- published: 12 May 2011
- views: 1843
- author: ChangingOceans
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![Artificial Reefs in the gulf of Aqaba - The Changing Oceans Expedition [EN]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121128174622im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/vJp8xRfQ8xE/default.jpg "The Changing Oceans Expedition studied in the gulf of Aqaba a new conservation plan for protecting coral reefs: artificials reefs. More info: www.changingoceans.org")
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- Aegean Sea
- Al Jawf Province
- Alboran Sea
- Amundsen Gulf
- Amundsen Sea
- Andaman Sea
- Aqaba
- Aqaba Governorate
- Aqaba, Jordan
- Arabian Peninsula
- Arabian peninsula
- Arabian Sea
- Arabic language
- Arafura Sea
- Aral Sea
- Archipelago Sea
- Arctic Ocean
- Argentine Sea
- Atlantic Ocean
- Baffin Bay
- Balearic Sea
- Bali Sea
- Baltic Sea
- Banda Sea
- Barents Sea
- Battle of Aqaba
- Bay of Bengal
- Bay of Biscay
- Bay of Campeche
- Bay of Fundy
- Beaufort Sea
- Bellingshausen Sea
- Bering Sea
- Bering Strait
- Bismarck Sea
- Bitumen
- Black Sea
- Bohai Sea
- Bohol Sea
- Bothnian Bay
- Bothnian Sea
- Camotes Sea
- Caribbean Sea
- Caspian Sea
- Celebes Sea
- Celtic Sea
- Ceram Sea
- Chilean Sea
- Chukchi Sea
- Cooperation Sea
- Copper
- Coral
- Coral Sea
- Cosmonauts Sea
- D'Urville Sea
- Dahab
- Damascus
- Davis Sea
- Davis Strait
- Dead Sea
- Denmark Strait
- Drainage basin
- Earth
- East Africa
- East China Sea
- East Siberian Sea
- Egypt
- Eilat
- Elat
- Elim
- English Channel
- Flores Sea
- Foxe Basin
- Fram Strait
- Frankincense
- Greenland Sea
- Gulf of Aden
- Gulf of Alaska
- Gulf of Aqaba
- Gulf of Boothia
- Gulf of Bothnia
- Gulf of California
- Gulf of Carpentaria
- Gulf of Finland
- Gulf of Fonseca
- Gulf of Guinea
- Gulf of Khambhat
- Gulf of Kutch
- Gulf of Lion
- Gulf of Maine
- Gulf of Mexico
- Gulf of Oman
- Gulf of Suez
- Gulf of Thailand
- Gulf of Tonkin
- Gulf of Venezuela
- Halmahera Sea
- Haql
- Hatshepsut
- Headlands and bays
- Hebrew language
- Hejaz railway
- Hudson Bay
- Indian Ocean
- Ionian Sea
- Irish Sea
- Irminger Sea
- Israel
- James Bay
- Java Sea
- Jordan
- Jordan (country)
- Kara Sea
- Kara Strait
- Karnak
- King Haakon VII Sea
- Kingdom of Kush
- Koro Sea
- Labrador Sea
- Laccadive Sea
- Land of Punt
- Laptev Sea
- Lawrence of Arabia
- Lazarev Sea
- Levantine Sea
- Libyan Sea
- Ligurian Sea
- Lincoln Sea
- Linen
- Louis Haghe
- Makassar Strait
- Mawson Sea
- Medina
- Mediterranean Sea
- Molucca Sea
- Moro Gulf
- Mozambique Channel
- Mummy
- Myrrh
- Myrtoan Sea
- Nabateans
- Natron
- North Sea
- Norwegian Sea
- Nubia
- Ocean
- Pacific Ocean
- Pechora Sea
- Persian Gulf
- Pharaoh's Island
- Philippine Sea
- Red Sea
- Requin Island
- Riiser-Larsen Sea
- Ross Sea
- Ràs al Fasma
- Salish Sea
- Salton Sea
- Sargasso Sea
- Saudi Arabia
- Savu Sea
- Scotia Sea
- Sea
- Sea of Azov
- Sea of Crete
- Sea of Japan
- Sea of Marmara
- Sea of Okhotsk
- Sea of the Hebrides
- Sea of Åland
- Seto Inland Sea
- Sharm el-Sheikh
- Sibuyan Sea
- Sinai Peninsula
- Solomon Sea
- Somov Sea
- South China Sea
- Southern Ocean
- Southwest Asia
- Strait of Malacca
- Straits of Tiran
- Sulu Sea
- Taba (Egypt)
- Tabuk Province
- Tasman Sea
- Thracian Sea
- Timnah
- Timor Sea
- Tiran Island
- Tourism in Israel
- Tyrrhenian Sea
- Via Traiana Nova
- Visayan Sea
- Wadi Rum
- Wandel Sea
- Weddell Sea
- White Sea
- Yellow Sea
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Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea (
/ˌeɪdriˈætɨk/) is a body of water separating the Apennine Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula and the Apennine Mountains from the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to the northwest and the Po Valley. Its coasts are part of (in decreasing order of coastline length without islands) Croatia, Italy, Albania, Montenegro, Slovenia and Bosnia–Herzegovina. The Adriatic contains over 1300 islands, mostly located along its eastern coast. It is divided into three basins—the northern being the shallowest and the southern being the deepest, with a maximum depth of 1,233 metres (4,045 ft). The Otranto Sill, a decrease in depth, is located at the border between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. The prevailing currents flow counterclockwise from the Strait of Otranto, along the eastern coast and back to the strait along the western (Italian) coast. Tidal movements in the Adriatic are slight, although larger amplitudes are known to occur occasionally. The Adriatic's salinity is lower than the Mediterranean's because the former collects a third of the fresh water flowing into the latter, acting as a dilution basin. The surface water temperatures generally range from 24 °C (75 °F) in summer to 12 °C (54 °F) in winter, significantly moderating the Adriatic Basin's climate.
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Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea (/ɨˈdʒiːən/; Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος, Egeo Pelagos [eˈʝeo ˈpelaɣos] (
listen); Turkish: Ege Denizi or historically Turkish: Adalar Denizi) is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus. The Aegean Islands are within the sea and some bound it on its southern periphery, including Crete and Rhodes. The Aegean Region consists of nine provinces in southwestern Turkey, in part bordering on the Aegean sea.
The sea was traditionally known as Archipelago (in Greek, Αρχιπέλαγος, meaning "chief sea"), but in English this word's meaning has changed to refer to the Aegean Islands and, generally, to any island group.
The Aegean Sea covers about 214,000 square kilometres (83,000 sq mi) in area, and measures about 610 kilometres (380 mi) longitudinally and 300 kilometres (190 mi) latitudinally. The sea's maximum depth is 3,543 metres (11,624 ft), east of Crete. The Aegean Islands are found within its waters, with the following islands delimiting the sea on the south (generally from west to east): Kythera, Antikythera, Crete, Kasos, Karpathos and Rhodes.
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Al Jawf Province
Coordinates: 29°30′N 39°30′E / 29.5°N 39.5°E / 29.5; 39.5
Al-Jawf (Arabic: الجوف Al Ǧauf pronounced [ælˈdʒawf]), also spelled Al-Jouf, is a province of Saudi Arabia, located in the north of the country, bordering Jordan. It has an area of 100,212 km² and a population of 440,009 at the 2010 Census (preliminary result). Its capital is Sakakah.
The province has three governorates - Sakakah, Qurayyat and Dumat Al-Jandal.
The governors of the province beginning by early 1920's are as follows:
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Alboran Sea
Coordinates: 36°0′N 3°0′W / 36°N 3°W / 36; -3
The Alboran Sea is the westernmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea, lying between Spain on the north and Morocco and Algeria on the south. The Strait of Gibraltar, which lies at the west end of the Alboran Sea, connects the Mediterranean with the Atlantic Ocean.
Its average depth is 1,461 feet (445 m) and maximum depth is 4,920 feet (1,500 m).
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Alboran Sea as follows:
On the West. The Eastern limit of the Strait of Gibraltar [A line joining Europa Point to P. Almina (35°54′N 5°18′W / 35.9°N 5.3°W / 35.9; -5.3)].
On the East. A line joining Cape de Gata (Spain) to C. Fegalo (Africa) (35°36′N 1°12′W / 35.6°N 1.2°W / 35.6; -1.2).
Surface currents in the Alboran Sea flow eastward, bringing water from the Atlantic into Mediterranean; deeper subsurface currents flow westward, carrying saltier Mediterranean water into the Atlantic. There is typically a rotary circulation, also known as a gyre, in the Alboran Sea as a result of this exchange of water. The Alboran Sea is a transition zone between the two seas, containing a mix of Mediterranean and Atlantic species. The Alboran Sea is habitat for the largest population of bottlenose dolphins in the western Mediterranean, is home to the last population of harbour porpoises in the Mediterranean, and is the most important feeding grounds for loggerhead sea turtles in Europe. The Alboran sea also hosts important commercial fisheries, including sardines and swordfish. In 2003, the World Wildlife Fund raised concerns about the widespread drift net fishing endangering populations of dolphins, turtles, and other marine animals.
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Amundsen Gulf
Amundsen Gulf is a gulf located in Canadian Northwest Territories, between Banks Island and Victoria Island and the mainland . It is approximately 250 mi (400 km) in length and about 93 mi (150 km) across where it meets the Beaufort Sea.
The Amundsen Gulf was explored by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen between 1903 and 1906. The gulf is at the western end of the famous Northwest Passage, a route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific.
Few people live along the shores of the gulf, but there are a few towns and communities including: Sachs Harbour, Ulukhaktok and Paulatuk. Heading north in the gulf one would find the Prince of Wales Strait. Heading southeast and east, the gulf leads through the Dolphin and Union Strait, past Simpson Bay and into the Coronation Gulf. From there one would go through the Dease Strait and into the Queen Maud Gulf, and eventually head northeast into the Victoria Strait. Heading west and northwest a traveller would first enter the Beaufort Sea and then the Arctic Ocean.
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Amundsen Sea
The Amundsen Sea is an arm of the Southern Ocean off Marie Byrd Land in western Antarctica. It is bounded by Cape Flying Fish, the northwestern tip of Thurston Island to the east and Cape Dart on Siple Island to the west. East of Cape Flying Fish starts the Bellingshausen Sea. West of Cape Dart is no named marginal sea of the Southern Ocean between Amundsen Sea and Ross Sea. Named for the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen by the Norwegian expedition of 1928–29, under Captain Nils Larsen, while exploring this area in February, 1929.
The sea is mostly ice-covered, and the Thwaites Ice Tongue protrudes into it. The ice sheet which drains into the Amundsen Sea averages about 3 km (1.9 mi) in thickness; is roughly the size of the state of Texas and the area is known as the Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE); it forms one of the three major ice drainage basins of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
The ice sheet which drains into the Amundsen Sea averages about 3 km (1.9 mi) in thickness; is roughly the size of the state of Texas and the area is known as the Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE); it forms one of the three major ice drainage basins of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, the others being the Ross Sea Embayment and the Weddell Sea Embayment. In March 2007, scientists studying the ASE through satellite and airborne surveys announced a significant thinning of the ASE, due to shifts in wind patterns that allow warmer waters to flow beneath the ice sheet.
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Andaman Sea
The Andaman Sea or Burma Sea (Burmese: မြန်မာပင်လယ်, IPA: [mjəmà pìɴlɛ̀]; Hindi: अंडमान सागर; Thai: ทะเลอันดามัน, IPA: [tʰa.leː ʔan.daː.man]) is a body of water to the southeast of the Bay of Bengal, south of Burma (Myanmar), west of Thailand and east of the Andaman Islands, India; it is part of the Indian Ocean.
The sea has been traditionally used for fishery and transportation of goods between the coastal countries and its coral reefs and islands are popular tourist destinations. The fishery and tourist infrastructure was severely damaged by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
At its southeastern reaches, the Andaman Sea narrows to form the Straits of Malacca, which separate the Malay Peninsula from the island of Sumatra.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the "Andaman or Burma Sea" as follows:
On the Southwest. A line running from Oedjong Raja (5°32′N 95°12′E / 5.533°N 95.2°E / 5.533; 95.2) in Sumatra to Poeloe Bras (Breuëh) and on through the Western Islands of the Nicobar Group to Sandy Point in Little Andaman Island, in such a way that all the narrow waters appertain to the Burma Sea.
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Aqaba
Aqaba (Arabic: العقبة, Al-ʻAqabah) is a coastal city in the far south of Jordan, the capital of Aqaba Governorate at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba. Aqaba is strategically important to Jordan as it is the country's only seaport. Aqaba is best known today as a diving and beach resort, but industrial activity remains important to the area, and the town is an exporter of phosphate and some shells. Aqaba is also the largest city on the Gulf of Aqaba.
Aqaba has been an inhabited settlement since 4000 BC profiting from its strategic location at the junction of trading routes between Asia, Africa, and Europe. The early settlement was presumably Edomite in ancient times. It was a centre of the Edomites, and then of the Arab Nabataeans, during the first century B.C. who populated the region extensively. The oldest known text in Arabic alphabet is an inscription found in Jabal Ram 50 km east of Aqaba.
The Bible refers to the area in (1 Kings 9:26) "King Solomon also built ships in Ezion-Geber, which is near Ayla in Edom, on the shores of the Red Sea." This verse probably refers to an Iron Age port city on the same ground as modern Aqaba.
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Aqaba Governorate
Aqaba (Arabic: العقبة al-ʻAqabah) is one of the governorates of Jordan, located south of Amman, capital of Jordan. Its capital is Aqaba. It is the fourth largest governorate in Jordan by area and is ranked 10th by population.
Aqaba, the port at the Red Sea, plays an important role in the economic life of Jordan and has many attractions to offer the vacationer. The port is Jordan's most important import/export hub. The industrial port lies well away from the beaches and the hotels, so that tourist activities are not affected.
Aqaba Governorate lies in the south western tip of Jordan, it borders Ma'an Governorate from the east, Tafilah Governorate from the north, Saudi Arabia from the south, Israel from the west, and the Gulf of Aqaba from the southwest. There are two international crossing points in Aqaba Governorate, the Durra Border Crossing and Wadi Araba crossing.
The Jordanian-Saudi border originally ran a few kilometers south of Aqaba. In 1965 the late King Hussein exchanged 12 km (7 mi) of the valuable coastal strip for areas in the desert.
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Aqaba, Jordan
Aqaba (Arabic: العقبة, Al-ʻAqabah) is a coastal city in the far south of Jordan, the capital of Aqaba Governorate at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba. Aqaba is strategically important to Jordan as it is the country's only seaport. Aqaba is best known today as a diving and beach resort, but industrial activity remains important to the area, and the town is an exporter of phosphate and some shells. Aqaba is also the largest city on the Gulf of Aqaba.
Aqaba has been an inhabited settlement since 4000 BC profiting from its strategic location at the junction of trading routes between Asia, Africa, and Europe. The early settlement was presumably Edomite in ancient times. It was a centre of the Edomites, and then of the Arab Nabataeans, during the first century B.C. who populated the region extensively. The oldest known text in Arabic alphabet is an inscription found in Jabal Ram 50 km east of Aqaba.
The Bible refers to the area in (1 Kings 9:26) "King Solomon also built ships in Ezion-Geber, which is near Ayla in Edom, on the shores of the Red Sea." This verse probably refers to an Iron Age port city on the same ground as modern Aqaba.
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Archipelago Sea
Coordinates: 60°18′N 21°00′E / 60.3°N 21°E / 60.3; 21
Archipelago Sea (Finnish Saaristomeri, Swedish Skärgårdshavet) is a part of the Baltic Sea between the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland and the Sea of Åland, within Finnish territorial waters. By some definitions it contains the largest archipelago (island group) in the world by the number of islands, although many of the islands are very small and tightly clustered.
The larger islands are inhabited and connected by ferries and bridges. The Åland Islands, including the largest islands of the region, form an autonomous region within Finland. The rest of the islands are part of Finland Proper. The Archipelago Sea is a significant tourist destination.
The Archipelago Sea covers a roughly triangular area with the cities of Mariehamn (60°5′52″N 19°56′23″E / 60.09778°N 19.93972°E / 60.09778; 19.93972), Uusikaupunki (60°48′4″N 21°24′50″E / 60.80111°N 21.41389°E / 60.80111; 21.41389), and Hanko (59°50′0″N 22°58′15″E / 59.833333°N 22.97083°E / 59.833333; 22.97083), at the corners. The archipelago can be divided into inner and outer archipelagos, with the outer archipelago consisting mainly of smaller, uninhabited islands. The total surface area is 8300 square kilometers, of which 2000 square kilometers is land.
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Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, although some oceanographers call it the Arctic Mediterranean Sea or simply the Arctic Sea, classifying it as one of the mediterranean seas of the Atlantic Ocean. Alternatively, the Arctic Ocean can be seen as the northernmost part of the all-encompassing World Ocean.
Almost completely surrounded by Eurasia and North America, the Arctic Ocean is partly covered by sea ice throughout the year (and almost completely in winter). The Arctic Ocean's temperature and salinity vary seasonally as the ice cover melts and freezes; its salinity is the lowest on average of the five major oceans, due to low evaporation, heavy freshwater inflow from rivers and streams, and limited connection and outflow to surrounding oceanic waters with higher salinities. The summer shrinking of the ice has been quoted at 50%. The US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) uses satellite data to provide a daily record of Arctic sea ice cover and the rate of melting compared to an average period and specific past years.
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Balearic Sea
Coordinates: 40°0′N 1°30′E / 40°N 1.5°E / 40; 1.5
The Balearic Sea or Iberian Sea is a body of water in the Mediterranean Sea near the Balearic Islands. In the Catalan language the area is also known as the Catalan-Balearic Sea (Mar Catalanobalear).
The Ebro River flows into this small sea.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Balearic Sea as follows:
Between the Islas Baleares and the coast of Spain, bounded:
On the Southwest. A line from Cape San Antonio, Spain (38°50′N 0°12′E / 38.833°N 0.2°E / 38.833; 0.2) to Cabo Berberia, the Southwest extreme of Formentera (Islas Baleares).
On the Southeast. The South Coast of Formentera, thence a line from Punta Rotja, its Eastern extreme, to the Southern extreme of Isla Cabrera (39°07′N 2°54′E / 39.117°N 2.9°E / 39.117; 2.9) and to Isla del Aire, off the Southern extreme of Minorca.
On the Northeast. The East coast of Minorca up to Cabo Favaritx (40°00′N 4°14′E / 40°N 4.233°E / 40; 4.233) thence a line to Cabo San Sebastian (Spain) (41°54′N 3°10′E / 41.9°N 3.167°E / 41.9; 3.167).
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Bali Sea
The Bali Sea (Indonesian: Laut Bali) is the body of water north of the island of Bali and south of Kangean Island in Indonesia. The sea forms the south-west part of the Flores Sea, and the Madura Strait opens into it from the west.
The Bali Sea is sometimes grouped with Flores Sea for oceanographic purposes, however in some nautical charts, Bali Sea is written as a distinct sea for navigation. The sea has an area of 45,000 km2 (17,000 sq mi) and a maximum depth of 1,590 m (5,217 ft).
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) defines the Bali Sea as being one of the waters of the East Indian Archipelago. The IHO defines its limits as follows:
On the North. A line from the Western Paternoster Island to the East point of Sepandjang and thence through this island to the West point of Gedeh Bay on the South coast of Kangean (7°01′S 115°18′E / 7.017°S 115.3°E / -7.017; 115.3).
On the West. A line from the West point of Gedeh Bay, Kangean Island, to Tg Sedano, the Northeast extreme of Java and down the East coast to Tg Bantenan, the Southeast extreme of the island.
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Banda Sea
The Banda Sea is a sea in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia, technically[vague] part of the Pacific Ocean but separated[vague] from it by hundreds of islands, as well as the Halmahera and Ceram Seas. It is about 1000 km (600 mi) east to west, and about 500 km (300 mi) north to south.
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) defines the Banda Sea as being one of the waters of the East Indian Archipelago. The IHO defines its limits as follows:
On the North The Southern limits of the Molukka Sea [sic] and the Western and Southern limits of the Ceram Sea.
On the East. From Tg Borang, the Northern point of Noehoe Tjoet [Kai Besar], through this island to its Southern point, thence a line to the Northeast point of Fordata, through this island and across to the Northeast point of Larat, Tanimbar Islands (7°06′S 131°55′E / 7.1°S 131.917°E / -7.1; 131.917), down the East coast of Jamdena [Yamdena] Island to its Southern point, thence through Anggarmasa to the North point of Selaroe and through this island to Tg Aro Oesoe its Southern point (8°21′S 130°45′E / 8.35°S 130.75°E / -8.35; 130.75).
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Barents Sea
The Barents Sea (Norwegian: Barentshavet, Russian: Баренцево море or Barentsevo More) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of Norway and Russia. Known in the Middle Ages as the Murman Sea, the sea takes its current name from the Dutch navigator Willem Barents. It is a rather deep shelf sea (average depth 760 feet (230 m) and maximum depth 1,480 feet (450 m)), bordered by the shelf edge towards the Norwegian Sea in the west, the islands of Svalbard (Norway) in the northwest, and the islands of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya (Arkhangelsk Oblast) in the northeast and east. Novaya Zemlya separates the Kara Sea from the Barents Sea. Significant fossil fuel energy resources exist in the Barents Sea region.
The southern half of the Barents Sea, including the ports of Murmansk (Russia) and Vardø (Norway) remain ice-free year round due to the warm North Atlantic drift. In September, the entire Barents Sea is more or less completely ice-free. Until the Winter War (1939–40), Finland's territory also reached to the Barents Sea, with the harbor at Petsamo being Finland's only ice-free winter harbor.
