Facts about the Red Sea
- 08
Shipping routes through the Red Sea experienced a 15% decrease in traffic during 2024 following Houthi militant attacks on commercial vessels in the strategic waterway.
- 07
Ancient Egyptians called the Red Sea the Erythraean Sea, and Pharaoh Hatshepsut's expedition around 1470 BCE sailed its waters to establish trade routes with the Land of Punt.
- 06
Over 300 species of sharks and rays inhabit the Red Sea, including the critically endangered sawfish, which uses its distinctive saw-like snout to detect prey in the seafloor.
- 05
Approximately 3.2 million years ago, the Red Sea began forming as the African and Arabian tectonic plates diverged, creating a rift valley that continues to widen at a rate of 1.6 centimeters annually.
- 04
Between 1953 and 1956, the Red Sea's water temperature ranged from 21°C in winter to 27°C in summer, making it one of the world's warmest sea bodies throughout the year.
- 03
Coral reefs spanning 3,000 square kilometers line the Red Sea's coasts, supporting over 1,200 fish species found nowhere else on Earth due to the body of water's geographic isolation.
- 02
Salinity levels in the Red Sea average 40 parts per thousand, making it one of Earth's saltiest bodies of water due to high evaporation and limited freshwater inflow.
- 01
At 1,932 meters deep, the Suez Canal connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, enabling roughly 12% of global trade to pass through annually.