Geologically, it is part of the Red Sea Rift which itself is part of the Great Rift Valley; the most well-known rift valley on Earth. Scientific research believes the Red Sea to have originated from the Indian Ocean flooding the rift valley millions of years ago upon the Arabian African tectonic plates drifting apart, and expects it to eventually continue to drift apart and separate Africa and Asia entirely. This body of water, one of the first large bodies of water mentioned in recorded history, also has extensive cultural and historical significance as it has been being used and accessed by empires, cultures, religions, and explorers for over 4,500 years.
Like the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea is one of the most saline bodies of water in the world largely due to high evaporation rates and insignificant freshwater inflow, with its salinity typically recorded at 40-41 parts per thousands (ppt) but capable of reaching 50 ppt in certain areas. This measure is compared to the typical range of sea water salinity at 33-37 ppt. While the Red Sea does reach depths of 3,000 meters at its deepest point, it is holistically shallow, with one-quarter of the Red Sea being less than 50 meters deep. As the Red Sea simultaneously contains some of the world’s hottest water from two distinct monsoon seasons thus making it the world’s most northern tropical sea, it is the habitat of over 1,200 fish species and 200 soft and hard corals. These unique characteristics and the extensive presence of marine life and corals led the World Wide Fund for Nature to identify the Red Sea as a “Global 200” ecoregion and a priority for conservation.
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Still, because of its geographical location, the Red Sea has been used as a vital maritime shipping route since ancient times. According to the U.S. Naval Institute, about 12% of global maritime trade transits the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. Without this route, ships traveling between the Indian Ocean and Europe have to sail around the southern tip of Africa, extending their journey by at least 10 days, or by about 30%. There are also several types of mineral resources found in the Red Sea region—including petroleum deposits, evaporite deposits (magnesite, gypsum, etc.), sulfur, phosphates, and heavy-metal deposits—that have caught the attention of governments and private entities.
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