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Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal, the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Roughly triangular in shape, it is bordered mostly by India and Sri Lanka to the west, Bangladesh to the north, and Burma (Myanmar) and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the east.
The Bay of Bengal occupies an area of 2,172,000 km². A number of large rivers – the Padma (a distributary of the Ganges), Meghna (a distributary of the Brahmaputra), Jamuna (a branch of the Brahmaputra), Ayeyarwady, Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna and Kaveri – flow into the Bay of Bengal. Among the important ports are Cuddalore, Ennore, Chennai, Karaikal, Pondicherry, Tuticorin, Kakinada, Machilipatnam, Vishakhapatnam, Gangavaram, Krishnapatnam, Paradip, Kolkata, Mongla, Chittagong and Yangon.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bay of Bengal as follows:
On the East. A line running from Cape Negrais (16°03'N) in Burma through the larger islands of the Andaman group, in such a way that all the narrow waters between the islands lie to the Eastward of the line and are excluded from the Bay of Bengal, as far as a point in Little Andaman Island in latitude 10°48'N, longitude 92°24'E and thence along the Southwest limit of the Burma Sea [A line running from Oedjong Raja (5°32′N 95°12′E / 5.533°N 95.2°E / 5.533; 95.2) in Sumatra to Poeloe Bras (Breuëh) and on through the Western Islands of the Nicobar Group to Sandy Point in Little Andaman Island, in such a way that all the narrow waters appertain to the Burma Sea].
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Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay (Spanish: Golfo de Vizcaya; French: Golfe de Gascogne; Basque: Bizkaiko golkoa; Breton: Pleg-mor Gwascogn; Gascon: Golf de Gasconha) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish Basque Country.
The average depth is 1,744 metres (5,722 ft) and maximum depth is 2,789 metres (9,150 ft).
Parts of the continental shelf extend far into the bay, resulting in fairly shallow water in many areas and thus cause the rough seas for which the region is known. The Bay of Biscay is home to some of the Atlantic Ocean's fiercest weather. Large storms occur in the bay, especially during the winter months. Up until recent years it was a regular occurrence for merchant vessels to founder in Biscay storms, and many lives were lost. Improved ships and weather prediction have reduced the toll of the storms.
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Bay of Campeche
The Bay of Campeche (Spanish: Golfo de Campeche) (sometimes confused with Bahía de Campeche[citation needed]) is the southern bight of the Gulf of Mexico. It is surrounded on three sides by the Mexican states of Campeche, Tabasco and Veracruz. It was named by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba and Antonio de Alaminos during their expedition in 1517.
The Cantarell Complex of five oil fields lies beneath the Bay of Campeche. It is the second most productive oil field in the world, supplying about two thirds of Mexico's crude oil output. On June 3, 1979, Ixtoc I, an exploratory oil well located in the bay, suffered a blowout that caused a catastrophic explosion, resulting in what has been ranked as the third largest unintentional oil spill in history. The area of the bay is 6,000 square miles (16,000 km2) and maximum depth of the bay is approximately 180 feet (55 m).
During the months of June and July, the Bay of Campeche is considered one of the "hot" breeding spots for Atlantic hurricanes. The bay is also considered the eastern border on the main migration routes for birds in the Americas.
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Bay of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy (French: Baie de Fundy) is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. Some sources believe the name "Fundy" is a corruption of the French word "Fendu", meaning "split", while others believe it comes from the Portuguese fondo, meaning "funnel". The bay was also named Baie Française (French Bay) by explorer/cartographer Samuel de Champlain during a 1604 expedition led by Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Monts which resulted in a failed settlement attempt on St. Croix Island.
The Bay of Fundy is known for having the highest tidal range in the world. Rivaled by Ungava Bay in northern Quebec, King Sound in Western Australia, Gulf of Khambhat in India, and the Severn Estuary in the UK, it has one of the highest vertical tidal ranges in the world. The Guinness Book of World Records (1975) declared that Burntcoat Head, Nova Scotia has the highest tides in the world:
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Beaufort Sea
The Beaufort Sea (French: mer de Beaufort) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, and Alaska, west of Canada's Arctic islands. The sea is named after hydrographer Sir Francis Beaufort. The major Mackenzie River empties into the Canadian part of the sea, west of Tuktoyaktuk, which is one of the few permanent settlements on the sea shores.
The sea, characterized by severe climate, is frozen over most of the year; only a narrow pass up to 100 km (62 mi) opens in August–September near its shores. The seacoast was populated about 30,000 years ago, but the population density is very low. The sea contains significant resources of petroleum and natural gas under its shelf, such as the Amauligak field. They were discovered in the period between 1950s and 1980s, and their exploration became the major human activity in the area since the 1980s. The traditional occupations of fishery and whale and seal hunting are practiced only locally, and have no commercial significance. As a result, the sea hosts one of the largest colonies of beluga whales, and there is no sign of overfishing. There is a long-standing dispute between the United States and Canada over the sea border area, but significant steps have been taken in 2010 toward its resolution.
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Bering Sea
Coordinates: 58°0′N 178°0′W / 58°N 178°W / 58; -178
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves.
The Bering Sea is separated from the Gulf of Alaska by the Alaska Peninsula. It covers over two million square kilometers, bordered on the east and northeast by Alaska, on the west by Russia's Siberia and Kamchatka Peninsula, on the south by the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands and on the far north by the Bering Strait, which connects the Bering Sea to the Arctic Ocean's Chukchi Sea. Bristol Bay is the portion of the Bering Sea which separates the Alaska Peninsula from mainland Alaska. The Bering Sea is named for Vitus Bering, a Danish navigator in Russian service, who in 1728 was the first European to systematically explore it, sailing from the Pacific Ocean northward to the Arctic Ocean.[citation needed]
The Bering Sea ecosystem includes resources within the jurisdiction of the United States and Russia, as well as international waters in the middle of the sea (known as the "Donut Hole"). The interaction between currents, sea ice, and weather make for a vigorous and productive ecosystem.
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Bering Strait
Coordinates: 66°0′N 169°0′W / 66°N 169°W / 66; -169
The Bering Strait (Russian: Берингов пролив, Beringov proliv, Yupik: Imakpik) is a 53 mile long sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point (169°43'W) of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point (168°05'W) of the North American continent. It lies slightly south of the polar circle at approximately 65°40'N latitude, with the present US-Russia east-west boundary, agreed to only by the USA, at 168°58'37"W.
The Strait has been the subject of scientific speculation that humans migrated from Asia to North America across a land bridge known as Beringia when lower ocean levels–perhaps a result of glaciers locking up vast amounts of water–exposed a ridge beneath the ocean.
The name of the sea containing the strait is sometimes spelled Behring in older books.
The Bering Strait is approximately 53 miles (85 km) wide, with depth varying between 98 feet (30 m) and 160 feet (49 m). It connects the Chukchi Sea (part of the Arctic Ocean) to the north with the Bering Sea (part of the Pacific Ocean) to the south.
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Bismarck Sea
The Bismarck Sea lies in the southwestern Pacific Ocean to the north of the island of Papua New Guinea and to the south of the Bismarck Archipelago and Admiralty Islands. Like the Bismarck archipelago, it is named in honour of the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck. The Bismarck archipelago extends round to the east and north of the sea, enclosing the Bismarck Sea and separating it from the Pacific Ocean. To the south it is linked to the Solomon Sea by the Vitiaz Strait.
It was the site of a major Japanese naval defeat in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea during World War II on 3 and 4 March 1943.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the Bismarck Sea as "that area of the South Pacific Ocean off the Northeast coast of New Guinea", with the following limits:
On the North and East. By the Northern and Northeastern coasts of the islands of New Ireland, New Hanover, the Admiralty Islands, Hermit Island, and the Ninigo Group, through Manu and Aua Islands to Wuvulu Island and thence a line to Baudissin Point in New Guinea (142°02'E).
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Bohai Sea
Coordinates: 38°42′N 119°54′E / 38.7°N 119.9°E / 38.7; 119.9
Bohai Sea (Chinese: 渤海; pinyin: Bó Hǎi; Wade–Giles: Po-hai), also known as Bohai Gulf, Bohai, or Bo Hai, is the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea on the coast of Northeastern and North China. It is approximately 78,000 km2 (30,116 sq. mi) in area and its proximity to Beijing, the capital of the Peoples Republic of China, makes it one of the busiest seaways in the world.
Until the early 20th century, Bo Hai was often called the Gulf of Chihli (直隸海灣 Zhílì Hǎiwān) or the Gulf of Pechihli or Pechili (北直隸海灣 Běizhílì Hǎiwān). Zhili and Beizhili were historic provinces in the area surrounding Beijing.
The Bohai Sea is bounded by the Liaodong and Shandong Peninsulas. It has become one of busiest sea routes in recent times. There are three major bays inside the Bohai Sea: Laizhou Bay to the south, Liaodong Bay to the north, and Bohai Bay to the west. At the easternmost end of the Bohai Sea, between the southernmost end of the Liaodong Peninsula and northernmost end of the Shandong Peninsula, is the Bohai Strait (渤海海峡). A few of the rivers entering the gulf include the Yellow, Hai, Liao, and Luan Rivers. There are a few important oil reserves in the vicinity of the gulf, including the Shengli Field. Important island groups or islands in the gulf include the Changshan Islands (长山列岛), Changxing Island, and Xizhong Island (西中岛). The PRC provincial-level divisions that have a Bohai Sea coastline are, from the south, going clockwise: Shandong Province, Hebei Province, Tianjin Municipality, and Liaoning Province
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Bohol Sea
The Bohol Sea, also called the Mindanao Sea, is located between Visayas and Mindanao in the Philippines. It lies south of Bohol and Leyte and north of Mindanao. Siquijor and Camiguin are its two major islands.
The major cities on the sea are Cagayan de Oro City, Iligan City, Butuan City, Dumaguete City, Ozamis City, and Tagbilaran City.
The sea connects to the Philippine Sea through the Surigao Strait, to the Camotes Sea through the Canigao Channel and Cebu Strait, and to the Sulu Sea through the strait between Negros Island and Zamboanga Peninsula.
The Bohol Sea is home to a large variety of premier scuba diving locations, dive charter boats, and hotels that cater to divers. Around the area of Tagbilaran and Balicasag Island there are numerous wall dives that range from 30 to 100 feet. Water temperatures are very warm and most divers use a standard 3/2 shorty wetsuit to dive the location.
Sea life is abundant and includes such attractions as clownfish, lionfish[disambiguation needed
], barracuda, dolphins, huge coral formations, and other common tropical sealife.
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Bothnian Bay
The Bothnian Bay or Bay of Bothnia (Swedish: Bottenviken, Finnish: Perämeri) is the northernmost part of the Gulf of Bothnia, the northern part of the Baltic Sea. Its northernmost point is situated in Töre. The bay is bounded by Finland to the east, Sweden to the west, and the Kvarken sound to the south.
Major ports on the Finnish side are the ports in Oulu, Kemi and Raahe.
The maximum depth of the bay is 482 feet (147 m).
The bay has the highest rate of rising of land by post-glacial rebound in the Baltic Sea with an estimated 9 mms a year, this being the area in Northern Europe where the glacier was at its thickest. Today the Bothnian Bay lies around 300 meters higher than it did at the end of the Ice age. Ancient coastlines can be seen at much higher sites than today's sealevel.
Coordinates: 65°0′N 23°0′E / 65°N 23°E / 65; 23
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Camotes Sea
The Camotes Sea is a small sea within the Philippine archipelago, between the Eastern Visayas and the Central Visayas. It is bordered by the islands of Leyte to the north and east, Bohol to the south, and Cebu to the west. The sea is connected to the Visayan Sea to the northwest, and to the Bohol Sea to the south by the Canigao Channel and Cebu Strait. It contains the Camotes Islands and Mactan Island.
The major cities of the area are Ormoc City and Baybay in Leyte province, and Cebu City, Cebu.
Coordinates: 10°30′N 124°20′E / 10.5°N 124.333°E / 10.5; 124.333
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Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles.
The entire area of the Caribbean Sea, the numerous islands of the West Indies, and adjacent coasts, are collectively known as the Caribbean. The Caribbean Sea is one of the largest salt water seas and has an area of about 2,754,000 km² (1,063,000 sq. mi.). The sea's deepest point is the Cayman Trough, between the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, at 7,686 m (25,220 ft) below sea level. The Caribbean coastline has many gulfs and bays: the Gulf of Gonâve, Gulf of Venezuela, Gulf of Darién, Golfo de los Mosquitos, Gulf of Paria and Gulf of Honduras.
The name "Caribbean" is derived from the Caribs, one of the dominant American Indian groups in the region at the time of European contact during the late 15th century. After the discovery of the West Indies by Christopher Columbus in 1492, the Spanish term Antillas was assigned to the lands; stemming from this, "Sea of the Antilles" is a common alternative name for the Caribbean Sea in various European languages. During the first century of development, the Spanish dominance was undisputed.
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Celebes Sea
The Celebes Sea (Indonesian: Laut Sulawesi) of the western Pacific Ocean is bordered on the north by the Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea and Mindanao Island of the Philippines, on the east by the Sangihe Islands chain, on the south by Sulawesi, and on the west by Kalimantan in Indonesia. It extends 420 miles (675 km) north-south by 520 miles (837 km) east-west and has a total surface area of 110,000 square miles (280,000 km2), to a maximum depth of 20,300 feet (6,200 m). The sea opens southwest through the Makassar Strait into the Java Sea.
The Celebes Sea is a piece of an ancient ocean basin that formed 42 million years ago in a locale removed from any landmass. By 20,000,000 years ago, earth crust movement had moved the basin close enough to the Indonesian and Philippine volcanoes to receive emitted debris. By 10 million years ago the Celebes Sea was inundated with continental debris, including coal, which was shed from a growing young mountain on Borneo and the basin had docked against Eurasia.
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Ceram Sea
The Ceram Sea or Seram Sea (Indonesian = Laut Seram) is one of several small seas between the scattered islands of Indonesia. It is a section of the Pacific Ocean with an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometers located between Buru and Seram, which are two of the islands once called the South Moluccas. These islands are the native habitat of plants long coveted for their use as spices, such as nutmeg, cloves, and black peppercorns, and the seas surrounding them were busy shipping routes. The Ceram Sea is also the habitat of several species of tropical goby and many other fish. Like many other small Indonesian seas, the Ceram Sea is rocky and very tectonically active.
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) defines the Ceram Sea as being one of the waters of the East Indian Archipelago. The IHO defines its limits as follows:
On the North and Northeast. A line from Tanjong Dehekolano, the Eastern extreme of the Soela [Sula] Islands to the Western extreme of Obi Major, along its Southern coast to Tanjong Seranmaloleo its Eastern extreme, thence through Tobalai, Kekek, Pisang and Kofiau Islands to Tanjong Sele (1°26′S 130°55′E / 1.433°S 130.917°E / -1.433; 130.917), the Western point of New Guinea, down the coast to Karoefa (3°51.5′S 133°27′E / 3.8583°S 133.45°E / -3.8583; 133.45).
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Chilean Sea
Coordinates: 23°00′S 70°45′W / 23°S 70.75°W / -23; -70.75
The Chilean Sea is the portion of the Pacific Ocean lying west of the Chilean mainland. The official Chilean usage for Chilean Sea was defined on May 30 of 1974 when the Diario oficial de la Republica de Chile published Supreme Decree #346, which declared that "the waters surrounding or touching the shores of the national territory shall be known as Mar Chileno.[citation needed]
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Cooperation Sea
Cooperation Sea, also called Commonwealth Sea or Sodruzhestva Sea, is a sea of the Southern Ocean, between Enderby Land (the eastern limit of which is 59°34'E) and West Ice Shelf (85°E), off the coast of MacRobertson Land and Princess Elizabeth Land. It stretches over an area of 258,000 km².
Davis Station is located on the coast of Cooperation Sea.
To the east of Cooperation Sea is Davis Sea, to the west is Cosmonauts Sea.
Coordinates: 65°00′S 72°00′E / 65°S 72°E / -65; 72
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Coral Sea
Coordinates: 18°S 158°E / 18°S 158°E / -18; 158
The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu (formerly the New Hebrides) and by New Caledonia, and in the northeast approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands. In the northwest, it reaches to the south coast of eastern New Guinea, thereby including the Gulf of Papua. It merges with the Tasman Sea in the south, with the Solomon Sea in the north and with the Pacific Ocean in the east. On the west, it is bounded by the mainland coast of Queensland, and in the northwest, it connects with the Arafura Sea through the Torres Strait.
The sea is characterised by its warm and stable climate, with frequent rains and tropical cyclones. It contains numerous islands and reefs, as well as the world's largest reef system, the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1981. All previous oil exploration projects were terminated at the GBR in 1975, and fishing is restricted in many areas. The reefs and islands of the Coral Sea are particularly rich in birds and aquatic life and are a popular tourist destination, both nationally and internationally.
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Cosmonauts Sea
Cosmonauts Sea, sometimes misspelled Cosmonaut Sea, is a sea of the Southern Ocean, off Prince Olav Coast and Enderby Land, Antarctica, between about 30°E and 50°E. It has an area of 699,000 km².
To the east of Cosmonauts Sea is Cooperation Sea, to the west is Riiser-Larsen Sea.
Coordinates: 65°00′S 45°00′E / 65°S 45°E / -65; 45
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D'Urville Sea
D'Urville Sea is a sea of the Southern Ocean, north of the coast of Adélie Land, East Antarctica. It is named after the French explorer and officer Jules Dumont d'Urville.
Coordinates: 65°00′S 140°00′E / 65°S 140°E / -65; 140
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Dahab
Dahab (دهب) is a small town situated on the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. Formerly a Bedouin fishing village, located approximately 80 km (50 mi) northeast of Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab is considered to be one of the Sinai's most treasured diving destinations. Following the Six Day War, the town was occupied by Israel and was known in Hebrew as Di-Zahav; named after a place mentioned in the Bible as one of the stations for the Israelites during the Exodus from Egypt. The Sinai Peninsula was restored to Egyptian rule in the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty in 1982. The arrival of international hotel chains and the establishment of other ancillary facilities has since made the town a popular destination with tourists. Dahab is served by Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport. Masbat (within Dahab) is a popular diving destination, meaning that there are many (50+) dive centers located within Dahab.
Dahab can be divided into three major parts. Masbat, which includes the bedouin village Asalah, is in the north. South of Masbat is Mashraba, which is more touristic and has considerably more hotels. In the southwest is Medina which includes the Laguna area, famous for its excellent shallow-water windsurfing.
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Damascus
Damascus (Arabic: دِمَشق / ALA-LC: Dimashq; commonly known in Syria as al-Sham (Arabic: الشام / al-Shām), and as the City of Jasmine (Arabic: مدينة الياسمين / Madīnat al-Yāsmīn), is the capital and the second largest city of Syria. Both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major cultural and religious center of the Levant. The city has an estimated population of 1,711,000 (2009 est.).
Located in southwestern Syria, Damascus is the center of a large metropolitan area of 2.6 million people (2004). Geographically embedded on the eastern foothills of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range 80 kilometres (50 mi) inland from the eastern shore of the Mediterranean on a plateau 680 metres (2,230 ft) above sea-level, Damascus experiences a semi-arid climate due to the rain shadow effect. The Barada River flows through Damascus.
First settled in the 2nd millennium BC, it was chosen as the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate from 661 to 750. After the victory of the Abbasid dynasty, the seat of Islamic power was moved to Baghdad. Damascus saw a political decline throughout the Abbasid era, only to regain significant importance in the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods. During Ottoman rule, the city decayed completely while maintaining a certain cultural prestige. Today, it is the seat of the central government and all of the government ministries. Damascus was chosen as the 2008 Arab Capital of Culture.
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Davis Sea
Davis Sea is an area of the sea along the coast of East Antarctica between West Ice Shelf in the west and the Shackleton Ice Shelf in the east, or between 82° and 96°E. East of it is Mawson Sea, and in the west is Cooperation Sea.
According to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, it stretches from 87°E to 98°E, and is up to 1,300 metres deep. Its area is given as only 21,000 km.
It washes the coast of Princess Elizabeth Land (there only Leopold and Astrid Coast), Kaiser Wilhelm II Land, and Queen Mary Land, all sectors of the Australian Antarctic Territory.
About 55 km off the coast of Queen Mary Land is Drygalski Island. Russian Mirny Station was built on the coast of Queen Mary Land in 1956. Roscoe Glacier flows into the eastern part of Davis Sea. Close offshore are Bigelow Rock and the Gillies Islands.
Discovered by Australian Antarctic Expedition (1911–14) from the Aurora. Named by Sir Douglas Mawson for Captain J.K. Davis, master of the Aurora and second in command of the expedition.
Coordinates: 66°S 92°E / 66°S 92°E / -66; 92
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Denmark Strait
The Denmark Strait or Greenland Strait (Danish: Danmarksstrædet, Icelandic: Grænlandssund, the latter meaning Greenland Sound) is an oceanic strait between Greenland (to its northwest) and Iceland (to its southeast). The Norwegian island of Jan Mayen lies northeast of the strait.
It connects the Greenland Sea, an extension of the Arctic Ocean, to the Irminger Sea, a part of the Atlantic Ocean, and is 300 miles (480 km) long and 180 miles (290 km) miles wide at its narrowest, from Straumnes, the northwestern headland of the north west Icelandic peninsula of Hornstrandir, und Cape Tupinier on Blosseville Coast in East Greenland). The official IHO delineation between the Arctic and the North Atlantic Oceans, however, runs from Straumness to Cape Nansen, which is 132 km (82 miles) southwest of Cape Tunipier. From Straumnes to Cape Nansen the distance is 336 km (209 miles).
