Editing Gulf of Aden

{{short description|Gulf between the Horn of Africa and Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name               = Gulf of Aden
| image              = ISS062-E-51221 - View of Earth.jpg
| caption            = 
| image_bathymetry   = Gulf_of_Aden_map.png
| caption_bathymetry = The Gulf of Aden, as viewed from space ''(top)'' and on a map ''(bottom)''
| location           = [[East Africa]] and [[West Asia]]
| coords             = {{Coord|12|N|48|E|type:waterbody_scale:5000000|display=title,inline}}
| type               = [[Gulf]]
| inflow             = 
| outflow            = 
| catchment          = 
| basin_countries    = {{collapsible list
  | {{flag|Djibouti}}
  | {{flag|Somalia}}
  | {{flag|Yemen}}
  }}
{{collapsible list
  | title      = {{nowrap|1 ''[[de facto]]''}}<ref name="Hodd22">Michael Hodd, ''East Africa Handbook'', 7th Edition, (Passport Books: 2002), p. 21: "To the north are the countries of the Horn of Africa comprising Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti, "</ref>
  | titlestyle = text-align:left;padding-right:4em;font-weight:normal;background-color:whitesmoke; | {{flag|Somaliland}}
}}
| length             = 
| width              = 
| area               = {{cvt|410,000|km2}}{{dubious|1=This would make it about the same size as the neighbouring Red Sea, which is obviously much larger.|date=April 2022}}
| depth              = {{convert|500|m|abbr=on}}
| max-depth          = {{convert|2700|m|abbr=on}}
| volume             = 
| residence_time     = 
| salinity           = 
| shore              = 
| temperature_high   = {{convert|28|°C|°F}}
| temperature_low    = {{convert|15|°C|°F}}
| frozen             = 
| islands            = 
| trenches           = 
| benches            = 
| cities             = [[Aden]], [[Zinjibar]], [[Shuqrah]], [[Ahwar]], [[Balhaf]], [[Mukalla]], [[Ash-Shihr]], [[Hami, Yemen|al-Hami]], [[Hadibu]], [[Qulensya]], [[Berbera]], [[Bulhar]], [[Maydh]], [[Djibouti (city)|Djibouti]], [[Zeila]], [[Las Khorey]], [[Bosaso]]
| mapframe           = yes
| mapframe-zoom      = 4
| mapframe-stroke-width = 1
}}
The '''Gulf of Aden''' ({{langx|ar|خليج عدن}}; {{langx|so|Gacanka Cadmeed}}<!--for historical notation purposes-->) is a deepwater gulf of the [[Indian Ocean]] between [[Yemen]] to the north, the [[Arabian Sea]] to the east, [[Djibouti]] to the west, and the [[Guardafui Channel]], the [[Socotra Archipelago]], [[Puntland]] in [[Somalia]] and [[Somaliland]] to the south.<ref>Lytle, Ephraim. "Early Greek and Latin Sources on the Indian Ocean and Eastern Africa." Early Exchange between Africa and the Wider Indian Ocean World. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2016. 113-134.</ref> In the northwest, it connects with the [[Red Sea]] through the [[Bab-el-Mandeb]] strait, and it connects with the [[Arabian Sea]] to the east. To the west, it narrows into the [[Gulf of Tadjoura]] in [[Djibouti]]. The [[Aden Ridge]] lies along the middle of the gulf, and tectonic activity at the ridge is causing the gulf to [[seafloor spreading|widen]] by about {{convert|15|mm|in|abbr=on|2}} per year.

The ancient Greeks regarded the gulf as one of the most important parts of the "[[Erythraean Sea]]". It later came to be dominated by Muslims, as the area around the gulf converted to [[Islam]]. From the late 1960s onwards, there was an increased [[Soviet Navy|Soviet naval]] presence in the Gulf. The importance of the Gulf of Aden declined while the [[Suez Canal]] was closed, but it was revitalized when the canal was reopened in 1975, after being deepened and widened by the [[Government of Egypt|Egyptian government]].

