|
 northermost part of Gulf of Suez with town Suez on the map of 1856 |
The northern end of the
Red Sea is bifurcated by the
Sinai Peninsula, creating the 'Gulf of Suez' (
Arabic: خليج السويس;
transliterated: Khalyj as-Suways) in the west and the
Gulf of Aqaba to the east. The Gulf of Suez is a relatively young
rift basin, dating back 40 million years.
[1] It stretches some 175 miles north by northeast, terminating at the Egyptian city of
Suez and the entrance to the
Suez Canal. Along the mid-line of the Gulf lies the border between the continents of
Africa and
Asia.
[2] The entrance of the Gulf lies atop the mature
Gemsa oil and
gas field.
[3]
External links
★
A large-scale map of the Gulf
★
Satellite photographs of the Gulf, and of the Suez Canal
★
Detailed geological information on the Gulf, and a photograph from Apollo 7