The narrow depth, where the Greenland-Iceland Rise runs on the bottom of the sea, is 625 feet (191 m). The cold East Greenland Current passes through the strait and carries icebergs south into the north Atlantic Ocean. It hosts important fishing grounds.
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Egypt
Egypt
i/ˈiːdʒɪpt/ (Arabic: مصر, Miṣr, Egyptian Arabic: [mɑsˤɾ] ; Coptic: Ⲭⲏⲙⲓ, Kīmi ; Sahidic Coptic: ⲕⲏⲙⲉ, Kēme), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: جمهوريّة مصر العربيّة (help·info), is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world. Covering an area of about 1,010,000 square kilometers (390,000 sq mi), Egypt is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west.
Egypt is one of the most populous countries in Africa and the Middle East. The great majority of its over 81 million people live near the banks of the Nile River, in an area of about 40,000 square kilometers (15,000 sq mi), where the only arable land is found. The large areas of the Sahara Desert are sparsely inhabited. About half of Egypt's residents live in urban areas, with most spread across the densely populated centres of greater Cairo, Alexandria and other major cities in the Nile Delta.
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Eilat
Eilat (Hebrew: אֵילַת, Arabic: إيلات (audio) (help·info)) is Israel's southernmost city, a busy port as well as a popular resort, located at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on the Gulf of Aqaba. Home to 46,600 people, the city is part of the Southern Negev Desert, at the southern end of the Arava. The city is adjacent to the Egyptian village of Taba to the south, the Jordanian port city of Aqaba to the east, and within sight of Saudi Arabia to the south-east, across the gulf. Eilat's arid desert climate and low humidity is moderated by proximity to a warm sea. Temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F) in summer, and 21 °C (70 °F) in winter, while water temperatures range between 20 and 26 °C (68 and 79 °F). Eilat averages up to 360 sunny days a year. The city's beaches, nightlife and desert landscapes make it a popular destination for domestic and international tourism.
The geology and landscape are varied: igneous and metamorphic rocks, sandstone and limestone; mountains up to 892 metres (2,927 ft) above sea level; broad valleys such as the Arava, and seashore on the Gulf of Aqaba. With an annual average rainfall of 28 millimetres (1.1 in) and summer temperatures of 40 °C (104 °F) and higher, water resources and vegetation are limited. "The main elements that influenced the region's history were the copper resources and other minerals, the ancient international roads that crossed the area, and its geopolitical and strategic position. These resulted in a settlement density that defies the environmental conditions."
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Elat
Eilat (Hebrew: אֵילַת, Arabic: إيلات (audio) (help·info)) is Israel's southernmost city, a busy port as well as a popular resort, located at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on the Gulf of Aqaba. Home to 46,600 people, the city is part of the Southern Negev Desert, at the southern end of the Arava. The city is adjacent to the Egyptian village of Taba to the south, the Jordanian port city of Aqaba to the east, and within sight of Saudi Arabia to the south-east, across the gulf. Eilat's arid desert climate and low humidity is moderated by proximity to a warm sea. Temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F) in summer, and 21 °C (70 °F) in winter, while water temperatures range between 20 and 26 °C (68 and 79 °F). Eilat averages up to 360 sunny days a year. The city's beaches, nightlife and desert landscapes make it a popular destination for domestic and international tourism.
The geology and landscape are varied: igneous and metamorphic rocks, sandstone and limestone; mountains up to 892 metres (2,927 ft) above sea level; broad valleys such as the Arava, and seashore on the Gulf of Aqaba. With an annual average rainfall of 28 millimetres (1.1 in) and summer temperatures of 40 °C (104 °F) and higher, water resources and vegetation are limited. "The main elements that influenced the region's history were the copper resources and other minerals, the ancient international roads that crossed the area, and its geopolitical and strategic position. These resulted in a settlement density that defies the environmental conditions."
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English Channel
The English Channel (French: la Manche, Breton: Mor Breizh, Cornish: Mor Bretannek), often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about 560 km (350 mi) long and varies in width from 240 km (150 mi) at its widest to 34 km (21 mi) in the Strait of Dover. It is the smallest of the shallow seas around the continental shelf of Europe, covering an area of some 75,000 km2 (29,000 sq mi).
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the English Channel as follows:
On the West. A line joining Isle Vierge (48°38′23″N 4°34′13″W / 48.63972°N 4.57028°W / 48.63972; -4.57028) to Lands End (50°04′N 5°43′W / 50.067°N 5.717°W / 50.067; -5.717).
On the East. The Southwestern limit of the North Sea.
The IHO defines the southwestern limit of the North Sea as "a line joining the Walde Lighthouse (France, 1°55'E) and Leathercoat Point (England, 51°10'N)". The Walde Lighthouse is 6 km east of Calais (50°59′06″N 1°55′00″E / 50.985°N 1.9166667°E / 50.985; 1.9166667), and Leathercoat Point is at the north end of St Margaret's Bay, Kent (51°10′00″N 1°24′00″E / 51.1666667°N 1.4°E / 51.1666667; 1.4).
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Flores Sea
The Flores Sea covers 93,000 square miles (240,000 square kilometres) of water in Indonesia.
The seas that border the Flores Sea are the Bali Sea (to the west), Java Sea (to the northwest), and the Banda Sea (to the east and northeast).
The Indian Ocean and Savu Sea lie to the south, but are separated from the Flores Sea by various Islands.
Islands that border this sea are the Lesser Sunda Islands and Celebes (Sulawesi).
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) defines the Flores Sea as being one of the waters of the East Indian Archipelago. The IHO defines its limits as follows:
On the North. The South coast of Celedes [sic] [Sulawesi] from the West point of Laikang Bay (5°37′S 119°30′E / 5.617°S 119.5°E / -5.617; 119.5) to Tanjong Lassa (120°28'E).
On the East. The Western limit of the Banda Sea between Flores and Celebes [a line from Flores' Northern point (8°04′S 122°52′E / 8.067°S 122.867°E / -8.067; 122.867) to Kalaotoa Island (7°24′S 121°52′E / 7.4°S 121.867°E / -7.4; 121.867) and through the chain of islands lying between it and the South point of Pulo Salayar, through this island and across the Strait to Tanjong Lassa, Celebes (5°37′S 120°28′E / 5.617°S 120.467°E / -5.617; 120.467)].
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Fram Strait
The Fram Strait is a passage from the Arctic Ocean to the Greenland Sea and Norwegian Sea, between Greenland and Spitsbergen. It is named after the Norwegian ship Fram. The Fram Strait is the major connection between the Arctic Ocean and the world ocean.
The Fram strait plays a central role in whether the north ice cap will survive future summers. Most of the ice pack appears over the winter, freezing up to 1 m deep, but then melts back to open water by August. The area covered by multi-year ice, however, is thought to have remained relatively stable, an equilibrium between creation (first-year ice that persists into its second winter, becoming multi-year ice) and destruction (flow of sea ice through the Fram Strait and southward along the eastern coast of Greenland). Approximately 90% of sea ice exported from the Arctic is transported by the Eastern Greenland Current, joining the current as it passes through the Fram Strait.
The amount of sea ice passing through the Fram Strait varies from year to year, as seen in this animation.
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Greenland Sea
The Greenland Sea is a body of water that borders Greenland to the west, the Svalbard archipelago to the east, Fram Strait and the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Norwegian Sea and Iceland to the south. The Greenland Sea is often defined as part of the Arctic Ocean, sometimes as part of the Atlantic Ocean. However, definitions of the Arctic Ocean and its seas tend to be imprecise or arbitrary. In general usage the term "Arctic Ocean" would exclude the Greenland Sea. In oceanographic studies the Greenland Sea is considered part of the Nordic Seas, along with the Norwegian Sea and Iceland Sea. The Nordic Seas are the main connection between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans and, as such, could be of great significance in a possible shutdown of thermohaline circulation. In oceanography the Arctic Ocean and Nordic Seas are often referred to collectively as the "Arctic Mediterranean Sea", a marginal sea of the Atlantic.
The sea has Arctic climate with regular northern winds and temperatures rarely rising above 0 °C. It previously contained the Odden ice tongue (or Odden) area, which extended eastward from the main East Greenland ice edge in the vicinity of 72–74°N during the winter and acted as a key winter ice formation area in the Arctic. The West Ice forms in winter in the Greenland Sea, north of Iceland, between Greenland and Jan Mayen island. It is a major breeding ground of harp seal and hooded seal that has been used for seal hunting for more than 200 years.
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Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden (Arabic: خليج عدن Ḫalīǧ ʻAdan, Somali: Gacanka Cadmeed) is a gulf located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen, on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and Somalia in the Horn of Africa. In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which is about 20 miles wide.
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. The gulf is known by the nickname "Pirate Alley" due to the large amount of pirate activity in the area.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Gulf of Aden as follows:
On the Northwest. The Southern limit of the Red Sea [A line joining Husn Murad (12°40′N 43°30′E / 12.667°N 43.5°E / 12.667; 43.5) and Ras Siyan (12°29′N 43°20′E / 12.483°N 43.333°E / 12.483; 43.333)].
On the East. The meridian of Cape Guardafui (Ras Asir, 51°16'E).
The temperature of the Gulf of Aden varies between 15 °C (59 °F) and 28 °C (82 °F), depending on the season and the appearance of 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, while the oxygen content in the Gulf of Aden at the same depth is typically between 4.0 and 5.0 mg/L.
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Gulf of Alaska
The Gulf of Alaska is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the east, where Glacier Bay and the Inside Passage are found.
The entire shoreline of the Gulf is a rugged combination of forest, mountain, and a number of tidewater glaciers. Alaska's largest glaciers, the Malaspina Glacier and Bering Glacier spill out onto the coastal plain along the Gulf of Alaska. The coast is also heavily indented, with Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound the two largest connected bodies of water, but also including Yakutat Bay and Cross Sound. Lituya Bay is the site of the largest recorded tsunami in history and is a popular sheltered anchorage for fishing boats.
The Gulf of Alaska is considered a Class I, highly productive ecosystem (more than 300 grams of carbon per square meter per year).
Meteorologically, the Gulf is a great generator of storms. In addition to dumping vast quantities of snow and ice on southern Alaska, resulting in some of the largest concentrations south of the Arctic Circle, many of the storms move south along the coasts of British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and as far south as Southern California (primarily during El Nino events). Much of the seasonal rainfall and snowfall in the Pacific Northwest and Southwestern United States comes from the Gulf of Alaska.
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Gulf of Aqaba
The Gulf of Aqaba (Arabic: خليج العقبة; transliterated: Khalyj al-'Aqabah) is a large gulf located at the northern tip of the Red Sea, east of the Sinai Peninsula and west of the Arabian mainland. Its coastline is divided between four countries: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. In Israel, it is often referred to as the Gulf of Eilat, after Eilat, the predominant Israeli city at its northern end (Hebrew: מפרץ אילת, transliterated: Mifratz Eilat).
The Gulf is located to the east of the Sinai Peninsula and west of the Arabian mainland. This and the Gulf of Suez are the two gulfs extending from the northern portion of the Red Sea; the Gulf of Aqaba is east of the Gulf of Suez. Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia all have coastlines on the Gulf. It reaches a maximum depth of 1,850 m in its central area (the Gulf of Suez is significantly wider but less than 100 m deep).
The Gulf of Aqaba measures 24 kilometres (15 mi) at its widest point and stretches some 160 kilometres (99 mi) north from the Straits of Tiran to a point where the border of Israel meets the borders of Egypt and Jordan.
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Gulf of Boothia
The Gulf of Boothia is a body of water in Nunavut, Canada, the western side being within Kitikmeot Region while the eastern side is in Qikiqtaaluk Region. It is situated between Baffin Island and the Boothia Peninsula. It is bounded by the Melville Peninsula and the Canadian mainland to the south; to the north it leads into Prince Regent Inlet and Lancaster Sound.
It was named by the Scottish explorer John Ross for Englishman Sir Felix Booth, the patron of his second expedition in search of the Northwest Passage.
Coordinates: 70°40′N 91°00′W / 70.667°N 91°W / 70.667; -91 (Gulf of Boothia)
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Gulf of Bothnia
The Gulf of Bothnia (Finnish: Pohjanlahti; Swedish: Bottniska viken, i.e. Bottenviken + Bottenhavet) is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It is situated between Finland's west coast and Sweden's east coast. In the south of the gulf lie the Åland Islands, between the Sea of Åland and the Archipelago Sea.
Bothnia is a Latinization. "Botten" in the Swedish name "Bottenviken" originally meant "gulf" or "bay" ; hence "Bottenviken" means "the Gulf-gulf".
The name botn was applied to the Gulf of Bothnia as Helsingjabotn in Old Norse, after Hälsingland, which at the time referred to the coastland west of the gulf. Later, botten was applied to the regions Västerbotten on the western side and Österbotten the eastern side ("East Bottom" and "West Bottom"). The Finnish name of Österbotten, Pohjanmaa, or "Pohja"-land, gives a hint as to the meaning in both languages: pohja means both "bottom" and "north."[citation needed]
Botn/botten is cognate with the English word bottom, and it might be part of a general north European distinction of lowlands, as opposed to highlands, such as the Netherlandic region, Samogitia (Lithuanian), and Sambia (Russia).[clarification needed][citation needed]
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Gulf of California
Coordinates: 28°0′N 112°0′W / 28°N 112°W / 28; -112
The Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of Cortez or Sea of Cortés or Vermilion Sea; locally known in the Spanish language as Mar de Cortés or Mar Bermejo or Golfo de California) is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland. It is bordered by the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, and Sinaloa with a coastline of approximately 4,000 km (2,500 mi). Rivers which flow into the Gulf of California include the Colorado, Fuerte, Mayo, Sinaloa, Sonora, and the Yaqui. The gulf's surface area is about 160,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi).
The Gulf is thought to be one of the most diverse seas on the planet, and is home to more than 5,000 species of macro-invertebrates. Home to over a million people, Baja California is one of the longest peninsulas in the world, second only to the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia. The Gulf of California is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the southern limit of the Gulf of California as: "A line joining Piastla Point (23°38'N) in Mexico, and the Southern extreme of Lower California".
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Gulf of Fonseca
The Gulf of Fonseca (Spanish: Golfo de Fonseca), part of the Pacific Ocean, a gulf in Central America, bordering El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Fonseca Bay was discovered in 1522 by Gil Gonzalez de Avila, and named by him after his patron, Archbishop Juan Fonseca, the implacable enemy of Columbus[citation needed].
In 1849, E. G. Squier negotiated a treaty for the United States to build a canal across Honduras from the Caribbean Sea to the Gulf. Frederick Chatfield, the British commander in Central America, was afraid that American presence in Honduras would destabilize the British Mosquito Coast, and sent his fleet to occupy El Tigre Island at the entrance to the Gulf. Shortly thereafter, however, Squier demanded the British leave, since he had anticipated the occupation and negotiated the island's temporary cession to the United States. Chatfield could only comply.
All three countries—Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua—with coastline along the Gulf have been involved in a lengthy dispute over the rights to the Gulf and the islands located within. In 1992, a chamber of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) decided the Land, Island and Maritime Frontier Dispute, of which the Gulf dispute was a part. The ICJ determined that El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua were to share control of the Gulf of Fonseca. El Salvador was awarded the islands of Meanguera and Meanguerita, while Honduras was awarded El Tigre island.
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Gulf of Guinea
Coordinates: 1°0′N 4°0′E / 1°N 4°E / 1; 4
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian (zero degrees latitude and longitude) is in the gulf.
Among the many rivers that drain into the Gulf of Guinea are the Niger and the Volta. The coastline on the gulf includes the Bight of Benin and the Bight of Bonny.
The Niger River in particular deposited organic sediments out to sea over millions of years which became crude oil.[citation needed] The Gulf of Guinea region, along with the Congo River delta and Angola further south, are expected to provide around a quarter of the United States' oil imports by 2015.[citation needed] This region is now regarded as one of the world's top oil and gas exploration hotspots.[citation needed]
The origin of the name Guinea is thought to be an area in the region, although the specifics are disputed. Bovill (1995) gives a thorough description:
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Gulf of Khambhat
The Gulf of Khambhat (formerly known as the Gulf of Cambay) is an inlet of the Arabian Sea along the west coast of India, in the state of Gujarat. It is about 80 miles in length, and divides the Kathiawar peninsula to the west from the eastern part of Gujarat state on the east.
The Narmada and Tapti rivers empty into the Gulf. The Gulf is shallow and abounds in shoals and sandbanks including the Mal Bank at the river mouths and the Malacca Banks at the gulf's entrance to the Arabian Sea. The Gulf is known for its extreme tides, which vary greatly in height and run into it with amazing speed. At low tide the bottom is left nearly dry for some distance below the town of Khambhat.
The Alang Ship Recycling Yard takes advantage of the extreme high tides of the gulf. Large ships are beached during the twice-monthly highest tides, and are dismantled when the tide recedes.
The Gulf of Khambhat has been an important centre of trade since ancient times; its ports connect central India to the maritime trade routes of the Indian Ocean. Bharuch (Broach), Surat, Khambhat, Bhavnagar, and Daman are historically important seaports. Bharuch has been important since ancient times; Khambhat was the gulf's chief port in the Middle Ages, but after the silting of its harbour, Surat rose to prominence as the most important harbour of the Mughal empire.
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Gulf of Kutch
The Gulf of Kutch is an inlet of the Arabian Sea along the west coast of India, in the state of Gujarat, and renowned for extreme daily tides [1].
The maximum depth of Gulf of Kutch is 401 feet (122 m).
It is about 99 miles in length, and divides Kutch and the Kathiawar peninsula regions of Gujarat. The Rukmavati River empties into the Arabian Sea nearby.
Coordinates: 22°36′N 69°30′E / 22.6°N 69.5°E / 22.6; 69.5
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Gulf of Lion
The Gulf of Lion (French: golfe du Lion, Spanish: golfo de León, Occitan: golf del/dau Leon, Catalan: golf del Lleó, Medieval Latin: sinus Leonis, mare Leonis, Classical Latin: sinus Gallicus) is a wide embayment of the Mediterranean coastline of Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence in France, reaching from the border with Catalonia in the west to Toulon.
The chief port on the gulf is Marseille. Toulon is another important port. The fishing industry in the gulf is based on hake (Merluccius merluccius), being bottom-trawled, long-lined and gill-netted and currently declining from over-fishing.
Rivers that empty into the gulf include the Tech, Têt, Aude, Orb, Hérault, Vidourle, and the Rhône.
The continental shelf is exposed here as a wide coastal plain, and the offshore terrain slopes rapidly to the Mediterranean's abyssal plain. Much of the coastline is composed of lagoons and salt marsh.
This is the area of the famous cold, blustery winds called the Mistral and the Tramontane.
The current name of the Gulf appeared at least during the 13th century (in medieval Latin sinus Leonis, mare Leonis) and could come from comparison with a lion: it would simply suggest that this part of the sea is as dangerous as a lion because it has very violent, surprising winds that threaten boats (sailors and fishermen know these dangers very well). This comparison with a lion is suggested by various converging sources: Deroy and Mulon's dictionary of French place names, Mistral's comprehensive Occitan dictionary, Diderot and D'Alembert's famous French encyclopedia and several texts in Latin since the 13th century.
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Gulf of Maine
The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America.
It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast. It includes the entire coastlines of the U.S. states of New Hampshire and Maine, as well as Massachusetts north of Cape Cod, and the southern and western coastlines of the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia respectively.
Both Massachusetts Bay and the Bay of Fundy are included within the Gulf of Maine system. As such, the Gulf of Maine is also home to the highest tidal variations on the planet (see Bay of Fundy for further information).
The coastline of the Gulf of Maine is predominantly rocky and scenic; the only significant coastal developments are located in the Boston, Portsmouth, Portland and Saint John metropolitan areas. The effects of glaciation are responsible for stripping sedimentary soil away from the coastline, therefore the gulf lacks the sandy beaches found to the south along the Eastern Seaboard. The underwater features of the seabed sculptured during the lower sea levels of the ice ages make the gulf a semi-enclosed sea bounded to the south and east by underwater banks. Georges Bank in particular, on its southern end, protects the Gulf of Maine waters from the Gulf Stream. Gulf of Maine waters are more strongly influenced by the Labrador Current, making the gulf waters significantly colder and more nutrient-rich than those found to the south. Undersea valleys in the central basin can reach depths of 1,500 feet (500 m) while undersea mountains rise up 800 feet (266 m) from the sea floor, almost reaching the surface in some locations, or even exceeding it, creating islands.
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Gulf of Oman
The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman (Arabic: خليج عُمان—Ḫalīdj ʾUmān; alternatively known as خليج مکران—, Ḫalīdj Makrān; in Persian: دریای عمان Daryā-ye Ommān, or دریای پارس Daryā-ye Pārs) is a strait (and not an actual gulf) that connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, which then runs to the Persian Gulf. It is generally included as a branch of the Persian Gulf, not as an arm of the Arabian Sea. The gulf borders Pakistan and Iran on the north, Oman on the south, and the United Arab Emirates on the west.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Gulf of Oman as follows:
On the Northwest. A line joining Ràs Limah (25°57'N) on the coast of Arabia and Ràs al Kuh (25°48'N) on the coast of Iran (Persia)
On the Southeast. The Northern limit of the Arabian Sea [A line joining Ràs al Hadd, East point of Arabia (22°32'N) and Ràs Jiyùni (61°43'E) on the coast of Pakistan].
