, Hadibu, Qulensya, Berbera, Bulhar, Maydh, Djibouti, Zeila, Las Khorey, Bosaso

The Gulf of Aden (Arabic: خليج عدن; Somali: Gacanka Cadmeed) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channel, the Socotra Archipelago, Puntland in Somalia and Somaliland to the south.^[2] In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, and it connects with the Arabian Sea to the east. To the west, it narrows into the Gulf of Tadjoura in Djibouti. The Aden Ridge lies along the middle of the gulf, and tectonic activity at the ridge is causing the gulf to widen by about 15 mm (0.59 in) per year.

The ancient Greeks regarded the gulf as one of the most important parts of the "Erythraean Sea". It later came to be dominated by Muslims, as the area around the gulf converted to Islam. From the late 1960s onwards, there was an increased Soviet naval presence in the Gulf. The importance of the Gulf of Aden declined while the Suez Canal was closed, but it was revitalized when the canal was reopened in 1975, after being deepened and widened by the Egyptian government.

The waterway is part of the important Suez Canal shipping route between the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Sea in the Indian Ocean, with 21,000 ships crossing the gulf annually.^[3] This route is often used for the delivery of Persian Gulf oil, making the gulf an integral waterway in the world economy.^[4][5] Important cities along the Gulf of Aden include the namesake Aden in Yemen. Other Yemeni cities are Zinjibar, Shuqrah, Ahwar, Balhaf, Mukalla, Ash-Shihr, al-Hami, Hadibu, and Qulensya. On the African side are the cities of Djibouti, Berbera and Bosaso.

Despite a lack of large-scale commercial fishing facilities, the coastline supports many isolated fishing towns and villages. The Gulf of Aden is richly supplied with fish, turtles, and lobsters.^[6] Local fishing takes place close to the shore; sardines, tuna, kingfish, and mackerel make up the bulk of the annual catches. Crayfish and sharks are also fished locally.

Historical names

Ibn Majid referring to the Gulf as the Gulf of Berbera

In antiquity, the ancient Greeks viewed what is now called the Gulf of Aden as an extension of the Erythraean Sea (Red Sea) Ancient Greek: Ἐρυθρὰ Θάλασσα, Erythrà Thálassa. They named several of the islands in the gulf, including one they called Stratonis, although it is no longer clear which Greek name referred to which island.^[7][8]

In Abu'l-Fida's A Sketch of the Countries (Arabic: تقويم البلدان), the present-day Gulf of Aden was called the Gulf of Berbera, which shows how important Berbera was in both regional and international trade during the medieval period.^[9][10]

Legendary navigator Ibn Majid also referred to the Gulf of Aden as the Gulf of Berbera in his 15th century magnum opus The Book of the Benefits of the Principles and Foundations of Seamanship.^[11] Berbera has been a prominent port since antiquity.^[12]

Geography

Limits

The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Gulf of Aden as follows:^[13]

On the northwest – the southern limit of the Red Sea [a line joining Hisn Murad (12°40′N 43°30′E) and Ras Siyyan (12°29′N 43°20′E)]

On the east – the meridian of Cape Guardafui

The Gulf of Tadjoura is part of the Gulf of Aden, forming its western end.

Hydrography

The temperature of the Gulf of Aden varies between 15 °C (59 °F) and 28 °C (82 °F), depending on the season and the monsoons. The salinity of the gulf at 10 metres (33 ft) depth varies from 35.3 ‰ along the eastern Somali coast to as high as 37.3 ‰ in the gulf's center,^[14] while its oxygen content at the same depth is typically between 4.0 and 5.0 mg/L.^[14]

Exclusive economic zone

Exclusive economic zones in Gulf of Aden:^{[15][16][17][18]}

Number	Country	Area (Km^2)
1	Yemen	509,240
2	Somalia and  Somaliland	831,059
3	Djibouti	7,037
Total	Gulf of Aden	1,347,336

Economy

A dhow in the Gulf of Aden

See also: Somali piracy

The Gulf of Aden is a vital waterway for shipping, especially for Persian Gulf oil, making it an integral waterway in the world economy.^[4] Approximately 11% of the world's seaborne petroleum passes through the Gulf of Aden on its way to the Suez Canal or to regional refineries.^[5] The main ports along the gulf are Aden, Balhaf, Bir Ali, Mukalla, and Shokra in Yemen; Djibouti City in Djibouti; Zeila in Somaliland, Berbera in Somaliland, and Bosaso in Somalia.

In antiquity, the gulf was a thriving area of international trade between Ptolemaic Egypt and Rome in the west and Classical India, its Indonesian colonies, and Han China in the east. It was not limited to transshipment, as Yemeni incense, tortoiseshell, and other goods were in high demand in both directions. After Egyptian sailors discovered the monsoon winds and began to trade directly with India, caravan routes and their associated kingdoms began to collapse, leading to a rise in piracy in the area. The 1st-century Periplus of the Erythraean Sea documents one Egyptian captain's experiences during this era.

After the collapse of the Roman economy, direct trade ceased but the Awsan I port Crater, located just south of the modern city of Aden, remained an important regional center. In late antiquity and the early medieval period, there were several invasions of Yemen from Ethiopia; after the rise of Islam, the gulf permitted repeated migrations of northwest Africa by Arab settlers.