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.<ref name="yah1">{{cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081202/ap_on_re_af/piracy |title=Pirates fire on US cruise ship in hijack attempt: Yahoo! News |access-date=2008-12-04 |publisher=[[Yahoo!]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204080826/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081202/ap_on_re_af/piracy |archive-date=December 4, 2008 }}</ref> This route is often used for the delivery of [[Persian Gulf]] [[Petroleum|oil]], making the gulf an integral waterway in the [[world economy]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Important cities along the Gulf of Aden include the namesake [[Aden]] in [[Yemen]]. Other Yemeni cities are [[Zinjibar]], [[Shuqrah]], [[Ahwar]], [[Balhaf]], [[Mukalla]], [[Ash-Shihr]], [[Hami, Yemen|al-Hami]], [[Hadibu]], and [[Qulensya]]. On the African side are the cities of [[Djibouti (city)|Djibouti]], [[Berbera]] and [[Bosaso]].

Despite a lack of large-scale commercial fishing facilities, the coastline supports many isolated fishing towns and villages. The Gulf of Aden is richly supplied with fish, turtles, and lobsters.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/reference/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/aden-gulf|title=Aden, Gulf of {{!}} Encyclopedia.com|website=www.encyclopedia.com|access-date=2019-06-14|archive-date=2019-10-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026183352/https://www.encyclopedia.com/reference/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/aden-gulf|url-status=live}}</ref> Local fishing takes place close to the shore; sardines, tuna, kingfish, and mackerel make up the bulk of the annual catches. Crayfish and sharks are also fished locally.

==Historical names==
[[File:Ibn Majid Gulf of Berbera.png|thumb|upright|[[Ahmad ibn Mājid|Ibn Majid]] referring to the Gulf as the ''Gulf of [[Berbera]]'']]
In [[classical antiquity|antiquity]], the [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greeks]] viewed what is now called the Gulf of Aden as an extension of the [[Erythraean Sea]] (Red Sea) {{langx|grc|Ἐρυθρὰ Θάλασσα}}, ''Erythrà Thálassa''. They named several of the islands in the gulf, including one they called Stratonis, although it is no longer clear which Greek name referred to which island.<ref>[[William Smith (lexicographer)|Smith, William]] (editor); ''[[Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography]]'', [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0064;layout=;query=id%3D%2312506;loc=stratoniceia-geo "Stratonis Insula"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240522132615/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0064&redirect=true |date=2024-05-22 }}, [[London]], (1854)</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/16D*.html|title=LacusCurtius • Strabo's Geography — Book XVI Chapter 4|website=penelope.uchicago.edu|access-date=2021-02-19|archive-date=2021-06-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612122218/https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/16D%2A.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In [[Abu'l-Fida]]'s ''A Sketch of the Countries'' ({{langx|ar|تقويم البلدان}}), the present-day Gulf of Aden was called the Gulf of Berbera, which shows how important [[Berbera]] was in both regional and international trade during the medieval period.<ref>[http://www.idref.fr/026676869 Identifiants et Référentiels Sudoc Pour L'Enseignement Supérieur et la Recherche - Abū al-Fidā (1273-1331)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420092100/https://www.idref.fr/026676869 |date=2023-04-20 }} {{in lang|fr}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Lewicki|first1=Tadeusz|title=Arabic External Sources for the History of Africa to the South of Sahara|date=1974|pages=33|publisher=Curzon Press|language=en}}</ref>

Legendary navigator [[Ahmad ibn Mājid|Ibn Majid]] also referred to the Gulf of Aden as the Gulf of Berbera in his 15th century magnum opus ''The Book of the Benefits of the Principles and Foundations of Seamanship''.<ref>{{cite book|title=الفوائد في أصول علم البحر والقواعد|page=129|language=ar|first=Ahmad|last=Ibn Majid}}</ref> Berbera has been a prominent port since antiquity.<ref name="Periplus">{{Cite web |url=http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/periplus.html |title=Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, Schoff's 1912 translation |access-date=2020-12-31 |archive-date=2014-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814160845/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/periplus.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Geography==