Coordinates: 25°N 58°E / 25°N 58°E / 25; 58
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Gulf of Thailand
The Gulf of Thailand (Thai: อ่าวไทย, RTGS: Ao Thai, Thai pronunciation: [ʔàːw tʰaj]), also known to Malays as Teluk Siam, literally meaning Gulf of Siam, and Boeung Tonle Siem in Khmer is a shallow arm of the South China Sea.
The Gulf of Thailand is bordered by Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. The northern tip of the gulf is the Bay of Bangkok at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River. The gulf covers roughly 320,000 km². The boundary of the gulf is defined by the line from Cape Bai Bung in southern Vietnam (just south of the mouth of the Mekong river) to the city Kota Baru on the Malaysian coast. At the height of the last ice age the Gulf of Thailand did not exist, due to the lower sea level, the location being part of the Chao Phraya river valley.
The Gulf of Thailand is relatively shallow: its mean depth is 45 m, and the maximum depth only 80 m. This makes water exchange slow, and the strong water inflow from the rivers make the Gulf low in salinity (3.05-3.25%) and rich in sediments. Only at the greater depths does water with a higher salinity (3.4%) flow into the gulf from the South China sea and fills the central depression below a depth of 50 m. The main rivers which empty into the gulf are the Chao Phraya (including its distributary Tha Chin River), Mae Klong and Bang Pakong Rivers at the Bay of Bangkok, and to a lesser degree the Tapi River into Bandon Bay in the southwest of the gulf.
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Gulf of Tonkin
The Gulf of Tonkin (Vietnamese: Vịnh Bắc Bộ, simplified Chinese: 北部湾; traditional Chinese: 北部灣; pinyin: Běibù Wān) is a body of water located off of northern Vietnam and southern China. It is a northern arm of the South China Sea. The Gulf is defined in the west by the northern coastline of Vietnam, in the north by China's Guangxi province, and to the east by China's Leizhou Peninsula and Hainan Island.
The bay's Vietnamese and Chinese names – Vịnh Bắc Bộ and Běibù Wān, respectively – both mean "Northern Bay". The name Tonkin, written "東京" in Hán tự characters and Đông Kinh in romanised Vietnamese, means "Eastern Capital", and is the former toponym for Hanoi, the present capital of Vietnam. Incidentally, the same Chinese characters – known as kanji when used in Japanese – are used to write "Tokyo"; "Gulf of Tonkin" is written identically to "Tokyo Bay" (東京灣/湾) in Japanese.
On 4 August 1964, United States President Lyndon B. Johnson erroneously claimed that North Vietnamese forces had twice attacked American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. Known today as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, this event spawned the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution of 7 August 1964, ultimately leading to open war between North Vietnam and the United States. It furthermore foreshadowed the major escalation of the Vietnam War in South Vietnam, which began with the landing of US regular combat troops at Da Nang in 1965.
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Gulf of Venezuela
Coordinates: 11°30′N 71°0′W / 11.5°N 71°W / 11.5; -71
The Gulf of Venezuela is a gulf of the Caribbean Sea bounded by the Venezuelan states of Zulia and Falcón and by Guajira Department, Colombia. A 54 km (34 mi) strait connects it with Maracaibo Lake to the south.
The Gulf is located in the north of South America, between Paraguaná Peninsula of the Falcón State in Venezuela and Guajira Peninsula in Colombia and is connected to Maracaibo Lake through an artificial navigation canal. There is currently a dispute between Colombia and Venezuela over the gulf that has not been resolved, despite the decades-long negotiations conducted by a bilateral commission.
It was discovered by westerners in 1499 when an expedition commanded by Alonso de Ojeda in which he was accompanied by Amerigo Vespucci, explored the Venezuelan coasts compiling information and naming the new lands, said expedition arrived to the gulf after passing through the Netherlands Antilles and the Peninsula of Paraguaná.
Territorial waters are also in dispute over the gulf. The border dispute surged after the independence of Colombia and Venezuela from Spain in the 19th Century. The Spanish empire did not delimit the area because the Wayuu indigenous group posed resistance in the area. The land boundary was finally settled in 1941, but not the maritime.
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Halmahera Sea
Halmahera Sea is a regional sea located in the central eastern part of the Australasian Mediterranean Sea. It is centered at about 1°S and 129°E and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the north, Halmahera to the west, Waigeo and Irian Jaya to the east, and the Seram Sea to the south. It covers about 95,000 km and its topography comprises a number of separate basins and ridges, the chief of which is the Halmahera Basin reaching a depth of 2039 m.
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) defines the Halmahera Sea as being one of the waters of the East Indian Archipelago. The IHO defines its limits as follows:
On the North A line from Wajaboela (Morotai) to Tg. Djodjefa, the Northern point of Halmahera.
On the East. A line from Tg. Gorango, the Northeastern point of Morotai Island, through Sajang and Kawé Islands to the Western extremes of Waigeo and Batanta Islands across to the Northwest point of Samawati Island, down the coast to Tg. Menonket its Southwest point, and thence to Tg. Sele, New Guinea (1°26′S 130°56′E / 1.433°S 130.933°E / -1.433; 130.933).
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Haql
Haql is a town in the northwest of Saudi Arabia near the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba, adjacent to Aqaba across the Jordanian border.
From Haql, the coasts of Egypt, Israel and Jordan can be seen.
Haql is not a port used for Red Sea shipping, and the relatively small Saudi population does not engage in water recreation. As a result the reefs in this area are pristine and populated with diverse flora and fauna. The coasts of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba in this region are scenic. There are views of the mountains of the Sinai Peninsula across the Gulf of Aqaba. Shipping is limited to oil tankers that carry oil for Jordan and cruise ships for tourists from Sharm Ash Shaikh (Egypt) and Aqaba (Jordan). It located 5km from Jordan border. Now it has become one of the most attractive cities to visit for diving sports and accommodation. The most two attractive factors are its climate and geographic location. The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA)added more than 4 attractive spots on Haql. Coordinates: 29°17′9.95″N 34°56′18.9″E / 29.2860972°N 34.938583°E / 29.2860972; 34.938583
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Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula (or, more generally, by southern and western Asia); on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, by Antarctica). The ocean is named after the geographic location of India.
As one component of the interconnected global ocean, the Indian Ocean is delineated from the Atlantic Ocean by the 20° east meridian running south from Cape Agulhas, and from the Pacific by the meridian of 146°55' east. The northernmost extent of the Indian Ocean is approximately 30° north in the Persian Gulf. This ocean is nearly 10,000 kilometres (6,200 mi) wide at the southern tips of Africa and Australia; its area is 73,556,000 square kilometres (28,350,000 sq mi), including the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.
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Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea (Greek: Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, Greek pronunciation: [iˈonio ˈpelaɣos], Italian: Mar Ionio, Italian pronunciation: [maɾ ˈjɔːnio], Albanian: Deti Jon), is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea. It is bounded by southern Italy including Calabria, Sicily and the Salento peninsula to the west, southern Albania to the north, and west coast of Greece.
All major islands in the sea belong to Greece. They are collectively referred to as the Ionian Islands, the major ones being Corfu, Zante, Kephalonia, Ithaka, and Lefkas.
There are ferry routes between Patras and Igoumenitsa, Greece, and Brindisi and Ancona, Italy, that cross the east and north of the Ionian Sea, and from Piraeus westward. Calypso Deep, the deepest point in the Mediterranean at −5,267 m (−17,280.2 ft), is located in the Ionian Sea, at 36°34′N 21°8′E / 36.567°N 21.133°E / 36.567; 21.133. The sea is one of the most seismically active areas in the world.
The name Ionian comes from Greek Ἰόνιον (πέλαγος). In Ancient Greek the adjective Ionios (Ἰόνιος) was used as an epithet for the sea because Io swam across it. Its etymology is unknown. Ancient Greek writers, especially Aeschylus, linked it to the myth of Io. There were also narratives about other eponymic legendary figures; according to one version, Ionius was a son of Adrias (eponymic for the Adriatic Sea); according to another, Ionius was a son of Dyrrhachus, eponymic for the ancient Greek city of Dyrrhachium (modern Durrës in Albania). When Dyrrhachus was attacked by his own brothers, Heracles, who was passing through the area, came to his aid, but in the fight the hero killed his ally's son by mistake. The corpse was cast into the sea, which thereafter was called the Ionian Sea.
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Irish Sea
The Irish Sea (Irish: Muir Éireann or Muir Meann,Scottish Gaelic: Muir Èireann or Muir Mhanainn,Manx: Mooir Vannin or Y Keayn Yernagh,Welsh: Môr Iwerddon, Scots: Erse Sea) separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man. The sea is occasionally, but rarely, referred to as the Manx Sea.
The sea is of significant economic importance to regional trade, shipping and transport, fishing, and power generation in the form of wind power and nuclear plants. Annual traffic between Great Britain and Ireland amounts to over 12 million passengers and 17 million tonnes of traded goods.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Irish Sea (with St George's Channel) as follows:
On the North. The Southern limit of the Scottish Seas [or Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland, defined as "a line joining the South extreme of the Mull of Galloway (54°38'N) in Scotland and Ballyquintin Point (54°20'N) in Ireland"].
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Irminger Sea
The Irminger Sea is a marginal sea of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is 480 km long and 290 km wide at its narrowest. The northern limit is the Greenland-Iceland Rise on the bottom of Denmark Strait between Iceland and East Greenland, which connects to Greenland Sea. To the southwest, it reaches to Cape Farvel, the southern tip of Greenland, and meets the Labrador Sea at this point. South of this point is the open North Atlantic Ocean. The sea floor of the Irminger Sea is largely part of the Irminger Basin, a north-eastern continuation of the maximally 4600 m deep Labrador Basin, which on the east is bordered by the Reykjanes Ridge. This delineation is oceanographic only and does not represent any official borders. The Irminger Sea is one of the main fishing areas of the Rose fish.
The Irminger Sea was named after Danish vice-admiral Carl Ludvig Christian Irminger (1802–1888), after whom also the Irminger Stream was named.
Coordinates: 62°N 35°W / 62°N 35°W / 62; -35
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Israel
Coordinates: 31°N 35°E / 31°N 35°E / 31; 35
Israel, officially the State of Israel ( /ˈɪzriːəl/ or /ˈɪzreɪəl/; Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, Medīnat Yisrā'el, IPA: [me̞diˈnät jisʁäˈʔe̞l] ( listen); Arabic: دَوْلَة إِسْرَائِيل, Dawlat Isrāʼīl, IPA: [dawlat ʔisraːˈʔiːl]), is a parliamentary republic in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan and the West Bank in the east, Egypt and the Gaza Strip on the southwest, and the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea to the south, and it contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area. Israel is defined as a Jewish and Democratic State in its Basic Laws and is the world's only Jewish-majority state.
Following the adoption of a resolution by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 29 November 1947 recommending the adoption and implementation of the United Nations plan to partition Palestine, on 14 May 1948 David Ben-Gurion, the Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization and president of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, declared the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel, to be known as the State of Israel, a state independent from the British Mandate for Palestine. Neighboring Arab states invaded the next day in support of the Palestinian Arabs. Israel has since fought several wars with neighboring Arab states, in the course of which it has occupied the West Bank, Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights. Portions of these territories, including east Jerusalem, have been annexed by Israel, but the border with the neighboring West Bank has not yet been permanently defined.[neutrality is disputed] Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, but efforts to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict have so far not resulted in peace.
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Java Sea
The Java Sea (Indonesian: Laut Jawa) is a large (320,000 km²) shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf. It was formed as sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age. The Java Sea lies between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south; Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east. Karimata Strait to its northwest, links it to the South China Sea.
Fishing is an important economic activity in the Java Sea. There are over 3,000 species of marine life in the area. A number of national parks exist in the area such as Karimunjawa. The Thousand Islands are located north of the mainland Jakarta. The area around the Java Sea is a popular tourist destination. Scuba diving offers a chance to explore and photograph underwater caverns, wrecks, coral, sponges, and other marine life.
The Battle of the Java Sea, during February and March 1942, was one of the costliest naval battles of World War II. The naval forces of the Netherlands, Britain, Australia, and the U.S. were nearly completely destroyed trying to defend Java from Japanese attack.
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Jordan
Jordan ( /ˈdʒɔr.dən/;Arabic: اَلأُرْدُنّ, Al-'Urdunn), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Arabic: اَلمَمْلَكَة اَلأُرْدُنِيَّة اَلهَاشِمِيَّة), Al-Mamlakah Al-Urdaniyyah Al-Hashimiyyah) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing control of the Dead Sea with the latter. Jordan's only port is at its south-western tip, at the Gulf of Aqaba, which is shared with Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Over half of Jordan is covered by the Arabian Desert. However, the western part of Jordan is arable land and forests. Jordan is part of the Fertile Crescent. The capital city is Amman. According to the CIA World Factbook, Jordan has the second highest life expectancy in the Middle East, after Israel. The average life expectancy is one position behind the United Kingdom, although the age remains exactly the same (80.05 years).
The precursor to modern Jordan was founded in 1921 as the Hashemite Emirate, and it was recognized by the League of Nations as a state under the British mandate in 1922 known as The Emirate of Transjordan. In 1946, Jordan became an independent sovereign state officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan. After capturing the West Bank area of Cisjordan during the 1948–49 war with Israel, Abdullah I took the title King of Jordan and Palestine, and he officially changed the country's name to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in April 1949.
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Jordan (country)
Jordan ( /ˈdʒɔr.dən/;Arabic: اَلأُرْدُنّ, Al-'Urdunn), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Arabic: اَلمَمْلَكَة اَلأُرْدُنِيَّة اَلهَاشِمِيَّة), Al-Mamlakah Al-Urdaniyyah Al-Hashimiyyah) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing control of the Dead Sea with the latter. Jordan's only port is at its south-western tip, at the Gulf of Aqaba, which is shared with Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Over half of Jordan is covered by the Arabian Desert. However, the western part of Jordan is arable land and forests. Jordan is part of the Fertile Crescent. The capital city is Amman. According to the CIA World Factbook, Jordan has the second highest life expectancy in the Middle East, after Israel. The average life expectancy is one position behind the United Kingdom, although the age remains exactly the same (80.05 years).
The precursor to modern Jordan was founded in 1921 as the Hashemite Emirate, and it was recognized by the League of Nations as a state under the British mandate in 1922 known as The Emirate of Transjordan. In 1946, Jordan became an independent sovereign state officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan. After capturing the West Bank area of Cisjordan during the 1948–49 war with Israel, Abdullah I took the title King of Jordan and Palestine, and he officially changed the country's name to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in April 1949.
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Kara Sea
Coordinates: 77°N 77°E / 77°N 77°E / 77; 77
The Kara Sea (Russian: Ка́рское мо́ре, Karskoe More) is part of the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia. It is separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. It is named for the Kara River (flowing into Baydaratskaya Bay), which is now relatively insignificant but which played an important role in the Russian conquest of northern Siberia.
The Kara Sea's northern limit is marked geographically by a line running from Cape Kohlsaat in Graham Bell Island, Franz Josef Land, to Cape Molotov (Arctic Cape), the northernmost point of Komsomolets Island in Severnaya Zemlya.
The Kara Sea is roughly 1,450 kilometres long and 970 kilometres wide with an area of around 880,000 km² and a mean depth of 110 metres (360 ft).
Compared to the Barents Sea, which receives relatively warm currents from the Atlantic, the Kara Sea is much colder, remaining frozen for over nine months a year.
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Kara Strait
Coordinates: 70°30′N 58°0′E / 70.5°N 58°E / 70.5; 58
The Kara Strait or Kara Gates (Russian: Пролив Карские Ворота; Proliv Karskiye Vorota) is a 56 km (35 mi) wide channel of water between the southern end of Novaya Zemlya and the northern tip of Vaygach Island. This strait connects the Kara Sea and the Barents Sea in northern Russia.
The Kara Strait was an important waterway in the early exploration of the Northern Sea Route.
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King Haakon VII Sea
Coordinates: 67°00′S 20°00′E / 67°S 20°E / -67; 20
King Haakon VII Sea (Norwegian: Kong Haakon VII Hav) is an arm of the Southern Ocean on the coast of East Antarctica.
From the international point of view, King Haakon VII Sea lies between Weddell Sea and Lazarev Sea, and thus stretches only along Kronprinsesse Märtha Kyst from Cape Norvegia at 12°18'W, the easternmost point of the Weddell Sea, to Fimbul Ice Shelf close to the Prime Meridian at 0°0', which is recognized as the western border of Lazarev Sea.[citation needed]
From the Norwegian point of view, which does not recognize Lazarev Sea, King Haakon VII Sea is situated along the entire coast of Dronning Maud Land between 20°W and 45°E and stretches for about 10 090 km (6 270 miles) from the Stancomb-Wills Glacier at 19°W on Kronprinsesse Märtha Kyst in the west to Shinnan Glacier at 44°38'E on the eastern border of Kronprins Olav Kyst in the east.
The sea covered by ice most of the year. During autum Pack ice forms which does not break up until spring. The rough coordinates of the sea area are 67°00′S 20°00′E / 67°S 20°E / -67; 20.
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Koro Sea
The Koro Sea or Sea of Koro is a sea in the Pacific Ocean between Viti Levu island, Fiji to the west and the Lau Islands to the east, surrounded by the islands of the Fijian archipelago.
It is named after Koro Island.
Coordinates: 18°S 180°E / 18°S 180°E / -18; 180
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Laptev Sea
The Laptev Sea (Russian: мо́ре Ла́птевых) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is located between the northern coast of Siberia, the Taimyr Peninsula, Severnaya Zemlya and the New Siberian Islands. Its northern boundary passes from the Arctic Cape to a point with co-ordinates of 79°N and 139°E, and ends at the Anisiy Cape. The Kara Sea lies to the west, the East Siberian Sea to the east.
The sea is named after the Russian explorers Dmitry Laptev and Khariton Laptev; formerly, it had been known under various names, the last being Nordenskjold Sea (Russian: мо́ре Норденшельда), after explorer Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld. The sea has a severe climate with temperatures below 0 °C (32 °F) over more than 9 months per year, low water salinity, scarcity of flora, fauna and human population, and low depths (mostly less than 50 meters). It is frozen most of the time, though generally clear in August and September.
The sea shores were inhabited for thousands of years by indigenous tribes of Yukaghirs and then Evens and Evenks, which were engaged in fishing, hunting and reindeer husbandry. They were then settled by Yakuts and later by Russians. Russian explorations of the area started in the 17th century. They came from the south via several large rivers which empty into the sea, such as the prominent Lena River, the Khatanga, the Anabar, the Olenyok, the Omoloy and the Yana. The sea contains several dozen islands, many of which contain well-preserved mammoth remains.
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Lazarev Sea
The Lazarev Sea is a marginal sea of the Southern Ocean. It is located between the King Haakon VII Sea to the west and the Riiser-Larsen Sea to the east, or between the Prime Meridian of 0°0' and 14°E. The prevailing depth is 3000 meters, and the maximum depth exceeds 4500 meters. It stretches over an area of 929,000 km².
To the south of Lazarev Sea lies Princess Astrid Coast of Queen Maud Land.
The Lazarev Sea is named after Russian Admiral and Explorer Mikhail Lazarev (1788-1851).
Coordinates: 68°00′S 7°00′E / 68°S 7°E / -68; 7
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Libyan Sea
The Libyan Sea (Greek Λιβυκόν πέλαγος, Latin Libycum Mare) is the portion of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the African coast of ancient Libya, i.e. Cyrenaica and Marmarica (the coast of what is now eastern Libya and western Egypt, between Tobruk and Alexandria). This designation was used by ancient geographers describing the southern Mediterranean, but the term is also used by modern travel writers and cartographers. The southern coastline of Crete which borders the Libyan Sea includes the Asterousia Mountains and Mesara Plain; this area is the locus of considerable ancient Bronze Age settlement including the sites of Kommos, Hagia Triada and Phaistos.
To the east is the Levantine Sea, to the north the Ionian Sea, and to the west the Strait of Sicily.
Coordinates: 34°00′N 24°24′E / 34°N 24.4°E / 34; 24.4
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Ligurian Sea
The Ligurian Sea (Italian: Mar Ligure; French: Mer Ligurienne) is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, between the Italian Riviera (Liguria and Tuscany) and the island of Corsica. The sea is probably named after the ancient Ligures people.
The sea borders the countries Italy, France, and Monaco. In the east the sea borders the Tyrrhenian Sea, while in the west it borders the Mediterranean Sea proper. Genoa is the most prominent city in the area. The northwest coast is noted for its scenic beauty and favourable climate.
The Gulf of Genoa is its northernmost part. The sea receives the Arno River from the east and many other rivers that originate in the Apennines. The ports of Genoa, La Spezia, and Livorno are on its rocky coast. It reaches a maximum depth of more than 9,300 feet (2,850 m) northwest of Corsica.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Ligurian Sea as follows:
On the Southwest. A line joining Cape Corse (Cape Grosso, 9°23'E) the Northern point of Corsica to the frontier between France and Italy (7°31'E).
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Lincoln Sea
Lincoln Sea is a body of water in the Arctic Ocean, stretching from Cape Columbia, Canada, in the west to Cape Morris Jesup, Greenland, in the east. The northern limit is defined as the great circle line between those two headlands. It is covered with sea ice throughout the year, the thickest sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, which can be up to 15 m (49 ft) thick. Water depths range from 100 m (330 ft) to 300 m (980 ft). Water and ice from Lincoln Sea empty into Robeson Channel, the northernmost part of Nares Strait, most of the time.
The sea was named after Robert Todd Lincoln, then United States Secretary of War, on Adolphus W. Greely's 1881–1884 Arctic expedition into Lady Franklin Bay.
