Red Sea map in Russian. Red sea. Why is the sea called Red?

Many people associate the Red Sea with a great opportunity to relax at the best, but inexpensive resorts with luxurious beaches, a large selection of hotels for every taste and an abundance of unforgettable entertainment.

The Red Sea on the World Atlas in Russian

Red sea has a number of features. Thanks to them, it is significantly different from other bodies of water.

What country is it located in?

The Red Sea on the world map can be found where the African continent and the Arabian Peninsula diverge.

This body of water is part of the Indian Ocean and is located in a deep tectonic depression.

On north this water area has peculiar borders with, thanks to the Suez Canal, and on south through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait it is connected to the Arabian Sea, which is also part of the Indian Ocean.

Story

Geologically, the reservoir was formed at the junction of the African and Arabian lithospheric plates and it arose relatively recently - about 40 million years ago, when a deep crack arose in the earth's crust. Over millions of years, the hole was filled with ocean water, forming its own flora and fauna. Even today, the plates continue to move, so the shores constantly diverge, and its depth increases.

There are several versions of why the sea got its name:

• In ancient times the south associated with the color red;
• Blooming corals in water they change its shade;
• Red rocks at sunset they give the sea a special hue.

More romantic legends tell that the sea began to be called red when a young man in love decorated the surface of the water for his beloved rose petals. And according to another version, it was in this sea Moses' pursuers drowned, when the waves converged again behind the Jews.

Which countries does it wash?

First of all, the countries that are associated when mentioning the Red Sea coast are and. In addition, the sea is surrounded by six other countries - Jordan, where it forms the Gulf of Aqaba, as well as the coasts of Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Yemen.

Description

Once upon a time the Red Sea was only small basin on the Afro-Asian continent, but over time the plates separated more and more, and the size of the reservoir increased.

Characteristics

Today, the depth in the central part of the sea reaches very impressive dimensions - 3000 meters, the depression from the fault - 1000 meters, and the coastal zone - up to 200 meters.

The length of the reservoir from north to south is 2350 km, and its width is 350 km. Water volume – 450 thousand square meters. km.

There are several features associated with the Red Sea:

1. Into the pond no river flows in, so the water here is much clearer;
2. Heatwave increases the rate of evaporation, increasing the concentration of salt;
3. In the southern part of the sea there are islands, the largest archipelago is Dahlagh;
4. Due to the constantly high temperature, this body of water is considered.

The coast of the resort is very extensive, well-groomed and has good developed infrastructure. It is home to several dive centers offering a variety of dive sites. You can also go to Aqaba to explore the historical ones.

Coastal areas of other countries

Red Sea resorts located in other countries are less known, but most of them are developing steadily. Already available for Massawa holidays in Eritrea.

Thanks to its location on the world map, the Red Sea has all the conditions to ensure that your vacation remains eventful and unforgettable.

You can see where the Red Sea is on the map above. The sea is located between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa in a tectonic basin. Through the Suez Canal in the north the sea connects with the Mediterranean, in the south the sea exits into the Indian Ocean.

The saltiest sea in the world

Of all the seas, the Red Sea is the saltiest, yes, surprisingly, but it is believed that it is saltier than even the Dead Sea. This happens due to the fact that the Dead Sea is closed, and the Red Sea has an influx of salt water through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait where it connects with the Indian Ocean and at the same time, in a hot climate, it has evaporation from the surface of about 2000 mm per year with precipitation of only about 100 millimeters .

A sea into which no river flows

In addition to the hot climate, the Red Sea has one more feature - not a single river flows into the sea, but it is the rivers that carry fresh water to the seas. These are the main factors due to which the Red Sea is considered the saltiest sea in the world; in one year, 1000 cubic kilometers more water is introduced into the Red Sea than flows out of it.

One liter of Red Sea seawater contains about 41 grams of salt. Although in the depths of the sea there are places where there are more than 260 grams of salt per liter. The maximum depth of the sea, according to various estimates, does not exceed three kilometers, officially 2211 meters.

Location: between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa
Washing the shores of countries: Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Israel, Jordan
Square: 438,000 km²
Greatest depth: 2211 m
Coordinates: 20°44"41.1"N 37°55"27.9"E

The Red Sea, located in a tectonic depression and being the third largest inland sea on our planet, the Indian Ocean, is considered the youngest and most interesting in terms of the diversity of flora and fauna.

It is located between the African continent and the Arabian Peninsula. The Red Sea is connected to the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean through the well-known Suez Canal.

Speaking about the Red Sea, you should pay attention to the fact that it is considered the saltiest of all the seas that are part of the World Ocean, which washes all the continents of our planet.

“Why is this sea the saltiest of all the seas?” a person who does not know the geography and location of the Red Sea may ask. The thing is that the Red Sea is the only sea in the whole world into which not a single freshwater river flows. Naturally, it is significantly inferior in salt content to the Dead Sea, but it should be remembered that practically no living organism can survive in the Dead Sea, and the Red Sea amazes even experienced divers with the abundance of life forms. And this despite the fact that the salinity of the water of the magnificent Red Sea is up to 60 grams of salts per liter of water taken for laboratory analysis.