===Limits===
The [[International Hydrographic Organization]] defines the limits of the Gulf of Aden as follows:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://iho.int/uploads/user/pubs/standards/s-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf|title=Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition|year=1953|publisher=International Hydrographic Organization|access-date=28 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008191433/http://www.iho.int/iho_pubs/standard/S-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf|archive-date=8 October 2011}}</ref>

::''On the northwest'' – the southern limit of the [[Red Sea]] [a line joining [[Hisn Murad]] ({{Coord|12|40|N|43|30|E}}) and [[Ras Siyyan]] ({{Coord|12|29|N|43|20|E}})]

::''On the east'' – the meridian of [[Cape Guardafui]]

::The [[Gulf of Tadjoura]] is part of the Gulf of Aden, forming its western end.

===Hydrography===
The temperature of the Gulf of Aden varies between {{convert|15|C|F}} and {{convert|28|C|F}}, depending on the season and the [[monsoon]]s. The [[salinity]] of the gulf at {{convert|10|m|ft}} depth varies from 35.3 [[‰]] along the eastern Somali coast to as high as 37.3 ‰ in the gulf's center,<ref name=fao>{{cite book|url=http://www.fao.org/WAIRDOCS/FNS/FN023E/begin.htm#Contents| chapter-url=http://www.fao.org/WAIRDOCS/FNS/FN023E/ch2.htm| title=Report on Cruise No. 3 of R/V "Dr. Fridtjof Nansen" - Indian Ocean Fishery and Development Programme - Pelagic Fish Assessment Survey North Arabian Sea| chapter=Hydrographic Survey Results|publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)|year=1975|access-date=2011-04-23}}</ref> while its oxygen content at the same depth is typically between 4.0 and 5.0&nbsp;mg/L.<ref name="fao" />

{{anchor|Trade|Commerce}}

==Exclusive economic zone==
[[Exclusive economic zones]] in Gulf of Aden:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.seaaroundus.org/data/#/eez|title=Sea Around Us &#124; Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity|website=www.seaaroundus.org|access-date=2020-09-13|archive-date=2016-02-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223181456/http://www.seaaroundus.org/data/#/eez|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.seaaroundus.org/data/#/eez/706?chart=catch-chart&dimension=taxon&measure=tonnage&limit=10|title=Sea Around Us &#124; Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity|website=www.seaaroundus.org|access-date=2020-09-13|archive-date=2016-02-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223181456/http://www.seaaroundus.org/data/#/eez/706?chart=catch-chart&dimension=taxon&measure=tonnage&limit=10|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.seaaroundus.org/data/#/eez/917?chart=catch-chart&dimension=taxon&measure=tonnage&limit=10|title=Sea Around Us &#124; Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity|website=www.seaaroundus.org|access-date=2020-09-13|archive-date=2016-02-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223181456/http://www.seaaroundus.org/data/#/eez/917?chart=catch-chart&dimension=taxon&measure=tonnage&limit=10|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.seaaroundus.org/data/#/eez/262?chart=catch-chart&dimension=taxon&measure=tonnage&limit=10|title=Sea Around Us &#124; Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity|website=www.seaaroundus.org|access-date=2020-09-13|archive-date=2016-02-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223181456/http://www.seaaroundus.org/data/#/eez/262?chart=catch-chart&dimension=taxon&measure=tonnage&limit=10|url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%"
|-
!width=75|Number
!width=250|Country
!width=100|Area (Km<sup>2</sup>)
|-
| align=center|1 || '''{{YEM}}''' || align=center|509,240
|-
| align=center|2 || '''{{SOM}}''' and '''{{Flag|Somaliland}}''' || align=center|831,059
|-
| align=center|3 || '''{{DJI}}''' || align=center|7,037
|- style="background:#9acdff;"
!Total
|'''Gulf of Aden ''' || align=center|'''1,347,336''' 
|}