Alert, the northernmost station of Canada, is the only populated place on the shore of Lincoln Sea.
The body of water to the east of Lincoln Sea (east of Cape Morris Jesup) is Wandel Sea.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Lincoln Sea as follows:
On the North. Cape Columbia to Cape Morris Jesup (Greenland).
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Mawson Sea
Mawson Sea is an area of the sea along the Queen Mary Land coast of East Antarctica between the Shackleton Ice Shelf in the west and Vincennes Bay in the east. West of it, on the western side of Shackleton Ice Shelf, is the Davis Sea. To the east is Bowman Island and Vincennes Bay.
Two important glacier debouche into the Mawson Sea: Scott Glacier, and Denman Glacier. Calving of Denman Glacier into the Mawson Sea gives rise to the periodically appearing Pobeda Ice Island.
It was named in honor of Australian Antarctic explorer Douglas Mawson.
"Mawson Sea". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:5:::NO::P5_ANTAR_ID:9591. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
Coordinates: 65°00′S 105°00′E / 65°S 105°E / -65; 105
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Medina
Medina (/mɛˈdiːnə/; Arabic: اَلْمَدِينَة اَلْمَنَوَّرَة, al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah, “the radiant city” (officially), or اَلْمَدِينَة al-Madīnah; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. Medina is historically significant for being Muhammad's home after the Hijrah. Before the advent of Islam, the city was known as Yathrib, but was personally renamed by Muhammad.
Medina is home to the three oldest mosques in Islam, namely Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (The Prophet's Mosque), Quba Mosque (the first mosque in Islam's history), and Masjid al-Qiblatain (the mosque where the qibla was switched to Mecca).
Because of the Saudi government's religious policy and concern that historic sites could become the focus for idolatry, much of Medina's Islamic physical heritage has been destroyed since the beginning of Saudi rule.[citation needed]
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Molucca Sea
Coordinates: 0°25′S 125°25′E / 0.417°S 125.417°E / -0.417; 125.417
The Molucca Sea (Indonesian: Laut Maluku) is located in the western Pacific Ocean, within the country of Indonesia. The region is rich in coral and has many diving sites.
The Molucca Sea borders the Banda Sea to the south and the Celebes Sea to the north.
The islands bordering the Molucca Sea include Halmahera to the north east, Buru and Ceram in the centre, and Sulawesi to the west. The Talaud Islands to the north are the general limit of the sea, though the Molucca Sea Plate, the tectonic plate named after the sea, extends further north.
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) defines the "Molukka Sea" [sic] as being one of the waters of the East Indian Archipelago. The IHO defines its limits as follows:
On the North. By a line from the Northeast extreme of Celebes [Sulawesi] through the Siau Islands to the South point of Sangi (3°21′N 125°37′E / 3.35°N 125.617°E / 3.35; 125.617) thence to the Southern extreme of the Talaud Group, through these islands to their Northeastern extreme (4°29′N 126°52′E / 4.483°N 126.867°E / 4.483; 126.867) and thence a line to Tanjong Sopi, the Northern point of Morotai Island.
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Moro Gulf
The Moro Gulf is a sea in Mindanao in the Philippines. It is part of Celebes Sea and is surrounded by the Zamboanga Peninsula and the central part of Mindanao. Sibuguey Bay and Illana Bay are its major branches. Zamboanga City is the most important port city on its coast. Cotabato City, on the eastern coast, is another major port.
The Moro Gulf is also an area of significant tectonic activity with several fault zones in the region capable of producing major earthquakes and destructive local tsunamis, such as the devastating 1976 Moro Gulf Earthquake which killed over 5,000 people and left over 90,000 people homeless as it hit the coast of Mindanao.
On July 23, 2010 at 22:08, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter of Moro Gulf hit Mindanao. This was quickly followed by two earthquakes of magnitudes 7.6 and 7.4.
Coordinates: 7°N 123°E / 7°N 123°E / 7; 123
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Mozambique Channel
The Mozambique Channel is a portion of the Indian Ocean located between the island nation of Madagascar and southeast Africa, primarily the country of Mozambique. It was a World War II clashpoint during the Battle of Madagascar. The channel is approximately 460 km across at its narrowest point between Angoche, Mozambique, and Tambohorano, Madagascar.
The channel reaches a depth of 3,292 m (10,800 feet) about 230 km off the coast of Mozambique. A warm current flows in a southward direction in the channel, leading into the Agulhas Current off the east coast of South Africa. It is around 1000 miles (1600 km) long and the width of it varies from 250-600 miles (400-950 km).
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) defines the limits of the Mozambique Channel as follows:
On the North. A line from the estuary of the River Rovuma (10°28′S 40°26′E / 10.467°S 40.433°E / -10.467; 40.433) to Ras Habu, the Northern point of Ile Grande Comore, the Northern of the Comore (Comoro) Islands, to Cap d'Ambre (Amber) the Northern extremity of Madagascar (11°57′S 49°17′E / 11.95°S 49.283°E / -11.95; 49.283).
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Myrtoan Sea
The Myrtoan (Mirtoan) Sea (Greek: Mυρτώο Πέλαγος, Myrtöo Pelagos) is a subdivision of the Mediterranean Sea that lies between the Cyclades and the Peloponnesos. It is described as the part of the Aegean Sea south of Euboea, Attica, and Argolis. [1] Some of the water mass of the Black Sea reaches the Myrtoan Sea, via transport through the Aegean Sea. (Saundry, Hogan & Baum. 2011)
The Saronic Gulf, the gulf of Athens, lies between the Corinth Canal and the Myrtoan Sea.
It is said to have been named after the mythical hero Myrtilus, who was thrown into this sea by an enraged Pelops. The name has also been connected with that of the maiden Myrto. It is also said to have derived its name from a small island named Myrtus.
Coordinates: 37°N 24°E / 37°N 24°E / 37; 24
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Norwegian Sea
The Norwegian Sea (Norwegian: Norskehavet) is a marginal sea in the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of Norway. It is located between the North Sea (i.e. north of Scotland) and the Greenland Sea and adjoins the North Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Barents Sea to the northeast. In the southwest, it is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a submarine ridge running between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. To the North, the Jan Mayen Ridge separates it from the Greenland Sea.
Unlike many other seas, most of the bottom of the Norwegian Sea is not part of a continental shelf and therefore lies at a great depth of about two kilometres on average. Rich deposits of oil and natural gas are found under the sea bottom and are being explored commercially, in the areas with sea depths of up to about one kilometre. The coastal zones are rich in fish that visit the Norwegian Sea from the North Atlantic for spawning. The warm North Atlantic Current ensures relatively stable and high water temperatures, so that unlike the Arctic seas, the Norwegian Sea is ice-free throughout the year.
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Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.
At 165.2 million square kilometres (64.1 million square miles) in area, this largest division of the World Ocean – and, in turn, the hydrosphere – covers about 46% of the Earth's water surface and about one-third of its total surface area, making it larger than all of the Earth's land area combined. The equator subdivides it into the North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean, with two exceptions: the Galápagos and Gilbert Islands, while straddling the equator, are deemed wholly within the South Pacific. The Mariana Trench in the western North Pacific is the deepest point in the world, reaching a depth of 10,911 metres (35,797 ft).
The eastern Pacific Ocean was first sighted by Europeans early in the 16th century. Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama in 1513 and named it Mar del Sur (South Sea). The ocean's current name was given by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan during the Spanish expedition of world circumnavigation in 1521, who encountered favourable winds as he reached the ocean and called it Mar Pacifico in Portuguese, meaning "peaceful sea".
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Pechora Sea
Pechora Sea (Russian: Печо́рское мо́ре, or Pechorskoye More), is a sea at the northwest of Russia, the southeastern part of the Barents Sea. The western border of the sea is off Kolguyev Island, while the eastern border is the western coasts of Vaygach Island and the Yugorsky Peninsula, and the northern border the southern end of Novaya Zemlya.
The Pechora Sea is quite shallow, its average depth being only 6 m. The deepest point reaches 210 m. In the southern part of the sea runs the eastward-flowing Kolguyev Current. There are a few islands close to the coast, the largest of which is Dolgiy Island.
The Pechora Sea is blocked by floating ice from November to June. The main river entering the sea is the Pechora.
Historically, before the adjacent Barents Sea was named as such, the Pechora Sea's own name was already established. The rest of the present-day Barents Sea was known then as "Sea of Murmansk" (Murmanskoye Morye).
The Pechora Sea was used as a starting point of the exploration of the hitherto unknown icy seas lying to the east. The earliest recorded voyage across the Pechora Sea through the Yugorsky Strait was made by early Russian explorer Uleb, from Nizhny Novgorod. Uleb's passing into the Kara Sea was recorded in 1032.
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Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf is located in Western Asia between Iran (Persia) and the Arabian Peninsula. It is an extension of the Indian Ocean.
The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers. In 1991, the Persian Gulf again was the background for what was called the "Persian Gulf War" or the "Gulf War" when Iraq invaded Kuwait and was subsequently pushed back, despite the fact that this conflict was primarily a land conflict.
The Persian Gulf has many good fishing grounds, extensive coral reefs, and abundant pearl oysters, but its ecology has come under pressure from industrialization, and in particular, oil and petroleum spillages during wars in the region.
Historically and internationally known as the Persian Gulf, this body of water is sometimes controversially referred to as the Arabian Gulf or simply The Gulf by most Arab states, although neither of the latter two terms are recognized internationally. The name Gulf of Iran (Persian Gulf) is used by the International Hydrographic Organization.
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Pharaoh's Island
Coordinates: 29°27′48″N 34°51′34″E / 29.46333°N 34.85944°E / 29.46333; 34.85944
Pharaoh's Island refers to an island in the northern Gulf of Aqaba off the shore of Egypt's eastern Sinai Peninsula.
In the 12th century, Crusaders defending the route between Cairo and Damascus controlled by the nearby city of Aqaba, in Jordan, built a citadel on the small island, which they called Ile de Graye, referred to as Ayla or Aila in Arabic chronicles of the era, which also referred to a town of the same name on an island on the opposite side of the gulf. By the winter of 1116, the island was almost deserted.
In December 1170, Saladin conquered the island and reconstructed the citadel and left a garrison of men there. In November 1181, Raynald of Châtillon raided the Arab-held Aila and attempted to set up a naval blockade against the Muslim troops there during the winter of 1182 to 1183. The blockade consisted of only two ships and was not successful. By the time of the 13th century, when the pilgrim Thietmar passed the island in 1217, the entire place was inhabited by a fishing village and populated by Muslims and captive Franks. The Mamluk governor of the city of Aqaba lived in the citadel until some time in the 14th century, around 1320, when the seat of governorship was moved into the city itself.
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Philippine Sea
The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea east and north of the Philippines occupying an estimated surface area of 2 million mi² (5 million km²) on the western part of the North Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by the Philippine archipelago (Luzon, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao) on the southwest; Palau, Yap, and Ulithi (of the Carolines) on the southeast; the Marianas, including Guam, Saipan, and Tinian, on the east; the Bonin and Iwo Jima on the northeast; the Japanese islands of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyūshū on the north; the Ryukyu Islands on the northwest; and Taiwan in the west.
The sea has a complex and diverse undersea relief. The floor is formed into a structural basin by a series of geologic faults and fracture zones. Island arcs, which are actually extended ridges protruding above the ocean surface due to plate tectonic activity in the area, enclose the Philippine Sea to the north, east and south. The Philippine archipelago, Ryukyu Islands, and the Marianas are examples. Another prominent feature of the Philippine Sea is the presence of deep sea trench, among them the Philippine Trench and the Mariana Trench, containing the deepest point on the planet.
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Riiser-Larsen Sea
Riiser-Larsen Sea is a marginal sea of the Southern Ocean. It is located between the Lazarev Sea to the west and the Cosmonauts Sea to the east, or between the 14°E and 30°E. Its northern border is defined to be the 65th parallel South. Depths exceed 3,000 meters in most of the sea. It is covered with drifting ice almost year-round. It stretches over an area of 1,138,000 km². . There are many icebergs.
To the south of Riiser-Larsen Sea lie Princess Astrid Coast and Princess Ragnhild Coast of Queen Maud Land. In the western part is the Lazarev Ice Shelf, and further east are Erskine Iceport and Godel Iceport, and the former Belgian Roi-Baudouin Station.
The Riiser-Larsen Sea is named after Norwegian aviation pioneer and polar explorer Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen (1890–1965).
Coordinates: 68°00′S 22°00′E / 68°S 22°E / -68; 22
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Salish Sea
The Salish Sea is the intricate network of coastal waterways located between the south-western tip of the Canadian province of British Columbia, and the north-western tip the U.S. state of Washington. Its major bodies of water are the Strait of Georgia, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and Puget Sound. It reaches from Desolation Sound at the north end of the Strait of Georgia to Oakland Bay at the head of Hammersley Inlet at the south end of Puget Sound. The inland waterways of the Salish Sea are partially separated from the open Pacific Ocean (a pelagic zone) by Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula, and are thus partially shielded from Pacific Ocean storms. Major port cities on the Salish Sea include Seattle, Vancouver, Tacoma, Bellingham, and Victoria.
The Salish Sea includes the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Strait of Georgia, and Puget Sound, and all their connecting channels and adjoining waters, such as Haro Strait, Rosario Strait, Bellingham Bay, and the waters around and between the San Juan Islands in the U.S. state of Washington and the Gulf Islands in British Columbia, Canada. The western boundary is the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, defined as a line between Cape Flattery and Carmanah Point. The southern boundary is the southern end of Puget Sound. The northern boundary reaches just beyond the northern end of the Strait of Georgia to include waters that experience the floodstream or tidal surge from the south: Discovery Passage south of Seymour Narrows, Sutil Channel south of Penn Islands, Lewis Channel (between Cortes and West Redonda Island), Waddington Channel (between West Redonda and East Redonda Island), and Pendrell Sound, Desolation Sound, and the southern portion of Homfray Channel (between East Redonda Island and the mainland). These boundaries were based on the 2002 "Georgia Basin–Puget Sound Ecosystem Indicators Report". The total extent of the Salish Sea is about 18,000 square kilometres (6,900 sq mi).
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Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia (i/ˌsaʊdi əˈreɪbi.ə/ or i/ˌsɔːdiː əˈreɪbi.ə/; Arabic: السعودية as-Su‘ūdīyah[citation needed] or incorrectly as-Sa‘ūdīyah, officially known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Arabic: المملكة العربية السعودية al-Mamlakah al-‘Arabīyah as-Su‘ūdīyah Arabic pronunciation (help·info)), is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab world, after Algeria. It is bordered by Jordan, and Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south. The Red Sea lies to its west, and the Persian Gulf lies to the east. Saudi Arabia has an area of approximately 2,250,000 km2 (870,000 sq mi), and it has an estimated population of 27 million, of which 9 million are registered foreign expatriates and an estimated 2 million are illegal immigrants. Saudi nationals comprise an estimated 16 million people.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded by Abdul-Aziz bin Saud (known for most of his career as Ibn Saud) in 1932, although the conquests which eventually led to the creation of the Kingdom began in 1902 when he captured Riyadh, the ancestral home of his family, the House of Saud, referred to in Arabic as the Al Saud. The Saudi Arabian government, which has been an absolute monarchy since its inception, refers to its system of government as being Islamic, though this is contested by many due to its strong basis in Salafism, a minority school of thought in Islam. The kingdom is sometimes called "The Land of the Two Holy Mosques" in reference to Al-Masjid al-Haram (in Mecca), and Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (in Medina), the two holiest places in Islam.
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Savu Sea
The Savu Sea (or the Sawu Sea) is a small sea within Indonesia named for the island of Savu (Sawu) on its southern boundary. It is bounded by Savu and Rai Jua to the south, the islands of Rote and Timor (split between East Timor and Indonesia) to the east, Flores and the Alor archipelago to the north/northwest, and the island of Sumba to the west/northwest. Between these islands, it flows into the Indian Ocean to the south and west, the Flores Sea to the north, and the Banda Sea to the northeast.
The Savu Sea reaches about 3500 m in depth. It spans about 600 km from west to east, and 200 km from north to south. The largest city on the sea is Kupang, the capital of East Nusa Tenggara province on the island of Timor, with about 450,000 inhabitants.
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) defines the Savu Sea as being one of the waters of the East Indian Archipelago. The IHO defines its limits as follows:
On the North. By the Southern limits of Flores Sea [The North coasts of Flores, Komodo, Banta and a line to Tanjong Naroe the Northeast point of Soembawa, thence along its North coast to Tanjong Sarokaja (8°22′S 117°10′E / 8.367°S 117.167°E / -8.367; 117.167)] and Banda Sea [A line from Tanjong Aro Oesoe, through Sermata to Tanjong Njadora the Southeast point of Lakov (8°16′S 128°14′E / 8.267°S 128.233°E / -8.267; 128.233) along the South coasts of Lakov, Moa and Leti Islands to Tanjong Toet Pateh, the West point of Leti, thence a line to Tanjong Sewirawa the Eastern extremity of Timor and along the North coast as far as longitude 125° East].
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Sea of Crete
The Sea of Crete (Greek: Κρητικό Πέλαγος, Kritiko Pelagos) is the sea south of the Aegean Sea, north of the island Crete, and south of the Cyclades. The sea also stretches from Kythera east to the Dodecanese islands of Karpathos and Kassos. The bounding seas to the west are the Ionian Sea as well as the rest of the Mediterranean Sea. Ferry routes to and from Piraeus, as well as the southern islands of the Aegean and the Dodecanese, run in this area.
Coordinates: 36°N 25°E / 36°N 25°E / 36; 25
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Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific Ocean. This isolation also reflects in the fauna species and in the water salinity, which is lower than in the ocean. The sea has no large islands, bays or capes. Its water balance is mostly determined by the inflow and outflow through the straits connecting it to the neighboring seas and Pacific Ocean. Few rivers discharge into the sea and their total contribution to the water exchange is within 1%.
The seawater is characterized by the elevated concentration of dissolved oxygen that results in high biological productivity. Therefore, fishing is the dominant economic activity in the region. The intensity of shipments across the sea has been moderate owing to political issues, but it is steadily increasing as a result of the growth of East Asian economies. A controversy exists about the sea name, with South Korea promoting the appellation East Sea.
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Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara /ˈmɑrmərə/ (Greek: Θάλασσα του Μαρμαρά, Turkish: Marmara Denizi), also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as the Propontis (Greek: Προποντίς), is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Black Sea and the Dardanelles strait to the Aegean. The former also separates Istanbul into its Asian and European sides. The Sea has an area of 11,350 km² (280 km x 80 km) with the greatest depth reaching 1,370 m.
The salinity of the sea averages about 22 parts per thousand, which is slightly greater than that of the Black Sea but only about two-thirds that of most oceans. However, the water is much more saline at the sea-bottom, averaging salinities of around 38 parts per thousand — similar to that of the Mediterranean Sea. This high-density saline water, like that of the Black Sea itself, does not migrate to the surface. Water from the Susurluk, Biga (Granicus) and Gonen Rivers also reduces the salinity of the sea, though with less influence than on the Black Sea. With little land in Thrace draining southward, almost all of these rivers flow from Anatolia.
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Sea of Okhotsk
Coordinates: 55°N 150°E / 55°N 150°E / 55; 150
The Sea of Okhotsk (Russian: Охо́тское мо́ре, tr. Okhotskoye More; IPA: [ɐˈxotskəjə ˈmorʲə]) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast (including the Shantar Islands) along the west and north. The northeast corner is Shelikhov Gulf. It is named after Okhotsk, the first Russian settlement in the Far East.
The Sea of Okhotsk covers 611,000 sq.mi. (1,583,000 km2), with a mean depth of 2,818 feet (859 metres). Its maximum depth is 11,063 feet (3,372 metres). It is connected to the Sea of Japan on either side of Sakhalin: on the west through the Sakhalin Gulf and the Gulf of Tartary; on the south, through the La Pérouse Strait.
In winter, navigation on the Sea of Okhotsk becomes difficult, or even impossible, due to the formation of large ice floes, because the large amount of freshwater from the Amur River lowers the salinity and raises the freezing point of the sea. The distribution and thickness of ice floes depends on many factors: the location, the time of year, water currents, and the sea temperatures.
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Sea of Åland
The Sea of Åland is the waters located in the southern Gulf of Bothnia, between the Åland islands and the Swedish mainland. The sea connects Kvarken and the Bothnian Sea with the Baltic Sea proper. The seas are often choppy here. The narrowest part is named Södra Kvarken or South Kvarken.
Coordinates: 60°10′59.92″N 19°06′31.48″E / 60.1833111°N 19.1087444°E / 60.1833111; 19.1087444
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Seto Inland Sea
The Seto Inland Sea (瀬戸内海, Seto Naikai?), often shortened to Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, three of the main islands of Japan. It serves as an international waterway, connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka Bay and provides a sea transport link to industrial centers in the Kansai region, including Osaka and Kobe. Before the construction of the Sanyō Main Line, it was the main transportation link between Kansai and Kyūshū.
Yamaguchi, Hiroshima, Okayama, Hyōgo, Osaka, Kagawa, Ehime, Fukuoka, and Ōita prefectures all have coastlines on the Inland Sea; the cities of Hiroshima, Iwakuni, Takamatsu, and Matsuyama are also located on it.
The Inland Sea region is known for its moderate climate, with a stable year-round temperature and relatively low rainfall levels: The area is often called "the land of fair weather" (晴れの国, hare no kuni?). The sea is also famous for its periodic red tides (赤潮, akashio?) caused by dense groupings of certain phytoplankton that result in the death of large numbers of fish.
