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Gulf of Aden
Map of the Gulf of Aden
Location	Arabian Sea
Coordinates	12°N 48°E / 12°N 48°E / 12; 48Coordinates: 12°N 48°E / 12°N 48°E / 12; 48
Type	Gulf
Average depth	500 m (1,600 ft)
Max. depth	2,700 m (8,900 ft)
Max. temperature	28 °C (82 °F)
Min. temperature	15 °C (59 °F)

The Gulf of Aden, formerly known as the Gulf of Berbera, is a gulf amidst Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea and Guardafui Channel to the east, Somalia to the south, and Djibouti to the west. In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, and in the southeast, it connects with the Indian Ocean through the Guardafui Channel.^[1][2]

The waterway is part of the important Suez Canal shipping route between the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Sea in the Indian Ocean, with 21,000 ships crossing the gulf annually.^[3]

Names

In antiquity, the gulf was one of the most important parts of the Erythraean Sea of ancient Greek geography.

The English first knew it as the Gulf of Berbera (Somali: Gacanka Berbera), after the principal port of its southern coast.^[4][5]

Its present name (Arabic: خليج عدن‎, Ḫalīǧ ʻAdan) derives from the importance of the former British Crown Colony of Aden on its northern coast, now part of Yemen.

The gulf is also known to the Somalis as the Gacanka Cadmeed.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

Limits

The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Gulf of Aden as follows:^[6]

On the Northwest – The southern limit of the Red Sea [A line joining Husn Murad (12°40′N 43°30′E / 12.667°N 43.500°E / 12.667; 43.500) and Ras Siyyan (12°29′N 43°20′E / 12.483°N 43.333°E / 12.483; 43.333)].

On the Northwest – The eastern limit of the Gulf of Tadjoura (A line joining Obock and Lawyacado).

On the East – The meridian of Cape Guardafui (Ras Asir, 51°16'E).

Hydrography

The temperature of the Gulf of Aden varies between 15 °C (59 °F) and 28 °C (82 °F), depending on the season and the 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,^[7] while the oxygen content in the Gulf of Aden at the same depth is typically between 4.0 and 5.0 mg/L.^[7]

Economy

A dhow in the Gulf of Aden.

The Gulf of Aden is a vital waterway for shipping, especially for Persian Gulf oil, making it an integral waterway in the world economy.^[8] Approximately 11% of the world's seaborne petroleum passes through the Gulf of Aden on its way to the Suez Canal or to regional refineries.^[9] The main ports along the gulf are Aden, Balhaf, Bir Ali, Mukalla, and Shokra in Yemen; Djibouti City in Djibouti; Zeila, Berbera, Maydh, and Las Khorey in Somaliland; and Bosaso in Somalia.

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

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

In the late 2000s, the gulf evolved into a hub of pirate activity. By 2013, attacks in the waters had steadily declined due to active private security and international navy patrols.^[10] India receives USD 50 billion in imports and sends USD 60 billion in exports through this area annually. Due to this, and for the sake of protecting the trade of other countries, India keeps a warship escort in this area.^[11]

Ecology

A geologically young body of water, the Gulf of Aden has a unique biodiversity that contains many varieties of fish, coral, seabirds and invertebrates. This rich ecological diversity has benefited from a relative lack of pollution during the history of human habitation around the gulf. However, environmental groups fear that the lack of a coordinated effort to control pollution may jeopardize the gulf's ecosphere.^[12]Whales, dolphins, and dugongs^[13] were once common^[14] before being severely reduced by commercial hunts, including by mass illegal hunts by Soviet Union and Japan in 1960s to 70s.^[15] Critically endangered Arabian humpback whales were once seen in large numbers,^[16] but only a few large whales still appear in the gulf waters, including Bryde's whales,^[17]blue whales,^[18] and toothed whales inhabiting deep-seas such as sperm whales^[19] and tropical bottlenose whales.^[20]

See also

• 
  Erythraean Sea, ancient name of the Gulf


• Maritime Security Patrol Area


• International fleet of vessels in the Gulf of Aden

Images

Space Station photograph of the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa

References

External links

• 
  Media related to Gulf of Aden at Wikimedia Commons


• 
  Pollak, Richard (April 22, 2009). "The Cost of Doing Business on the Open Sea". The Nation.