==Economy==
[[File:Dhow Gulf of Aden.jpg|thumb|right|A [[dhow]] in the Gulf of Aden]]
{{see also|Somali piracy}}
The Gulf of Aden is a vital waterway for shipping, especially for [[Persian Gulf]] [[Petroleum|oil]], making it an integral waterway in the [[world economy]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMWOXNFGLE_index_0.html|title=Earth from Space: The Gulf of Aden – the gateway to Persian oil|publisher=European Space Agency|date=2005-03-01|access-date=2008-04-04|archive-date=2008-03-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080317045047/http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMWOXNFGLE_index_0.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=http://www.itopf.com/information-services/country-profiles/documents/redsea.pdf|title=Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden|publisher=International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF)|year=2003|access-date=2008-04-04|archive-date=2010-12-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101216101730/http://itopf.com/information%2Dservices/country%2Dprofiles/documents/redsea.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The main ports along the gulf are [[Aden]], [[Balhaf]], [[Bi'r Ali|Bir Ali]], [[Mukalla]], and Shokra in [[Yemen]]; [[Djibouti City]] in [[Djibouti]]; [[Zeila]] in [[Somaliland]], [[Berbera]] in [[Somaliland]], and [[Bosaso]] in [[Somalia]].

In [[classical antiquity|antiquity]], the gulf was a thriving area of international trade between [[Ptolemaic Egypt]] and [[Roman Empire|Rome]] in the west and [[Classical India]], [[History of Indonesia#Early kingdoms|its Indonesian colonies]], and [[Han dynasty|Han China]] in the east. It was not limited to [[transshipment]], as Yemeni [[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 (travellers)|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 [[Awsan]] I port [[Crater (Yemen)|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 [[Aksum|Ethiopia]]; after the rise of Islam, the gulf permitted repeated migrations of northwest Africa by Arab settlers.

In the first decade of the 2000s, especially during the [[War in Somalia (2006–2009)|war in Somalia]], the gulf evolved into a hub of [[Piracy in Somalia|pirate]] activity. By 2013, attacks in the waters had steadily declined due to private security and international navy patrols.<ref name="Wapstoas">{{cite news|last=Arnsdorf|first=Isaac|title=West Africa Pirates Seen Threatening Oil and Shipping|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-22/west-africa-pirates-seen-threatening-oil-and-shipping.html|access-date=23 July 2013|newspaper=Bloomberg|date=22 July 2013|archive-date=26 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726141219/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-22/west-africa-pirates-seen-threatening-oil-and-shipping.html|url-status=live}}</ref> India receives US$50&nbsp;billion in imports – and sends US$60&nbsp;billion in exports – through this area annually. To protect its trade and that of other countries, India keeps a warship escort in the area.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thediplomat.com/2011/04/19/india-takes-fight-to-pirates/ |title=India Takes Fight to Pirates |first=Nitin |last=Gokhale |website=the-diplomat.com |publisher=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]] |year=2011 |access-date=19 April 2011 |archive-date=3 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003090038/http://thediplomat.com/2011/04/19/india-takes-fight-to-pirates/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Ecology==