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Sharm el-Sheikh
Sharm el-Sheikh (Arabic: شرم الشيخ, IPA: [ˈʃɑɾˤm eʃˈʃeːx]) is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, Egypt, on the coastal strip along the Red Sea. Its population is approximately 35,000 (2008). Sharm el-Sheikh is the administrative hub of Egypt's South Sinai Governorate which includes the smaller coastal towns of Dahab and Nuweiba as well as the mountainous interior, Saint Catherine's Monastery and Mount Sinai.
Sharm el-Sheikh is sometimes called the "City of Peace", referring to the large number of international peace conferences that have been held there. It was known as Şarm-üş Şeyh (Sharm ush-Sheikh, "bay of the Sheikh" in Arabic) during Ottoman rule and was known as Ofira during Israeli occupation between 1967 and 1982.[citation needed] Among Egyptians and Israelis, the name of the city is commonly shortened to "Sharm" ([ʃɑɾˤm]).
Sharm el-Sheikh is on a promontory overlooking the Straits of Tiran at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba. Its strategic importance led to its transformation from a fishing village into a major port and naval base for the Egyptian Navy. It was captured by Israel during the Suez Crisis of 1956 and restored to Egypt in 1957. A United Nations peacekeeping force was subsequently stationed there until the 1967 Six-Day War when it was recaptured by Israel. Sharm el-Sheikh remained under Israeli control until the Sinai peninsula was restored again to Egypt in 1982 after the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty of 1979.[citation needed]
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Sibuyan Sea
The Sibuyan Sea is a small sea in the Philippines that separates the Visayas from the northern Philippine island of Luzon.
It is bounded by the island of Panay to the south, Mindoro to the west, Masbate to the east, and to the north Marinduque and the Bicol Peninsula of Luzon Island.
The Sibuyan Sea is connected to the Sulu Sea via the Tablas Strait in the west, the South China Sea via the Isla Verde Passage in the north-west, and the Visayan Sea via the Jintotolo Channel in the south-east. The Romblon Islands lie inside the Sibuyan Sea.
The Battle of the Sibuyan Sea was fought here on October 24, 1944 where the Japanese battleship Musashi sank and other ships were damaged.
Coordinates: 12°40′N 122°30′E / 12.667°N 122.5°E / 12.667; 122.5
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Sinai Peninsula
The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai (Arabic: سيناء sīnā' ; Hebrew סיני) is a triangular peninsula in Egypt about 60,000 km2 (23,000 sq mi) in area. It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa, effectively serving as a land bridge between two continents. The bulk of the peninsula is divided administratively into two of Egypt's 27 governorates (with three more straddling the Suez Canal area), and has a population of approximately 500,000 people. In addition to its formal name, Egyptians also refer to it affectionately as the "Land of Fayrouz", based on the Ancient Egyptian "Dumafkat", which has the same meaning.
The region has historically been the centre of conflict between various states, based largely on its strategic geopolitical location. In addition to periods of direct rule by Egyptian governments (including the Ayyubids, the Mamluks, the Muhammad Ali Dynasty, and the modern Egyptian republic), it was like the rest of Egypt, also occupied and controlled by the Ottoman Empire, and the United Kingdom (which occupied Egypt from 1882 until 1956). Israel invaded and occupied Sinai during the Suez Crisis (known in Egypt as the Tripartite Aggression) of 1956, and during the Six Day War of 1967. On 6 October 1973, Egypt launched the October War to liberate the peninsula, which was the site of fierce fighting between Egyptian and Israeli forces. In 1982, after the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty of 1979, Israel withdrew from the entirety of Sinai. Today, Sinai has become a tourist destination due to its natural setting, rich coral reefs, and biblical history. Mount Sinai is one of the most religiously significant places in Abrahamic faiths.
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Solomon Sea
The Solomon Sea is a sea located within the Pacific Ocean. It lies between Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Many major battles were fought there during World War II.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Solomon Sea as follows:
On the Northwest. By the Southeast limit of Bismarck Sea [A line from the Southern point of New Ireland along the parallel of 4°50' South to the coast of New Britain, along its Northern coast and thence a line from its Western extreme through the Northern point of Umboi Island to Teliata Point, New Guinea (5°55′S 147°24′E / 5.917°S 147.4°E / -5.917; 147.4)].
On the Northeast. By a line from the Southern point of New Ireland to the North point of Buka Island, through this island to the Northwest point of Bougainville Island, along the Southern coasts of Bougainville, Choisel [Choiseul], Ysabel [Santa Isabel], Malaita and San Cristobal [Makira] Islands.
On the South. The Northern limit of the Coral Sea between San Cristobal Island, Solomons, and Gado-Gadoa Island, off the Southeast extreme of New Guinea [Gado-Gadoa Island near its Southeastern extreme (10°38′S 150°34′E / 10.633°S 150.567°E / -10.633; 150.567), down this meridian to the 100 fathom line and thence along the Southern edges of Uluma (Suckling) Reef and those extending to the Eastward as far as the Southeast point of Lawik Reef (11°43.5′S 153°56.5′E / 11.725°S 153.9417°E / -11.725; 153.9417) off Tagula Island [Vanatinai], thence a line to the Southern extreme of Rennell Island and from its Eastern point to Cape Surville, the Eastern extreme of San Cristobal Island].
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Somov Sea
The Somov Sea ist a sea of the Southern Ocean and is located north of the easternmost part of the Antarctic subcontinent East Antarctica, north of Oates Coast, Victoria Land, and of George V Coast, between 150° und 170° East. West of it is D'Urville Sea. East of Cape Adare, at 170°14' East, is the Ross Sea.
The Somov Sea has an area of 1,150,000 km² and is up to 3000 meters deep.
240 km north of the mainland coast are the Balleny Islands in the Somov Sea.
The Somov Sea was named in honor of Russian oceanologist and polar explorer Mikhail Somov.
Coordinates: 67°00′S 160°00′E / 67°S 160°E / -67; 160
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South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around 3,500,000 square kilometres (1,400,000 sq mi). The area's importance largely results from one-third of the world's shipping transiting through its waters, and that it is believed to hold huge oil and gas reserves beneath its seabed.
It is located
The minute South China Sea Islands, collectively an archipelago, number in the hundreds. The sea and its mostly uninhabited islands are subject to competing claims of sovereignty by several countries. These claims are also reflected in the variety of names used for the islands and the sea.
South China Sea is the dominant term used in English for the sea, and the name in most European languages is equivalent, but it is sometimes called by different names in neighboring countries, often reflecting historical claims to hegemony over the sea.
The English name is a result of early European interest in the sea as a route from Europe and South Asia to the trading opportunities of China. In the sixteenth century Portuguese sailors called it the China Sea (Mar da China); later needs to differentiate it from nearby bodies of water led to calling it the South China Sea. The International Hydrographic Organization refers to the sea as "South China Sea (Nan Hai)".
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Strait of Malacca
Coordinates: 4°N 100°E / 4°N 100°E / 4; 100 (Strait of Malacca) The Strait of Malacca (Malay: Selat Melaka; Jawi: سلت ملاك) is a narrow, 805 km (500 mi) stretch of water between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is named after the Malacca Sultanate that ruled over the archipelago between 1414 and 1511.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the "Malacca Strait" as follows:
On the West. A line joining Pedropunt, the Northernmost point of Sumatra (5°40′N 95°26′E / 5.667°N 95.433°E / 5.667; 95.433) and Lem Voalan the Southern extremity of Goh Puket [Phuket Island] in Siam [Thailand] (7°45′N 98°18′E / 7.75°N 98.3°E / 7.75; 98.3).
On the East. A line joining Tanjong Piai (Bulus), the Southern extremity of the Malay Peninsula (1°16′N 103°31′E / 1.267°N 103.517°E / 1.267; 103.517) and The Brothers (1°11.5′N 103°21′E / 1.1917°N 103.35°E / 1.1917; 103.35) and thence to Klein Karimoen (1°10′N 103°23.5′E / 1.167°N 103.3917°E / 1.167; 103.3917).
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Straits of Tiran
The Straits of Tiran (Arabic: مضيق تيران Maḍyaq Tīrān, Hebrew: מצרי טיראן Metzarei Tiran), are the narrow sea passages, about 13 km (7 nautical miles) wide, between the Sinai and Arabian peninsulas which separate the Gulf of Aqaba from the Red Sea. It is named after Tiran Island located at its inflow, on which the Multinational Force and Observers has an observation post to monitor the compliance of Egypt in maintaining freedom of navigation of the straits as provided under the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty.
Sanafir Island lies to the east of Tiran, southeast of the shallow strait between Tiran and Saudi Arabia.
Access to Jordan's only seaport of Aqaba and to Israel's only Indian Ocean seaport of Eilat is contingent upon passage through the Gulf of Aqaba, giving the Straits of Tiran strategic importance. Egypt's blockade of the Straits to Israeli ships and ships bound for Israel in 1956 and again in 1967 was a catalyst to the Suez Crisis in 1956 and the Six-Day War in 1967. Despite this, according to Major General Indar Jit Rikhye, military adviser to the United Nations Secretary General, the accusation of a blockade was "questionable," pointing out that an Israeli-flagged ship had not passed through the straits in two years, and that "The U.A.R. [Egyptian] navy had searched a couple of ships after the establishment of the blockade and thereafter relaxed its implementation."
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Sulu Sea
The Sulu Sea is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipelago. Borneo is found to the southwest and Visayas to the northeast.
Sulu Sea contains a number of islands. The Cuyo Islands and Cagayan Sulu are part of the province of Palawan while Mapun and the Turtle Islands are part of the province of Tawi-Tawi. Sulu Sea is also where the Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park, one of the World Heritage Sites is located.
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) defines the Sulu Sea as being one of the waters of the East Indian Archipelago. The IHO defines its limits as follows:
On the Northwest. From Tanjong Sampanmangio, the North point of Borneo, along the Eastern limit of South China Sea to Cape Calavite, the Northwest point of Mindoro.
On the Northeast. The Southwest coast of Mindoro to Buruncan Point, its Southern extreme, thence a line through Semirara and Kaluya Islands to Nasog Point (11°53′N 121°53′E / 11.883°N 121.883°E / 11.883; 121.883) the Northwestern extreme of Panay, along the West and Southeast coast of that island to Tagubanhan Island (11°08′N 123°07′E / 11.133°N 123.117°E / 11.133; 123.117), thence a line to the Northern extreme of Negros and down the West coast to Siaton Point, its Southern extreme, thence across to Tagolo Point (8°44′N 123°22′E / 8.733°N 123.367°E / 8.733; 123.367), Mindanao.
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Taba (Egypt)
Taba (Arabic: طابا) is a small Egyptian town near the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba. Taba is the location of Egypt's busiest border crossing with neighboring Israel. Little more than a bus depot and a luxury hotel (complete with casino), Taba is a frequent vacation spot for Egyptians and tourists, especially those from Israel on their way to other destinations in Egypt or as a weekend getaway. It is the northernmost resort of Egypt's Red Sea Riviera.
Taba was located on the Egyptian side of the armistice line agreed to in 1949. During the Suez Crisis in 1956 it was briefly occupied but returned to Egypt when Israel withdrew in 1957. Israel reoccupied the Sinai Peninsula after the Six-Day War in 1967, and subsequently a 400-room hotel was built in Taba. Following the 1973 Yom-Kippur War, when Egypt and Israel were negotiating the exact position of the border in preparation for the 1979 peace treaty, Israel claimed that Taba had been on the Ottoman side of a border agreed between the Ottomans and British Egypt in 1906 and had, therefore, been in error in its two previous agreements. Although most of Sinai was returned to Egypt in 1982, Taba was the last portion to be returned. After a long dispute, the issue was submitted to an international commission composed of one Israeli, one Egyptian, and three outsiders. In 1988, the commission ruled in Egypt's favor, and Israel returned Taba to Egypt in 1989.
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Tabuk Province
Coordinates: 28°0′N 37°0′E / 28°N 37°E / 28; 37
Tabuk (Arabic: تبوك Tabūk), also spelled Tabouk, is a province of Saudi Arabia, located along the north-west coast of the country, facing Egypt across the Red Sea. It has an area of 108,000 km² and a population of 560,200 (1999). Its capital is Tabuk. The governor is Fahd bin Sultan since 1987.
The history of the Tabuk region dates back to 3,500 years ago. The region is identified with the land of Maydan.
The Tabuk region (Astra) exports flowers to Europe.
The governors of the province since 1926 are as follows:
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Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) across. It extends 2,800 km (approx.) from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European to encounter New Zealand and Tasmania. The British explorer Captain James Cook later extensively navigated the Tasman Sea in the 1770s as part of his first voyage of exploration.
The Tasman Sea is commonly referred to in both Australia and New Zealand as The Ditch; for example, crossing the ditch means going to Australia from New Zealand or vice versa. In Māori, the Tasman Sea is called Te Tai-o-Rehua.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Tasman Sea as follows:
On the North. The parallel of 30°S from the Australian coast Eastward as far as a line joining the East extremities of Elizabeth Reef and South East Rock (31°47′S 159°18′E / 31.783°S 159.3°E / -31.783; 159.3) then to the Southward along this line to the South East Rock.
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Thracian Sea
The Thracian Sea (Greek: Θρακικό Πέλαγος, Thrakiko Pelagos; Turkish: Trakya Denizi) is a sea that is part of the Aegean Sea and forms the northernmost point of the sea. Regions surrounding the sea are Macedonia and Thrace as well as northwestern Turkey. The entire stretch of the sea lies north of the 40th parallel. The length from east to west is from 23°E to about 25.8°E or from the Strymonian Gulf east to the northernmost part of the Gallipoli peninsula and the width from north to south is about 40.25°N to 41°N or from the Dardanelles north to the boundary between the Xanthi and the Rhodope prefectures. Islands includes Thasos and Samothrace in Greece and Gökçeada (Imvros in Greek) and Bozcaada (Tenedos in Greek) in Turkey. The bays and gulfs includes the Ierissian Gulf to the southwest, the Strymonian Gulf where the Strymon River empties, the Kavala Gulf and the Saros Gulf in Turkey. Rivers emptying into this portion of the gulf include the Nestos and the Evros/Meriç. The famous thermal springs are Loutra Eleftheron in Kavala.
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Tiran Island
Coordinates: 27°57′N 34°33′E / 27.95°N 34.55°E / 27.95; 34.55
Tiran (Arabic: جزيرة تيران Jazīrat Tīrān, aka Jezîret Tīrān and Yotvat Island,) is an Egyptian-administered island that belongs to Saudi Arabia. It is located at the entrance of the Straits of Tiran, which separates the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aqaba. It has an area of about 80 km2 (30 sq mi). It is part of the Ras Muhammad National Park.
Tiran Island is of strategic significance in the area, as it forms the narrowest section of the Straits of Tiran, which is an important sea passage to the major ports of Aqaba in Jordan and Eilat in Israel. The island is currently only inhabited by military personnel from Egypt and the Multinational Force and Observers [MFO], although it has been inhabited during many centuries in the past.
Chisholm Point is a cape of Tiran Island.
Some theologists claim that Tiran Island is the location of the parting of the Red Sea described in the Book of Exodus in the Torah.[citation needed]
Israel briefly took over the island during the Suez Crisis and again between 1967 to 1982 following the events of the Six Day War. Procopius writes that there was an autonomous Jewish community on the island (then called Iotabe) until the sixth century AD, when it was conquered by the Byzantine Empire. This history figured in Israeli rhetoric during the Suez Crisis.
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Tyrrhenian Sea
The Tyrrhenian Sea (Corsican: Mari Tirrenu, French: Mer Tyrrhénienne, Italian: Mare Tirreno, Neapolitan: Mar Tirreno, Sardinian: Mare Tirrenu, Sicilian: Mari Tirrenu, Latin: Mare Tyrrhenum) is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy.
The sea is bounded by Corsica and Sardinia (to the west), Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Basilicata and Calabria (to the east) and Sicily (to the south).
The maximum depth of the sea is 3,785 metres (12,418 ft).
The Tyrrhenian Sea is situated near where the African and European Plates meet; therefore mountain chains and active volcanoes such as Mount Marsili are found in its depths. The eight Aeolian Islands and Ustica are located in the southern part of the sea, north of Sicily.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Tyrrhenian Sea as follows:
There are four exits from the Tyrrhenian Sea (north to south):
The Tyrrhenian Sea is divided into two basins (or plains), the Vavilov plain and the Marsili plain. They are separated by the undersea ridge known as the Issel Bridge, after Arturo Issel.[dead link]
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Visayan Sea
The Visayan Sea is a sea in the Philippines, surrounded by the islands of the Visayas, Eastern Visayas and Western Visayas located to the east and west, while the Central Visayas is located to the south. It is bounded by the islands Masbate to the north, Leyte to the east, Cebu and Negros to the south and Panay to the west.
The sea is connected to the Sibuyan Sea to the northwest via the Jintotolo Channel, the Samar Sea to the northeast, the Camotes Sea to the southeast, the Bohol Sea to the south via the Tañon Strait and the Sulu Sea via the Guimaras Strait and Panay Gulf. The largest island within this sea is Bantayan Island.
Coordinates: 11°30′N 123°40′E / 11.5°N 123.667°E / 11.5; 123.667
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Wadi Rum
Wadi Rum (Arabic: وادي رم) also known as The Valley of the Moon (Arabic: وادي القمر) is a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in southern Jordan 60 km (37 mi) to the east of Aqaba; it is the largest wadi in Jordan. The name Rum most likely comes from an Aramaic root meaning 'high' or 'elevated'. To reflect its proper Arabic pronunciation, archaeologists transcribe it as Wadi Ramm.
Wadi Rum has been inhabited by many human cultures since prehistoric times, with many cultures–including the Nabateans–leaving their mark in the form of rock paintings, graffiti, and temples.
In the West, Wadi Rum may be best known for its connection with British officer T. E. Lawrence, who based his operations here during the Arab Revolt of 1917–18. In the 1980s one of the rock formations in Wadi Rum was named "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" in memory of Lawrence's book penned in the aftermath of the war, though the 'Seven Pillars' referred to in the book actually have no connection with Rum.
The area is centred on the main valley of Wadi Rum. The highest elevation in Wadi Rum is Mount Um Dami at 1,840 m (6,040 ft) high and was first located by Difallah Ateeg, a Zalabia Bedouin from Rum. On a clear day, it is possible to see the Red Sea and the Saudi border from the top.
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Wandel Sea
The Wandel Sea (also known as McKinley Sea) is a body of water in the Arctic Ocean, stretching from northeast of Greenland to Svalbard. This arctic sea is located at 82° north longitude and 21° west latitude. Seas farther north and northwest of the Wandel Sea are frozen year-round. The Wandel Sea stretches as far west as Cape Morris Jesup. Further west is the Lincoln Sea. In the south, it stretches to Nordostrundingen. The Wandel Sea connects to the Greenland Sea in the south through the Fram Strait.
Coordinates: 82°15′N 17°00′W / 82.25°N 17°W / 82.25; -17
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Weddell Sea
The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula. The easternmost point is Cape Norvegia at Princess Martha Coast, Queen Maud Land. To the east of Cape Norvegia is the King Haakon VII Sea. Much of the southern part of the sea, up to Elephant Island, is permanent ice, the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf. The sea is contained within the two overlapping Antarctic territorial claims of Argentina, (Argentine Antarctica) and Britain (British Antarctic Territory), and also resides partially within the territorial claim of Chile (Antarctic Chilean Territory). At its widest the sea is around 2,000 km across, in area it is around 2.8 million km².
In his 1950 book The White Continent, historian Thomas R. Henry writes, "The Weddell Sea is, according to the testimony of all who have sailed through its berg-filled waters, the most treacherous and dismal region on earth. The Ross Sea is the relatively peaceful, predictable, and safe." He continues on for an entire chapter, relating myths of the green-haired merman sighted in the sea's icy waters, the inability of crews to navigate a path to the coast until 1949, and treacherous "flash freezes" that left ships, such as Ernest Shackleton's Endurance, at the mercy of the ice floes.
wn.com/Weddell_Sea -
White Sea
The White Sea (Russian: Бе́лое мо́ре) is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of the internal waters of Russia. Administratively, it is divided between Arkhangelsk and Murmansk Oblasts and the Republic of Karelia.
The major port of Arkhangelsk is located on the White Sea. For much of Russia's history this was Russia's main centre of international maritime trade, conducted by the so-called Pomors ("seaside settlers") from Kholmogory. In the modern era it became an important Soviet naval and submarine base. The White Sea-Baltic Canal connects the White Sea with the Baltic Sea.
The White Sea is one of four seas named in English after common colour terms — the others being the Black Sea, the Red Sea and the Yellow Sea.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the northern limit of the White Sea as "A line joining Svyatoi Nos (Murmansk Coast, 39°47'E) and Cape Kanin".
wn.com/White_Sea -
Yellow Sea
Coordinates: 35°0′N 123°0′E / 35°N 123°E / 35; 123
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden yellow.
The innermost bay of the Yellow Sea is called the Bohai Sea (previously Pechihli Bay or Chihli Bay). Into it flow both the Yellow River (through Shandong province and its capital Jinan) and Hai He (through Beijing and Tianjin). Deposits of sand and silt from those rivers contribute to the sea color.
The Yellow Sea is one of four seas named in English after common color terms — the others being the Black Sea, the Red Sea and the White Sea.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Yellow Sea (which it also names as "Hwang Hai") as follows:
On the South. The parallel of 33°17' North from Saisyu To (Quelpart) [now known as Jeju-do] to the mainland [of China].
wn.com/Yellow_Sea
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Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut ( /hætˈʃɛpsʊt/; also Hatchepsut; meaning Foremost of Noble Ladies; 1508–1458 BC) was the fifth pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt. She is generally regarded by Egyptologists as one of the most successful pharaohs, reigning longer than any other woman of an indigenous Egyptian dynasty.[citation needed]
Although contemporary records of her reign are documented in diverse ancient sources, Hatshepsut was described by early modern scholars as only having served as a co-regent from approximately 1479 to 1458 BC, during years seven to twenty-one of the reign previously identified as that of Thutmose III. Today Egyptologists generally agree that Hatshepsut assumed the position of pharaoh and the length of her reign usually is given as twenty-two years, since she was assigned a reign of twenty-one years and nine months by the third-century BC historian, Manetho, who had access to many historical records that now are lost. Her death is known to have occurred in 1458 BC, which implies that she became pharaoh circa 1479 BC.
wn.com/Hatshepsut -
Lawrence of Arabia
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence, CB, DSO (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935), known professionally as T. E. Lawrence, was a British Army officer renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916–18. The extraordinary breadth and variety of his activities and associations, and his ability to describe them vividly in writing, earned him international fame as Lawrence of Arabia, a title which was used for the 1962 film based on his World War I activities.
Lawrence was born illegitimate in Tremadog, Wales, in August 1888 to Sir Thomas Chapman and Sarah Junner, a governess who was herself illegitimate. Chapman had left his wife and first family in Ireland to live with Sarah Junner, and they called themselves Mr and Mrs Lawrence. In the summer of 1896 the Lawrences moved to Oxford, where in 1907–10 young Lawrence studied history at Jesus College, graduating with First Class Honours. He became a practising archaeologist in the Middle East, working at various excavations with David George Hogarth and Leonard Woolley. In 1908 he joined the OUOTC (Oxford University Officer Training Corps), undergoing a two-year training course. In January 1914, before the outbreak of World War I, Lawrence was co-opted by the British Army to undertake a military survey of the Negev Desert while doing archaeological research.
wn.com/Lawrence_of_Arabia -
Louis Haghe
Louis Haghe (March 17, 1806, Tournai, Belgium – March 9, 1885, Surrey) was a lithographer and watercolour artist.
His father and grandfather had practised as architects. Training in his teens in watercolour painting, he found work in the relatively new art of lithography when the first press was set up in Tournai. He visited England to find work, and settled there permanently in 1823.
Together with William Day (1797–1845), around 1830 he formed the partnership Day & Haghe, which became the most famous early Victorian firm of lithographic printing in London.
Day and Haghe printed lithographs dealing with a wide range of subjects, such as hunting scenes, topographical views and genre depictions.
In 1838, Day and Haghe were appointed 'Lithographers to the Queen'. After William's death in 1845, the firm became known as 'Day & Son'. They were pioneers in developing the medium of the lithograph printed in colours.
From the 1850s Haghe concentrated more on his watercolours, and became president of the New Society of Painters in Water Colours from 1873 to 1884.
wn.com/Louis_Haghe -
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around 3,500,000 square kilometres (1,400,000 sq mi). The area's importance largely results from one-third of the world's shipping transiting through its waters, and that it is believed to hold huge oil and gas reserves beneath its seabed.
It is located
The minute South China Sea Islands, collectively an archipelago, number in the hundreds. The sea and its mostly uninhabited islands are subject to competing claims of sovereignty by several countries. These claims are also reflected in the variety of names used for the islands and the sea.
South China Sea is the dominant term used in English for the sea, and the name in most European languages is equivalent, but it is sometimes called by different names in neighboring countries, often reflecting historical claims to hegemony over the sea.
The English name is a result of early European interest in the sea as a route from Europe and South Asia to the trading opportunities of China. In the sixteenth century Portuguese sailors called it the China Sea (Mar da China); later needs to differentiate it from nearby bodies of water led to calling it the South China Sea. The International Hydrographic Organization refers to the sea as "South China Sea (Nan Hai)".
wn.com/South_China_Sea
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Artificial Reefs in the gulf of Aqaba - The Changing Oceans Expedition [EN]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:18
- Updated: 19 Nov 2012
The Changing Oceans Expedition studied in the gulf of Aqaba a new conservation plan for protecting coral reefs: artificials reefs. More info: www.changingoceans.org
http://wn.com/Artificial_Reefs_in_the_gulf_of_Aqaba_The_Changing_Oceans_Expedition_EN_
Snorkeling in the Gulf of Aqaba
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:41
- Updated: 16 Feb 2011
Red Sea Marine life seen while snorkeling in the Gulf of Aqaba
http://wn.com/Snorkeling_in_the_Gulf_of_Aqaba
South of Sinai, mountans and Gulf of Aqaba
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:38
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
Travelling throgh the awesome beauty of South of Sinai, mountans and Gulf of Aqaba.
http://wn.com/South_of_Sinai,_mountans_and_Gulf_of_Aqaba
Aqaba Gulf Hotel Overview
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:36
- Updated: 17 Nov 2012
www.aqabagulf.com
http://wn.com/Aqaba_Gulf_Hotel_Overview
The Sinai Desert's Gulf of Aqaba. Red Sea crossing?
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:38
- Updated: 08 Nov 2012
The Gulf of Aqaba is a beautiful place. The waters, the rocky coast, etc. The scenery seems to "fit" a Biblical profile, but which one? There are so many thing to see and share. Check it out.
http://wn.com/The_Sinai_Desert's_Gulf_of_Aqaba_Red_Sea_crossing?
Gulf of Aquaba
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:01
- Updated: 03 Feb 2012
Gulf of Aquaba
http://wn.com/Gulf_of_Aquaba
Beautiful Nabq Protected Area on the Gulf of Aqaba- Sinai Egypt-محمية نبق
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:09
- Updated: 12 Sep 2012
www.egyptdelights.com Impressions of the amazingl Nabq Protected Area on the Gulf of Aqaba on Sinai at the Red Sea in Egypt
http://wn.com/Beautiful_Nabq_Protected_Area_on_the_Gulf_of_Aqaba_Sinai_Egypt-محمية_نبق
Tropical Marine Biology Students, Gulf of Aqaba, Northern Red Sea, Egypt
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 11:56
- Updated: 27 Nov 2012
A group of marine biology students from the University of Glasgow in the Gulf of Aqaba, Northern Red Sea, Egypt.
http://wn.com/Tropical_Marine_Biology_Students,_Gulf_of_Aqaba,_Northern_Red_Sea,_Egypt
Desert Sand Storm over the Gulf of Aqaba
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:02
- Updated: 16 May 2012
A Sand Storm from the Sinai Peninsula heading east over the Gulf of Aqaba right before sunset on May 16th, 2012.
http://wn.com/Desert_Sand_Storm_over_the_Gulf_of_Aqaba
Salp - seen in the Gulf of Aqaba
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:22
- Updated: 18 Oct 2012
It's about half a metre long, shaped like a zeppelin, transparent, nothing visible inside and no apparent sign of life. Also saw one last year, in identical conditions. I've recently been assured it's a kind of salp - a fast growing, phytoplankton eating organism.
http://wn.com/Salp_seen_in_the_Gulf_of_Aqaba
Departures S01E02: Jordan full video 2008
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 46:08
- Updated: 28 Nov 2012
Departures Season 1 Episode 2 Jordan blog.allmusiclyrics.info all copyrights go to © Departures Entertainment 2 Inc. Toronto, Canada www.departuresentertainment.com if you need to remove it please message me and I will do so, no need to go through youtube :) After landing in Jordan, Scott and Justin are greeted by their friend Ibrahim who is getting married in a few weeks. They spend a night in the desert with the Bedouins, travel to Petra and the gulf of Aqaba, all just in time for the big day.
http://wn.com/Departures_S01E02_Jordan_full_video_2008
Flying Over Desert - Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:45
- Updated: 13 Sep 2012
Going back home after a holiday in Sharm El Sheikh, this is what you can see after takeoff from Sharm El Sheikh Airport. Just desert across Egypt, Gulf of Aqaba over to Saudi Arabia in the far distance. I did upload this a bit late but it's here now :)
http://wn.com/Flying_Over_Desert_Sinai_Peninsula,_Egypt
Gulf of Aqaba sunset timelapse
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:24
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
June 5, 2011. Sunset over Aqaba, Jordan as seen from Orchid Reef Hotel in Eilat, Israel. Gulf of Aqaba.
http://wn.com/Gulf_of_Aqaba_sunset_timelapse
Gulf of Aqaba
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:13
- Updated: 13 May 2012
2012.04.30 Elath
http://wn.com/Gulf_of_Aqaba
Hammerhead at Jackson Reef - Tiran - Red Sea
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:38
- Updated: 30 Aug 2012
Inquisitive hammerhead that came to check us out on the north side of Jackson Reef, close to Tiran Island, Red Sea (gulf of Aqaba). Shot with a GoPro HD HERO2, 1080p / 30fps, Medium FOV. GoPro dive housing. NO editing, no filters, no color correction. Straight from the camera including original sound (thumbs up for bonus darth vader breathing sounds and excited people cheering into their regulators!). August 11 2012, dive started approx. 7.45am. Camel Dive Club, www.cameldive.com , http
http://wn.com/Hammerhead_at_Jackson_Reef_Tiran_Red_Sea
Sinai Desert to the Gulf of Aqaba
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:35
- Updated: 24 Apr 2012
http://wn.com/Sinai_Desert_to_the_Gulf_of_Aqaba
Neptune Submarine - Aqaba, Jordan
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:14
- Updated: 01 Sep 2012
An underwater experience in the Gulf of Aqaba. Must be booked in advance. Contact us today at www.epictours.info - info@epictours.info
http://wn.com/Neptune_Submarine_Aqaba,_Jordan
Movenpick Resort Taba Hotel
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:46
- Updated: 02 Aug 2012
africahotelsearch.com The Moevenpick Resort Taba is a luxurious 5-star establishment promising unparalleled service, lavish accommodation and a plethora of leisure facilities suited to both an action-packed vacation and a relaxing getaway. Just a few minutes from the Israeli and Jordanian borders, the resort is nestled between the magnificent Sinai mountains and the glistening blue waters of the Gulf of Aqaba. The resort features four outdoor swimming pools, two of which are designated for children, nestled in lush landscaped gardens. Additional facilities include a kids club, a small football pitch, table tennis and volleyball facilities, a casino, as well as two indoor pools, one of which is designated for children. The Reflections Spa and Fitness Centre comprises a fully-equipped gymnasium, a sauna, a steam room, a Jacuzzi, a hair salon and private treatment rooms offering sumptuous massage and beauty rituals. If that isna€™t enough, the resort boasts 400 metres of private beach where guests can blissfully soak up the sun or enjoy a wide range of water sports available through the onsite diving centre. A golf course and starting points for numerous excursions and outdoor activities are within a short drive of the resort. Catering for discerning palates, the resort is home to four restaurants, each providing extensive buffet selections, and four bars. International cuisine is served in the main restaurant, authentic Chinese delicacies can be sampled in Chopsticks, fresh ...
http://wn.com/Movenpick_Resort_Taba_Hotel
ras mohamed (South Sinai)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:39
- Updated: 30 Oct 2012
www.travelegypt.ws Ras Mohammed is a nature reserve in South Sinai is located at the confluence of these protected Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba, a protected natural founded in 1983. Diving and swimming
http://wn.com/ras_mohamed_South_Sinai
Hilton Taba Swimming Pools
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:34
- Updated: 18 Nov 2012
Hilton Taba Resort & Nelson Village. Dive and snorkel at the hotel's private beach, exploring the incredible sea life of the Red Sea. Take a trip to Pharaoh's Island, a few miles away for the ultimate in marine discovery. Soak up the sun on the boat before swimming right by the coral reef, alongside the brightly colored tropical fish. Cross the border to Eilat, Israel only a mile from the hotel. Marvel at King Solomon's Pillars, natural geological formations 20 miles north of the Gulf of Aqaba or head over the border to Jordan and explore the unique and historical city of Petra, carved into rock. Watch the Red Sea tropical fish at the Underwater Observatory Marine Park in Eilat with an extensive collection of fish-filled aquariums, stingray pool and daily shark feedings. Enjoy a game of golf in the middle of the desert at Taba Heights Golf Course, overlooking the expanse of the ocean.
http://wn.com/Hilton_Taba_Swimming_Pools
Gulf of Aqaba
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:55
- Updated: 15 Jun 2012
Vrijdagmiddag 15 juni 2012, Druk in de Golf van Aqaba voor hotel Intercontinental
http://wn.com/Gulf_of_Aqaba
Egypt - November 2008, Sharl El-Sheikh, Ras Mohammad National Park
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 14:58
- Updated: 03 Jul 2012
Ras Mohammad is a national park in Egypt at the southern extreme of the Sinai Peninsula, overlooking the Gulf of Suez on the west and the Gulf of Aqaba to the east
http://wn.com/Egypt_November_2008,_Sharl_El-Sheikh,_Ras_Mohammad_National_Park
Travel To Aqaba Jordan
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:15
- Updated: 13 Nov 2012
www.petranightstours.com On this tour you get to know the highlights of Jordan's cultural treasures and end the trip with 3 days scuba diving in the Red Sea. The Gulf of Aqaba is one of the best diving sites in the world with excellent coral reefs and an outstanding underwater world. The diving sites are accessible from the shore, and the great variety suites all diving levels.
http://wn.com/Travel_To_Aqaba_Jordan
photo: AP / Jerome Delay
27 Nov 2012
M23 rebels controlling the eastern city of Goma in the DR Congo have said they are not about to withdraw as demanded by regional leaders. The rebels said on Tuesday there were still in charge of Goma, just hours after General Aronda Nyakairima, the head of the Ugandan military, was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying that their leader, Sultani Makenga, had told him he would pull out of Goma and Sake. ... Few facts, a lot of racism....(size: 17.7Kb)
photo: UN / Jan Golinski
27 Nov 2012
Doha conference is warned that climate models do not yet take account of methane in thawing permafrost. ... Permafrost covers nearly a quarter of the northern hemisphere. ... The United Nations sounded a stark warning on the threat to the climate from methane in the thawing permafrost as governments met for the second day of climate change negotiations in Doha, Qatar. ... Achim Steiner, executive director of UNEP, said....(size: 5.3Kb)
photo: AP / George Osodi
25 Nov 2012
Twin suicide car bombs exploded Sunday at a church inside one of Nigeria's top military bases, killing at least 11 people and wounding another 30 in an embarrassing attack showing the continued insecurity that haunts Africa's most populous nation. ... This attack in Jaji on Sunday, however, happened inside a barracks home to the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, one of the country's most important military colleges....(size: 4.1Kb)
photo: AP / Sepahnews
27 Nov 2012
While President Obama ponders new legal and moral guidelines to govern America's growing use of armed robot aircraft, the world outside the White House is engaged in a revolutionary frenzy of building, arming and flying killer drones. ... Drones crisscross the Persian Gulf. ... Using unmanned aircraft with cameras is nothing new, of course. ... to spend billions of dollars in defense while experiencing growing casualties....(size: 8.4Kb)
photo: AP / Henry Griffin
26 Nov 2012
"In our opinion and from our experience," declared John Kerry in 1971, "there is nothing in South Vietnam which could happen that realistically threatens the United States of America. And to attempt to justify the loss of one American life in Vietnam, Cambodia or Laos by linking such loss to the preservation of freedom..is to us the height of criminal hypocrisy...". ... Because of his experience, he might be able to help preserve U.S....(size: 6.4Kb)
Xinhua
28 Nov 2012
Aqaba is one of the largest ports in the Middle East, and the move would facilitate the flow of Indonesian goods exports to Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia as well as to Jordan....(size: 1.3Kb)
Jakarta Post
28 Nov 2012
During the mission, Jordanian businesspeople as well as its government expressed interest in setting up a distribution center for Indonesian goods in Aqaba, one of the major ports in the Middle East, a region with ......(size: 1.1Kb)
The News & Observer
26 Nov 2012
Jacquelyn Gill is an ecologist at Brown University and the creator of The Contemplative Mammoth blog. ... Jacquelyn Gill is an ecologist at Brown University and the creator of The Contemplative Mammoth ( ), a blog exploring historical changes to the earthâs climate and ecology. ... Iâm sure it could easily have taken one of my hands or feet off. ... State since 1980; since 1994, he has directed the Roman Aqaba Project in southern Jordan....(size: 12.9Kb)
Tulsa World
25 Nov 2012
"The days of riding in rank band vans and touring the country are pretty much through," said Armstrong. ... "Yeah, we're not doing any of this to be famous. ... Its old-school sound is new again, yet still draws comparisons to the great college music (and influences) of yore. ... Former band members are like a who's who of Tulsa music, too. ... "My ship was the one that got hit in Aqaba, Jordan, in 2005."....(size: 7.2Kb)
CNN
23 Nov 2012
The attack on Aqaba -- one of the films most famous scenes -- was actually filmed in southern Spain. ... Lawrence's masterplan of leading an army across the arid brick-red sand of the desert to launch an attack on the coastal town of Aqaba -- an idea considered so perilous that the Ottomans had not bothered to defend against it -- became his defining act....(size: 13.9Kb)
Denver Post
18 Nov 2012
The site of an ancient lighthouse on the island of Pharos attracts visitors to Alexandria, a port city in which African country?. ... The Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba are northern extensions of what body of water?....(size: 1.4Kb)
Reuters
18 Nov 2012
Palestinian militants have in the recent past fired rockets
at Eilat, a desert city at tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, using
Egypt's Sinai desert as a launch site....(size: 1.1Kb)
Bloomberg
16 Nov 2012
Thousands of Jordanians rallied around the country for a third day against the government’s decision to cut subsidies on fuel, with some demanding the ouster of King Abdullah II. ... The state is so short of money that it can’t pay for the cargo carried by two fuel ships docked in the port of Aqaba, Ensour said on Nov. ... Until 2003, Jordan used to receive oil from Iraq at subsidized prices of less than $30 a barrel, according to the king....(size: 4.2Kb)
AV Club
16 Nov 2012
Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Friday, November 16, and Saturday, November 17. ... Why not cover all three seasons of Chris Carter’s X-Files follow-up, Millennium, a show that very few people care about anymore and a show that’s difficult to catch up with if you had a yen to do so, because Fox has yet to make a deal to put it on any streaming service. ... The Aqaba sequence alone is going to make you goggle....(size: 10.6Kb)
Bloomberg
15 Nov 2012
Jordan will “strike with an iron fist” rioters who use illegal means to express their anger over recent fuel-subsidy cuts, according to General Hussein Majali, director of the Public Security Department. ... The state is so short of money that it can’t pay for the cargoes carried by two fuel ships docked in the port of Aqaba, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said on Nov....(size: 3.5Kb)
Gulf News
15 Nov 2012
“Recent experiences make us uneasy and cause concern about the lack of strategic thinking in the Gulf countries. ... “The Gulf cannot accept the deterioration of the situation in Jordan, and it is our duty to help our brothers there. ... The violent protests stretched from the northern city of Irbid to the southern port city of Aqaba over a government decision on Tuesday to lift fuel subsidies, Jordan Times reported....(size: 20.1Kb)
Middle East Online
14 Nov 2012
The incident took place in Bnei Netzarim which lies 1.5 kilometres (just under a mile) from the Egyptian border, and some five kilometres (three miles) from the southernmost tip of the Gaza Strip. ... No Israelis have been injured by the rockets, although in August 2010, one landed in the Jordanian resort of Aqaba, killing a taxi driver....(size: 2.5Kb)
Bloomberg
14 Nov 2012
Hundreds of Jordanians protested after the government removed subsidies on cooking gas and other fuels to offset an estimated 3.5 billion-dinar ($4.9 billion) budget deficit. ... “There are two fuel ships in the Aqaba port, and we don’t have the cash to pay for that.”. Protests broke out in September after the government raised the prices of 90-octane gasoline by 10 percent and diesel by 6.8 percent....(size: 3.6Kb)
| Gulf of Aqaba | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | Southwest Asia and Northeast Africa |
| Ocean type | Gulf |
| Primary sources | Red Sea |
| Basin countries | Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia |
| Max length | 160 km (99 mi) |
| Max width | 24 |
| Max depth | 1,850 m (6,070 ft) |
The Gulf of Aqaba (Arabic: خليج العقبة; transliterated: Khalyj al-'Aqabah) is a large gulf located at the northern tip of the Red Sea, east of the Sinai Peninsula and west of the Arabian mainland. Its coastline is divided between four countries: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. In Israel, it is often referred to as the Gulf of Eilat,[1] after Eilat, the predominant Israeli city at its northern end (Hebrew: מפרץ אילת, transliterated: Mifratz Eilat).
Contents |
Geography[link]
The Gulf is located to the east of the Sinai Peninsula and west of the Arabian mainland. This and the Gulf of Suez are the two gulfs extending from the northern portion of the Red Sea; the Gulf of Aqaba is east of the Gulf of Suez. Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia all have coastlines on the Gulf. It reaches a maximum depth of 1,850 m in its central area (the Gulf of Suez is significantly wider but less than 100 m deep).
The Gulf of Aqaba measures 24 kilometres (15 mi) at its widest point and stretches some 160 kilometres (99 mi) north from the Straits of Tiran to a point where the border of Israel meets the borders of Egypt and Jordan.
The Gulf of Aqaba, like the coastal waters of the Red Sea, is one of the world's premier sites for diving. The area is especially rich in coral and other marine biodiversity and contains a number of underwater wrecks, some accidental shipwrecks, others vessels deliberately sunk in an effort to provide a habitat for marine organisms and bolster the local dive tourism industry.
Cities[link]
At this northern end of the Gulf are three important cities: Taba in Egypt, Eilat in Israel, and Aqaba in Jordan. All three cities serve both as strategically important commercial ports and as popular resort destinations for tourists seeking to enjoy the warm climate of the region. Further south, Haql is the largest Saudi Arabian city on the gulf. On Sinai, Sharm el-Sheikh and Dahab are the major centers.
The largest population center on the Gulf of Aqaba is Aqaba, with a population of 108,000 inhabitants (2009), followed by Eilat with a population of 48,000 (2009).
Extent[link]
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the southern limit of the Gulf of Aqaba as "A line running from Ràs al Fasma Southwesterly to Requin Island (27°57′N 34°36′E / 27.95°N 34.6°E / 27.95; 34.6) through Tiran Island to the Southwest point thereof and thence Westward on a parallel (27°54'N) to the coast of the Sinaï Peninsula".[2]
Geology[link]
The Gulf of Aqaba is one of two gulfs created by the Sinai Peninsula's bifurcation of the northern Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez lying to the west of the Sinai Peninsula and the Gulf of Aqaba lying to its east. Geologically, the Gulf of Aqaba is an integral part of the Great Rift Valley that runs from East Africa through the Red Sea and northwards towards the rift valley containing the Dead Sea.
History[link]
Trade across the Red Sea between Thebes port of Elim and Elat at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba is documented as early as the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt. Red Sea expeditions crossing the Red Sea and heading south to Punt are mentioned in the Fifth dynasty of Egypt, the Sixth dynasty of Egypt, the Eleventh dynasty of Egypt, the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt and the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt when Hatshepsut built a fleet to support the trade and journeyed south to Punt herself in a six-month voyage.[citation needed] Thebes used Nubian gold or Nub from her conquests south into Kush to facilitate the purchase of Frankincense, Myrrh, Bitumen, Natron, Juniper oil, Linen, and Copper amulets for the mummification industry at Karnak. Egyptian settlements near Timnah at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba date to the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt.
At the northern edge, the ancient city of Ayla (in present-day Aqaba) constituted a commercial hub for the Nabateans, the Romans later built the Via Traiana Nova route that met with the King's Highway in Aqaba, that connected Africa to Asia and the Levant and the Red Sea shipping.
The port of Aqaba was a major Ottoman port on the red sea, connected to Damascus and Medina by the Hejaz railway. During World War I, the Battle of Aqaba was the key battle that ended a 500-year Ottoman rule over Greater Syria.
Tourism[link]
The Gulf of Aqaba is one of the most popular diving destinations in the world. About 250,000 dives are performed annually in Eilat's 11 km Gulf of Aqaba coastline, and diving represents 10% of the tourism income of this area.[3]
The Landscape of Wadi Rum to the east of the northern edge of the gulf is also a popular destination. Other touristic destinations are the ruins of the iron-age civilization of Ayla in the city of Aqaba, which was also the site of the historic Battle of Aqaba, a World War I battle, led by Lawrence of Arabia.
See also[link]
- South Sinai Governorate
- Aqaba Governorate
- Al Jawf Province/Tabuk Province
- Israeli Diving Federation
- Tourism in Israel
References[link]
- ^ http://www.sviva.gov.il/bin/en.jsp?enPage=e_BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=Zone&enDispWho=Protecting_the_Gulf&enZone=Protecting_the_Gulf
- ^ "Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition". International Hydrographic Organization. 1953. http://www.iho-ohi.net/iho_pubs/standard/S-23/S23_1953.pdf. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
- ^ Artificial Reefs and Dive Tourism in Eilat, Israel Dan Wilhelmsson, Marcus C. Öhman , Henrik Ståhl and Yechiam Shlesinger Ambio, Vol. 27, No. 8, Building Capacity for Coastal Management (Dec., 1998), pp. 764-766 Published by: Allen Press on behalf of Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences [1]
External links[link]
- The Red Sea Marine Peace Park page on Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs - a joint Israel-Jordan initiative
Coordinates: 28°45′N 34°45′E / 28.75°N 34.75°E / 28.75; 34.75
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
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- For the town in the West Bank, see Aqabah, West Bank.
| Aqaba العقبة |
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|---|---|---|---|
| — City — | |||
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| Nickname(s): The Bride of the Red Sea | |||
| Motto: Turn Sand Into Gold | |||
 Aqaba
|
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| Coordinates: 29°31′00″N 35°00′00″E / 29.5167°N 35°E / 29.5167; 35 | |||
| Country |  Jordan |
||
| Governorate | Aqaba Governorate | ||
| Founded | 4000 B.C. | ||
| Authority Established | 2001 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Autonomous authority | ||
| • Chief Commissioner | Issa Ayyoub | ||
| Area | |||
| • City | 375 km2 (145 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 6 m (20 ft) | ||
| Population (2009 est.)[1] | |||
| • City | 103,100 | ||
| • Metro | 108,500 | ||
| Data refers to Aqaba Special Economic Zone | |||
| Time zone | Jordan Standard Time (UTC+2) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | observed (UTC+3) | ||
| Area code(s) | +(962)3 | ||
| Airports | King Hussein International Airport | ||
| Website | http://www.aseza.jo http://www.aqaba.jo |
||
Aqaba (Arabic: العقبة, Al-ʻAqabah) is a coastal city in the far south of Jordan, the capital of Aqaba Governorate at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba. Aqaba is strategically important to Jordan as it is the country's only seaport. Aqaba is best known today as a diving and beach resort, but industrial activity remains important to the area, and the town is an exporter of phosphate and some shells. Aqaba is also the largest city on the Gulf of Aqaba.
Contents |
History[link]
Ancient history[link]
Aqaba has been an inhabited settlement since 4000 BC profiting from its strategic location at the junction of trading routes between Asia, Africa, and Europe. The early settlement was presumably Edomite in ancient times. It was a centre of the Edomites, and then of the Arab Nabataeans, during the first century B.C. who populated the region extensively. The oldest known text in Arabic alphabet is an inscription found in Jabal Ram 50 km east of Aqaba.
The Bible refers to the area in (1 Kings 9:26) "King Solomon also built ships in Ezion-Geber, which is near Ayla in Edom, on the shores of the Red Sea." This verse probably refers to an Iron Age port city on the same ground as modern Aqaba.
The Ptolemaic Greeks called it Berenice, and the Romans Aila and Aelana.[2] Aqaba reached its peak during Roman times, the great long distance road the Via Traiana Nova led south from Bostra through Amman, terminating in Aqaba, where it connected with a west road leading to Philistia and Egypt. Around 106 AD Aqaba was one of the main ports for the Romans.[3] In the year 410 A.D. Aqaba (known then as Ayla) became the garrison of the Roman 10th Legion of the Sea Strait (Legio X Fretensis). Ayla was the home origin of what came to be known as the Ayla-Axum Amphoras.
Soon after the Islamic conquests, it came under the rule of the Islamic Caliphate, and thereafter passed through the hands of such dynasties as the Umayyads, Abbasids, Fatimids and Mamluks. The early days of the Islamic era saw the construction of the city of Ayla, which was described by the geographer Shams Eddin Muqaddasi as being next to the true settlement, which was lying in ruins close by. The ruins of Ayla (unearthed in the 1980s by an American-Jordanian archeological team) are a few minutes walk north along the main waterfront road.
Some stories in the famous Arabian Nights also refer to Sinbad adventures to take the sea from this port city of Ayla.
During the 12th century, the Kingdom of Jerusalem controlled the area and built their fortress of Helim, which remains relatively well-preserved today. In addition to building a stronghold within Aqaba, the Crusaders fortified the small island of Ile de Graye (now known as Pharaoh's Island, near the shore of Sinai), now lies in Egyptian territorial waters about 7 kilometers west of Aqaba.
By 1187, both Aqaba and the island had been recaptured, for Muslim rule, by Saladin. The Mamluks took over in 1250 and rebuilt the fort in the 14th century under one of the last Mamluk sultans, Qansah al-Ghouri.
By the beginning of the 16th century, the Mamluk dynasty had fallen into decline and the area came under the influence of the Turkish/Ottoman Empire. During the following period, the city declined in status, for 400 years remaining a simple fishing village of little significance. The port of Aqaba quickly regained its importance after the Ottomans built the Hejaz railway, that connects the port to Damascus and Medina.
Modern history[link]
During World War I, the occupying Ottoman forces were forced to withdraw from Aqaba after a raid, known as the Battle of Aqaba, led by T. E. Lawrence (known as Lawrence of Arabia) and the Arab forces of Sharif Hussein in 1917, making the territory part of the Kingdom of Hejaz, under the rule of Prince Faisal. The capture of Aqaba helped open supply lines from Egypt up to Arab and British forces afield further north in Transjordan and Greater Palestine, and more importantly alleviated a threat of a Turkish offensive onto the strategically important Suez Canal.
Aqaba was ceded to the British protectorate of Transjordan in 1925.
In 1965, King Hussein attempted to give Aqaba room to grow by trading land with Saudi Arabia. In return for 6,000 square kilometers of desertland in Jordan's interior, the Saudis traded 12 kilometers of prime coastline to the south of Aqaba. In addition to the extra land for expansion of the port, the swap also gave the country access to the magnificent Yamanieh coral reef.
Aqaba was a major site for imports of Iraqi goods in the 1980s until the Arab Gulf War.
In August 2000, the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority Law was passed by the Jordanian Parliament. The law established the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA)[4] as the statutory institution empowered with regulatory, administrative, fiscal and economic responsibilities within the Aqaba Special Economic Zone (ASEZ).
Demographics[link]
The city of Aqaba has one of the highest growth rates in Jordan, with only 44% of the buildings in the city being built before 1990.[5] A special census for Aqaba city was carried by the Jordanian department of statistics in 2007, the total population of Aqaba by the census of 2007 was 98,400. The 2009 population estimate is 108,500. The results of the census compared to the national level are indicated as follows:
| Demographic data of the city of Aqaba (2007) compared to Kingdom of Jordan nationwide[5] | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aqaba City (2007) | Jordan (2004 census) | |||||||||
| 1 | Total population | 98,400 | 5,350,000 | |||||||
| 2 | Growth rate | 4.3% | 2.3% | |||||||
| 3 | Male to Female ratio | 56.1 to 43.9 | 51.5 to 48.5 | |||||||
| 4 | Ratio of Jordanians to Foreign Nationals | 82.1 to 17.9 | 93 to 7 | |||||||
| 5 | Number of households | 18,425 | 946,000 | |||||||
| 6 | Persons per houshold | 4.9 | 5.3 | |||||||
| 7 | Percent of population below 15 years of age | 35.6% | 37.3% | |||||||
| 8 | Percent of population over 65 years of age | 1.7% | 3.2% | |||||||
Climate[link]
Aqaba has a desert climate with a warm winter and a hot dry summer.
| Climate data for Aqaba | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 20.5 (68.9) |
22.2 (72.0) |
25.7 (78.3) |
30.7 (87.3) |
35.1 (95.2) |
38.4 (101.1) |
39.4 (102.9) |
39.1 (102.4) |
36.4 (97.5) |
32.7 (90.9) |
27.0 (80.6) |
21.8 (71.2) |
30.75 (87.35) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 8.9 (48.0) |
10.1 (50.2) |
12.9 (55.2) |
17.0 (62.6) |
20.7 (69.3) |
23.6 (74.5) |
25.1 (77.2) |
25.3 (77.5) |
23.3 (73.9) |
19.9 (67.8) |
14.9 (58.8) |
10.3 (50.5) |
17.67 (63.80) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 4.9 (0.193) |
5.2 (0.205) |
4.6 (0.181) |
3.4 (0.134) |
1.0 (0.039) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1.8 (0.071) |
3.0 (0.118) |
7.7 (0.303) |
31.6 (1.244) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 2.0 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 9.6 |
| Source: World Meteorological Organization | |||||||||||||
Tourism[link]
Aqaba is well known for its beach resorts and luxury hotels, which service those who come for diving, fun in the sand as well as watersports like windsurfing and Scuba diving. It also offers activities which take advantage of its desert location. Its many coffee shops offer mansaf and knafeh, and baqlawa desserts. Another very popular venue is the Turkish Bath (Hamam) built in 306AD, in which locals and visitors alike come to relax after a hot day. Aqaba and Wadi Rum are the sites of the annual Jordan – Middle East Distant Heat Festival, an annual electronic dance festival. It takes place on 31 July and 1 August. DJs from Jordan, the Middle East and around the world participate in this unique dance festival. Some famous artists who participate in the festival are Armin Van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, Above & Beyond, and Josh Gabriel.
In 2006, the Tourism Division of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) reported that the number of tourists visiting the Zone in 2006 rose to about 432,000, an increase of 5% over previous year. Approximately 65%, or 293,000 were Jordanians. Of foreign tourists, Europeans visited the Zone in the largest numbers, with about 98,000 visiting during the year. The division has financed tourism advertising and media campaigns with the assistance of the European Union.[6]
During national holidays, Jordanians from the north, particularly Amman and Irbid, flock to Aqaba's luxury resorts and sandy beaches. During these holiday weekends, hotel occupancy reaches 100%.
Aqaba has been chosen for the site of a new waterfront building project that would rebuild Aqaba with new man-made water structures, new high-rise residential and office buildings, and more tourist services to place Aqaba on the investment map and challenge other centers of waterfront development throughout the region.
The Distant Festival held at Aqaba on the last Thursday of July and the following day at Aqaba and Wadi Rum which features the world's most famous trance and electronica dancers.
Aqaba has been chosen as the Arab Tourism City of 2011.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]
Economy[link]
Benefiting from its location and status as Jordan's special economic zone, Aqaba's economy is based on the tourism and port industry sectors. The economical growth in Aqaba is higher than the average economical growth in the country. Under the special economic zone status some investments and trades are exempted from taxation, as a result, new resorts, housing developments, and retail outlets are being constructed. New projects such as Tala Bay and Saraya al Aqaba are constructed aiming at providing high-end vacation and residential homes to locals and foreigners alike.
Over twenty billion dollars have been invested in Aqaba since 2001 when the Special Economic Zone was established. Along with tourism projects, Aqaba has also attracted global logistic companies such as APM Terminals and Agility to invest in logistics, which boosted the city's status as a transport and logistics hub.
There are numerous hotels that reside in Aqaba but new hotels are also under construction.
Aqaba is the only seaport of Jordan so virtually all of Jordan's exports depart from here. Heavy machinery industry is also flourishing in the city with regional assembly plants being located in Aqaba such as the Land Rover Aqaba Assembly Plant. By 2006 the ASEZ had attracted $8bn in committed investments, beating its $6bn target by 2020 by a third and more in less than a decade. The goal was adjusted to bring in another $12bn by 2020, but in 2009 alone, deals worth $14bn were inked.[15] Some projects currently under construction are:
- Saraya Aqaba, a $700 million resort with a man made lagoon, luxury hotels, villas, and townhouses that will be completed by 2010.
- Ayla Oasis, a $1 billion resort around a man made lagoon with luxury hotels, villas, a 18-hole golf course. It also has an Arabian Venice theme with apartment buildings built along canals only accessible by walkway or boat. A water park is part of the project. This project will be completed by 2017.
- Tala Bay, a $500 million resort with a manmade lagoon, luxury hotels such as the Hilton and villas. It is already completed. It also has a beach club that hosts the annual Distant Heat Festival, a rave held 1 August.
- Marsa Zayed, a $10 billion marina community that is the largest real estate project in Jordan's history, which maximizes frontage on the Gulf of Aqaba to create a vibrant mixed-use community. Part of the Jordanian government's initiative to double its tourism economy by 2010, Marsa Zayed is designed to help fuel the country's growth by providing more than 300 yacht berths in a luxury marina, a cruise ship terminal and a mix of hotels, apartments, villas and townhouses for more than 50,000 people. This project will be completed by 2017.[16]
- The Red Sea Astratium, the world's only Star Trek themed park, worth $1.5 billion will be completed by 2014. The park will span 184 acres (74 ha) will include "technologically advanced attractions, five-star accommodation, captivating theatrical productions," and night-time spectacles. The project will include four hotels and provide 500 job opportunities in the coastal city.[17]
- Port relocation. Aqaba's current port will be relocated to the southernmost part of the province near the Saudi border. Its capacity will surpass that of the current port. The project costs $5 billion, and it will be completed by 2013.
- Aqaba will be connected by the national rail system which will be completed by 2013. The rail project will connect Aqaba with all Jordan's main cities and economic centers and several countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Syria.
- The Aqaba Container Terminal (ACT) handled a record 587,530 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2008, an increase of 41.6% on the previous year. To accommodate the rise in trade on the back of the increasing popularity of container shipping and the stabilising political situation in Iraq, the Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC) has announced plans for a new port. The port relocation 20 km to the south will cost an estimated $600m and will improve infrastructure, while freeing up space for development in the city. Plans for upgrading the King Hussein International Airport (KHIA) and the development of a logistics centre will also help position Aqaba as a regional hub for trade and transport.[15]
Transportation[link]
By land[link]
The city is connected to the rest of Jordan by the Desert Highway and the King's Highway. Aqaba is connected to Eilat, Israel by the Wadi Araba crossing and to Haql, Saudi Arabia by the Durra Border Crossing. There are many bus services between Aqaba and Amman and the other major cities in Jordan. JETT and Trust International are the most common lines.[18] These buses use the Desert Highway. Taxi services are also available between Aqaba and Eilat.
The Aqaba railway system is only used for cargo transportation and no longer functions for travellers, with the exception of the route to Wadi Rum.
By sea[link]
The Arab Bridge Maritime company vessels connect Aqaba to the Egyptian ports of Taba and Nuweiba. More than one million passengers travelled between Aqaba and the ports of Nuweiba and Sharm el-Sheikh by ferries. An Abu Dhabi consortium of companies called 'Al Maabar' has won the bid to relocate and manage the Aqaba Port for 30 years and expand the existing ferry terminal which receives about 1.3 million passengers and thousands of trucks and cars coming from across the shore in Egypt.
By air[link]
King Hussein International Airport connects Aqaba to Amman, Sharm el-Sheikh, Dubai and Alexandria and several destinations in Europe. It is the headquarters of the Jordan Aviation Airlines.
Education[link]
The universities and institutes in Aqaba are mostly scheduled to start their first academic semesters in the years 2011–2012:
- Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts
- University of Jordan at Aqaba[19] (2009)
- Aqaba University of Technology (2011)
- American University of Aqaba (2009)
- British University of Aqaba (2009)
- Institute of Banking Studies: Aqaba Branch
Panoramic View[link]
Sister cities[link]
Varna, Bulgaria
Málaga, Spain
Saint Petersburg, Russia
See also[link]
- International Arab Divers Village
- Aqaba Flagpole
- Aqaba Archaeological Museum
- King Hussein International Airport
- Wadi Araba Crossing
- ASEZA
- Jordan Maritime Authority
- Arab Bridge Maritime
- Disi Water Conveyance Project
References[link]
- ^ "دائرة الإحصاءات العامة: عدد السكان (المقدر) حسب المحافظات والجنس لعام 1997". Dos.gov.jo. http://www.dos.gov.jo/sdb_pop/sdb_pop_a/ehsaat/alsokan/2004/2008/2-4.htm. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ Mayhew 2006, p. 218
- ^ "Atlas Tours". Atlas Tours. http://www.atlastours.net/jordan/aqaba_history.html. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ "Aseza ::". Aqabazone.com. http://www.aqabazone.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ a b "DoS Jordan Aqaba Census" (PDF). http://www.dos.gov.jo/dos_home/cens_aqaba/aqabacity8.4.pdf. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ "Final Ann Rep Eng" (PDF). http://www.aqabazone.com/files/ANN%20REP%20ENG.pdf. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ "JORDAN’S PORT CITY AQABA CHOSEN AS ARAB TOURISM CAPITAL FOR 2011 | Brunei NEWS, Brunei HEADLINES from Brunei fm". News.brunei.fm. 25 February 2010. http://news.brunei.fm/2010/02/25/jordans-port-city-aqaba-chosen-as-arab-tourism-capital-for-2011/. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ "King visits Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority | ASEZA ::". Aqabazone.com. http://www.aqabazone.com/index.php?q=node/529. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Aqaba". Magicjordan.net. http://magicjordan.net/en/sites/details/30/Aqaba. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ "Arkia to operate flights to Aqaba – Israel Travel, Ynetnews". Ynetnews.com. 20 June 1995. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3872851,00.html. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ "arabeuropetravel.com". arabeuropetravel.com. http://arabeuropetravel.com/17.html. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ "ATO: Jordan turned Aqaba into a distinguished city". Zawya. 10 February 2010. http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100211041816/ATO:%20Jordan%20turned%20Aqaba%20into%20a%20distinguished%20city. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ a b [3][dead link]
- ^ "Portfolio : Marsa Zayed". Callison. http://www.callison.com/ourWork/index.cfm?display=project&Project_ID=147. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ "AFP: 'Trekkies' to boldly go to Jordan theme park". Google. 9 August 2011. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jr7il9bYa_Fn_vHoIp-qansz5pBQ?docId=CNG.6f08b4fcf043d70be37b9edd855f5ee0.71. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ Mayhew 2006, p. 226
- ^ "University of Jordan- Aqaba campus". Ju.edu.jo. http://www.ju.edu.jo/AqabaBranch.aspx. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
Resources[link]
- Mayhew, Bradley (April 2006) [1987]. Jordan (6 ed.). Footscray: Lonely Planet. ISBN 1-74059-789-3.
External links[link]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Aqaba |
- Traditional Jordanian Folk Song from The Port City of Aqaba
- Aqaba Marketing and Tourism Directorate
- Getting to Aqaba
Coordinates: 29°31′N 35°00′E / 29.517°N 35°E / 29.517; 35
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