As a comparison, it is worth citing the salinity of the water, popular among domestic tourists, in the Black Sea - it is only 18 grams of salts per liter of water.

In addition, describing the Red Sea, which is rightfully considered one of seven wonders of the underwater world, it is impossible not to mention that this is also the warmest sea on the planet. It is warmed not only by the rays of the sun, but also by the earth’s mantle, that is, in the Red Sea, unlike other seas, not cold, but warm layers of water rise from the depths. In winter, the water warms up to 21 - 23 degrees Celsius, and in summer up to +30. Due to the high temperature of the water and its constant evaporation, the Red Sea became the saltiest in the world, naturally, after the Dead Sea.

Origin of the name of the Red Sea

The Red Sea, according to the most conservative assumptions of scientists, originated 25 million years ago. Therefore, it is, alas, impossible to find out exactly why the Red Sea was called “Red”. There are only a few versions of the origin of the name of the Red Sea, although it is worth mentioning right away that none of them can be considered reliable.

According to the first version, the name comes from the ancient language of the Himyarites - a people who lived in South Arabia long before these lands were captured by the Arabs. The conquerors tried for a long time to decipher the writing of the Semites and decided to read the three letters “X”, “M” and “P” in their own way - “akhmar”, which translated means red. This assumption can be considered as a version that does not deserve special attention: it is difficult to imagine that the Arabs decided to add vowels to a foreign language in order to get a word that would be familiar to them, because they were deciphering the language, and not merging it with their own.

The second version, according to historians, is more plausible, although it is associated with the myths of many peoples who inhabited the territory near the Red Sea. They associated each part of the world with a specific color. The color red was associated with the south, where the sea was located, hence its name. According to documents that have survived to this day and have been deciphered by scientists, the Red Sea was mentioned back in the 2nd century BC, and in the 16th century some researchers called this sea, which is part of the Indian Ocean, Suez.

As mentioned above, the sea was formed even when India began its movement towards to the Asian mainland, and this event happened long before the first person appeared on Earth, so scientists will probably not be able to find out for sure why the saltiest sea that is part of the World Ocean was called “Red”.

The Long History of the Youngest Sea

Over the entire period of its existence, the Red Sea, despite its young age (naturally, according to geological standards), has experienced a number of changes and cataclysms. For 25 million years, which for our planet can be considered only a short moment, the level of the World Ocean has constantly fluctuated, which, by the way, is still happening. Glaciers melted and new ones formed; the waters of the oceans rose and fell by tens, or even hundreds of meters. As soon as the level of the World Ocean dropped significantly, the Red Sea turned into a huge salt lake, where the salt content was several times higher than the amount of salt per liter of water in the Dead Sea.

By the way, at the moment the sea is connected to the ocean by the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The deepest point of the strait is 184 meters. One has only to imagine what will happen if a new ice age begins and the level of the World Ocean drops by 190 meters. The Red Sea will cease to communicate with the waters of the Indian Ocean and will once again become dead. However, this does not threaten our contemporaries and descendants. Such a decrease in the level of the World Ocean occurs over hundreds of thousands of years, so the amazingly beautiful sea that washes the shores of Sudan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and, of course, Egypt will delight everyone who wants to see all the wealth of the underwater world that can only be found in the Red Sea or on the Barrier Reefs.

Scientists have found that the Red Sea quite often lost its “connection” with the World Ocean, and its coast dried up and was covered with salt. As a result of this, even now, alas, you will not find lush vegetation on the shores of the Red Sea, and you will not be able to quench your thirst from the spring that flows. The water underground also tastes salty. Surprisingly, even rains in the Red Sea area will not give life-giving moisture to the soil; they, like the sea and the springs near it, are salty.

Forest by the Red Sea

Yes, dear reader, you heard right, in the northernmost part of the Red Sea there is a forest consisting of mangroves. This forest is part of a nature reserve called Nabq. Only mangroves are able to grow in salt water and do not require constant access to oxygen to the root system.

This amazing plant is able to remove excess salt through its leaves, and life-giving fresh moisture nourishes the wood. Mangroves usually grow together in such a way that it is quite difficult for a person to get through them, and once in a certain area, you can easily find yourself in a trap from which it is impossible to get out without outside help. The mangroves of the Red Sea are home to a huge number of animals and birds, whose lives are monitored by ornithologists and zoologists in the reserve.

Flora and fauna of the Red Sea

If we say that The Red Sea is a real paradise for divers, fishermen and people interested in spearfishing, this will not be an exaggeration. You just have to put on a mask and pick up a snorkel, and right off the coast you can see the enchanting underwater world with many colorful corals, sponges, sea urchins and fish.

Sometimes it seems that each species competes with each other here in terms of brightness of color and unusual shape. The warm and crystal clear waters of the Red Sea support many species of underwater flora and fauna, most of which are endemic. Life underwater is in full swing here and does not stop even in the dead of night.