A geologically young body of water, the Gulf of Aden has a unique [[biodiversity]] that includes many varieties of [[fish]], [[coral]], [[seabird]]s and [[invertebrate]]s. This rich ecological diversity has benefited from a relative lack of [[pollution]] by humans in the past. However, environmental groups fear that the lack of a coordinated effort to control pollution may jeopardize the gulf's [[Earth's spheres|ecosphere]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unep.org/regionalseas/Programmes/Non-UNEP_administered_Programmes/Red_Sea_and_Gulf_of_Eden/default.asp|title=Red Sea & Gulf of Aden|publisher=United Nations Environment Programme|year=2005|access-date=2008-04-04|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20050701024758/http://www.unep.org/regionalseas/Programmes/Non-UNEP_administered_Programmes/Red_Sea_and_Gulf_of_Eden/default.asp|archive-date=2005-07-01}}</ref> [[Whale]]s, [[dolphin]]s, and [[dugong]]s<ref>Nasr D.. [http://www.unep.ch/regionalseas/main/persga/rednasr.html Dugongs in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151127025822/http://www.unep.ch/regionalseas/main/persga/rednasr.html |date=2015-11-27 }}</ref> were once common<ref>Hoath R.. 2009. [https://books.google.com/books?id=agWfg6oEKKkC&q=gulf+of+aden+&pg=PA115 A Field Guide to the Mammals of Egypt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428170516/https://books.google.com/books?id=agWfg6oEKKkC&q=gulf+of+aden+&pg=PA115 |date=2023-04-28 }}. pp.112. The [[American University in Cairo Press]]. Retrieved on February 26. 2016</ref> before being severely reduced by commercial hunts, including by mass illegal hunts by the Soviet Union and Japan in the 1960s and 1970s.<ref>Jackson J.. 2006. [https://books.google.com/books?id=QGU1X1HMuQAC&dq=gulf+of+aqaba+whale&pg=PA60 Diving with Giants]{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. p.59. New Holland Publishers Ltd. Retrieved on December 17. 2014</ref> The now critically endangered Arabian [[humpback whale]]s were once seen here in large numbers,<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.int-res.com/articles/meps/149/m149p013.pdf|volume=149|date=1997|journal=Marine Ecology Progress Series|title=Humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae in the Arabian Sea|author=Yuri A. Mikhalev|page=13|doi=10.3354/meps149013|bibcode=1997MEPS..149...13M|doi-access=free|access-date=2020-01-27|archive-date=2020-08-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806073151/https://www.int-res.com/articles/meps/149/m149p013.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> but only a few large whales still appear in the gulf waters, including [[Bryde's whale]]s,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/odyssey/odyssey/20040430_log_transcript.html|title=PBS - The Voyage of the Odyssey - Track the Voyage - MALDIVES|website=www.pbs.org|access-date=2017-08-29|archive-date=2017-10-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019022514/https://www.pbs.org/odyssey/odyssey/20040430_log_transcript.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[blue whale]]s,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/246400.pdf|title=Cetaceans in the Indian Ocean Sanctuary: A Review : A WDCS Science report|website=Vliz.be|access-date=10 August 2018|archive-date=5 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305040958/http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/246400.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> and deep-sea toothed whales such as [[sperm whale]]s<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sailingluna.nl/Yemenn.htm|title=Yemen|website=www.sailingluna.nl|access-date=2016-02-26|archive-date=2016-03-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307081229/http://www.sailingluna.nl/Yemenn.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[tropical bottlenose whale]]s.<ref name=IndieSightings>{{cite journal |last1=Anderson |first1=R. C. |last2=Clark |first2=R. |last3=Madsen |first3=P. T. |last4=Johnson |first4=C. |last5=Kiszka |first5=J. |last6=Breysse |first6=O. |year=2006 |title=Observations of Longman's Beaked Whale (''Indopacetus pacificus'') in the Western Indian Ocean |journal=Aquatic Mammals|volume=32 |issue=2 |pages=223–231 |doi=10.1578/AM.32.2.2006.223 |bibcode=2006AqMam..32..223A }}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Oceans}}
* [[Maritime Security Patrol Area]]
* [[Piracy in Somalia#Current fleet of vessels in operation|International fleet of vessels in the Gulf of Aden]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite magazine |url= https://www.thenation.com/article/cost-doing-business-open-sea/ |title= The Cost of Doing Business on the Open Sea |first= Richard |last= Pollak |magazine= [[The Nation]] |date= April 22, 2009 |access-date= June 18, 2017 |archive-date= September 19, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150919104111/http://www.thenation.com/article/cost-doing-business-open-sea/ |url-status= dead }}

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline}}
* [http://www.nasa.gov/content/space-station-flyover-of-gulf-of-aden-and-horn-of-africa/#.VNj6ifnF8mE Space Station photograph of the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa]

{{List of African seas}}
{{List of seas}}
{{Regions of Africa}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Gulf of Aden| ]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Somalia]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Yemen]]
[[Category:Great Rift Valley]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of the Arabian Sea]]
[[Category:Piracy by body of water]]
[[Category:Gulfs of the Indian Ocean|Aden]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of the Red Sea]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Djibouti]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Somaliland]]
[[Category:Gulfs of Africa]]
[[Category:Western Indo-Pacific]]