Gulf of Suez

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 formed within a relatively young, but now inactive rift basin, the Gulf of Suez Rift, dating back about 28 million years. It stretches some 300 km north by northwest, 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. The entrance of the Gulf lies atop the mature Gemsa oil and gas field.

The Gulf of Suez occupies the northwestern arm of the Red Sea between Africa proper (west) and the Sinai Peninsula (east) of Egypt. It is the third arm of the triple junction rift system. The second arm of the triple junction system is the Gulf of Aqaba.

The length of the gulf, from its mouth at the Strait of Jubal to its head at the city of Suez, is 195 miles (314 km), and it varies in width from 12 to 20 miles (19 to 32 km).

References

External links

• A large-scale map of the Gulf
• Satellite photographs of the Gulf, and of the Suez Canal