Today alone, scientists who conduct research in the depths of the Red Sea have discovered and described almost 1,500 invertebrates, and almost the same number of fish species. The waters of the Red Sea are home to almost 300 species of corals, the reproduction of which is a fantastic picture.

Huge sea turtles and frolicking dolphins complement the amazing landscape and tell the tourist that he is in a place where underwater life is revealed to man in all its glory.

It is surprising that, according to ichthyologists, no more than 60% of the underwater inhabitants of the Red Sea have been discovered in our time. The greatest depth of this unique sea is more than 3 kilometers, which means that most deep-sea fish are not yet known to science. So far, only forty-three species of fish living at great depths have been discovered. Also, the Red Sea constantly poses more and more mysteries for scientists. It is still unknown why about 30% of the inhabitants of the northern part of the sea cannot live in its other part.

It seems as if an invisible border prevents them from moving from north to south. Although the chemical composition of water and temperature conditions in these areas are almost identical. Maybe the reason lies in the word “almost”?...

Despite the extraterrestrial beauty of the underwater world, the Red Sea is fraught with a lot of dangers. Touching the most beautiful corals, sponges or fancy jellyfish in the sea is strictly prohibited. This is written about in almost every tourist brochure. A sting from a sea urchin or a bite from a poisonous underwater snake or toothy moray eel can lead to burns, an allergic reaction, severe blood loss, and sometimes death to the victim.

When diving into the depths of the Red Sea, you must remember that it is home to 44 species of sharks. Some of them are quite harmless creatures that live only at great depths and feed on plankton or small fish. However, among them there are also species that are most dangerous to humans, for example, the tiger shark, which often attacks a person for no apparent reason. Its mouth is lined with huge, sharp teeth that can easily tear off a limb. Alas, in recent years, attacks by tiger sharks on vacationers have become more and more frequent, which, for the most part, often end fatally. There is evidence that a great white shark was seen in the Red Sea, which, even according to scientists, is a killing machine.

The Red Sea is one of the most famous and visited seas in the world. It is a huge success among divers and those who like to soak in the calm waves.

Red sea

The Red Sea is one of the inland seas belonging to the basin. Its waters are rightfully considered the saltiest in the world. There are many species of flora and fauna in the Red Sea. It can be called one of the most beautiful seas in the world.

The waters of the Red Sea wash the shores of two continents: and. The water area is 450 tons km2.

The seabed has a varied topography. In the southern part of the water area there is a sandbank, the average depth of which is approximately 200 meters. It contains indigenous and coral islands. There is also a depression that is located over most of the sea. Its average depth is 1000 m. In addition to it, there is a deeper trench, with a maximum depth of 3040 m. However, the average depth of the Red Sea is 437 m.

There are practically no islands in the northern part of the Red Sea. Tiran is considered one of the largest islands. In the southern part of the water area, several groups consisting of small islands are formed. In the southwestern part there are large groups, such as Dahlak, and smaller archipelagos are Suakin, Farasan and Hanish. Also in this part of the sea there are individual islands, for example Kamaran Island.

In the northern part of the coast there are two large bays, which are connected to the sea through the Strait of Tiran. These are the Gulf of Aqaba and Suez. A fault runs along the bottom of the Gulf of Aqaba, the depth of which can reach 1800 meters.

Another feature of the Red Sea is the complete absence of inflowing rivers. Due to this feature, the water in the sea is very transparent, since rivers usually bring sand, clay and silt from the continents, which subsequently affects the transparency of sea water.

Another feature of this delightful part is the increased salinity of the water. One liter of sea water contains 41 grams of salt, which significantly exceeds the levels of other seas and oceans. For example, in the Indian Ocean this figure does not exceed 34 grams per liter of sea water. The Red Sea ranks first in the world in terms of salt content in sea water.

Precipitation over the sea is quite rare. They fall several times a year, and only during the cool winter months. In total there are no more than 100 millimeters per year. Much more evaporates - 2000 millimeters, that is, 20 times more. If you do the math, more than 0.5 centimeters of water evaporate every day. The complete absence of water flow from the continents is compensated by water exchange with the Gulf of Aden, through which the red merges with. There are also currents in the sea area located in the Bab-el-Mandeb Gulf. These currents simultaneously move in and out of the Red Sea.

Tourists from all over the world travel to the warm Red Sea to Sudan, Israel, Egypt, and Eritrea to see the diversity of its underwater world. There are huge coral reefs that stretch along the coast of Egypt and many fish and marine life. For example, bottlenose dolphins, killer whales, angelfish, butterflyfish, plumes, clownfish, moray eels, sharks and a variety of echinoderms such as sea cucumber.

The entire Red Sea coast is dominated by a tropical desert climate. Only the extreme north of the sea coast is located in the Mediterranean climate zone.

The cold period is from December to January, the warm period from July to September. In cooler months, temperatures can reach 20-25 degrees. In the summer months it rises to 35-40, and in the hottest August it can reach up to 500 Celsius.

Thanks to such a high temperature, near the African coast the temperature on the surface of the water in winter is plus 20C, and in summer it is not lower than 27.

Good luck to you in crystal clear water!