In the first decade of the 2000s, especially during the war in Somalia, the gulf evolved into a hub of pirate activity. By 2013, attacks in the waters had steadily declined due to private security and international navy patrols.^[19] India receives US$50 billion in imports – and sends US$60 billion in exports – through this area annually. To protect its trade and that of other countries, India keeps a warship escort in the area.^[20]

Ecology

A geologically young body of water, the Gulf of Aden has a unique biodiversity that includes many varieties of fish, coral, seabirds and invertebrates. This rich ecological diversity has benefited from a relative lack of pollution by humans in the past. However, environmental groups fear that the lack of a coordinated effort to control pollution may jeopardize the gulf's ecosphere.^[21] Whales, dolphins, and dugongs^[22] were once common^[23] before being severely reduced by commercial hunts, including by mass illegal hunts by the Soviet Union and Japan in the 1960s and 1970s.^[24] The now critically endangered Arabian humpback whales were once seen here in large numbers,^[25] but only a few large whales still appear in the gulf waters, including Bryde's whales,^[26] blue whales,^[27] and deep-sea toothed whales such as sperm whales^[28] and tropical bottlenose whales.^[29]

See also

• Maritime Security Patrol Area
• International fleet of vessels in the Gulf of Aden

References

1. Michael Hodd, East Africa Handbook, 7th Edition, (Passport Books: 2002), p. 21: "To the north are the countries of the Horn of Africa comprising Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea,and Djibouti, "
2. Lytle, Ephraim. "Early Greek and Latin Sources on the Indian Ocean and Eastern Africa." Early Exchange between Africa and the Wider Indian Ocean World. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2016. 113-134.
3. "Pirates fire on US cruise ship in hijack attempt: Yahoo! News". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
4. "Earth from Space: The Gulf of Aden – the gateway to Persian oil". European Space Agency. 2005-03-01. Archived from the original on 2008-03-17. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
5. "Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden" (PDF). International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF). 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-16. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
6. "Aden, Gulf of | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 2019-10-26. Retrieved 2019-06-14.
7. Smith, William (editor); Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, "Stratonis Insula" Archived 2024-05-22 at the Wayback Machine, London, (1854)
8. "LacusCurtius • Strabo's Geography — Book XVI Chapter 4". penelope.uchicago.edu. Archived from the original on 2021-06-12. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
9. Identifiants et Référentiels Sudoc Pour L'Enseignement Supérieur et la Recherche - Abū al-Fidā (1273-1331) Archived 2023-04-20 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
10. Lewicki, Tadeusz (1974). Arabic External Sources for the History of Africa to the South of Sahara. Curzon Press. p. 33.
11. Ibn Majid, Ahmad. الفوائد في أصول علم البحر والقواعد (in Arabic). p. 129.
12. "Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, Schoff's 1912 translation". Archived from the original on 2014-08-14. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
13. "Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition" (PDF). International Hydrographic Organization. 1953. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
14. "Hydrographic Survey Results". Report on Cruise No. 3 of R/V "Dr. Fridtjof Nansen" - Indian Ocean Fishery and Development Programme - Pelagic Fish Assessment Survey North Arabian Sea. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 1975. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
15. "Sea Around Us | Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity". www.seaaroundus.org. Archived from the original on 2016-02-23. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
16. "Sea Around Us | Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity". www.seaaroundus.org. Archived from the original on 2016-02-23. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
17. "Sea Around Us | Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity". www.seaaroundus.org. Archived from the original on 2016-02-23. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
18. "Sea Around Us | Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity". www.seaaroundus.org. Archived from the original on 2016-02-23. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
19. Arnsdorf, Isaac (22 July 2013). "West Africa Pirates Seen Threatening Oil and Shipping". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
20. Gokhale, Nitin (2011). "India Takes Fight to Pirates". the-diplomat.com. The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
21. "Red Sea & Gulf of Aden". United Nations Environment Programme. 2005. Archived from the original on 2005-07-01. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
22. Nasr D.. Dugongs in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Archived 2015-11-27 at the Wayback Machine
23. Hoath R.. 2009. A Field Guide to the Mammals of Egypt Archived 2023-04-28 at the Wayback Machine. pp.112. The American University in Cairo Press. Retrieved on February 26. 2016
24. Jackson J.. 2006. Diving with Giants^{[permanent dead link‍]}. p.59. New Holland Publishers Ltd. Retrieved on December 17. 2014
25. Yuri A. Mikhalev (1997). "Humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae in the Arabian Sea" (PDF). Marine Ecology Progress Series. 149: 13. Bibcode:1997MEPS..149...13M. doi:10.3354/meps149013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
26. "PBS - The Voyage of the Odyssey - Track the Voyage - MALDIVES". www.pbs.org. Archived from the original on 2017-10-19. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
27. "Cetaceans in the Indian Ocean Sanctuary: A Review : A WDCS Science report" (PDF). Vliz.be. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
28. "Yemen". www.sailingluna.nl. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
29. Anderson, R. C.; Clark, R.; Madsen, P. T.; Johnson, C.; Kiszka, J.; Breysse, O. (2006). "Observations of Longman's Beaked Whale (Indopacetus pacificus) in the Western Indian Ocean". Aquatic Mammals. 32 (2): 223–231. doi:10.1578/AM.32.2.2006.223.

Further reading

• Pollak, Richard (April 22, 2009). "The Cost of Doing Business on the Open Sea". The Nation. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2017.

External links

• Media related to Gulf of Aden at Wikimedia Commons
• Space Station photograph of the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa