Bab-el-Mandeb
Bab-el-Mandeb | |
---|---|
topographical map (bottom). | |
Location | Between Northeast Africa and West Asia |
Coordinates | 12°35′N 43°20′E / 12.583°N 43.333°E |
Basin countries | Djibouti, Eritrea and Yemen |
Max. length | 31 mi (50 km) |
Min. width | 16 mi (26 km) |
Average depth | 609 ft (186 m) |
Islands | Seven Brothers, Doumeira, Perim |
The Bab-el-Mandeb (
Name
The strait derives its name from the dangers attending its navigation or, according to an Arab legend, from the numbers who were drowned by an earthquake that separated the Arabian Peninsula from the Horn of Africa.[3]
In "Bab-el-Mandeb", "Bab" means "gate" while "Mandeb" means "lamentation" or "grief".
Geography
The distance across is about 26 kilometres (14 nmi) from Ras Menheli in Yemen to Ras Siyyan in Djibouti. The island of Perim divides the strait into two channels, of which the eastern, known as the Bab Iskender (Alexander's Strait), is 5.37 kilometres (2.90 nmi) wide and 29 metres; 96 feet (16 fathoms) deep, while the western, or Dact-el-Mayun, has a width of 20.3 kilometres (11.0 nmi) and a depth of 310 metres; 1,020 feet (170 fathoms). Near the coast of Djibouti lies a group of smaller islands known as the "Seven Brothers". There is a surface current inwards in the eastern channel, but a strong undercurrent outwards in the western channel.[3]
Significance in the maritime trade route
The Bab-el-Mandeb acts as a strategic link between the
Chokepoints are narrow channels along widely used global sea routes that are critical to global energy security. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is 26 kilometres (14 nautical miles) wide at its narrowest point, limiting tanker traffic to two 2-mile-wide channels for inbound and outbound shipments.[4][3]
Closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could keep tankers originating in the Persian Gulf from transiting the Suez Canal or reaching the SUMED Pipeline, forcing them to divert around the southern tip of Africa, which would increase transit time and shipping costs.
In 2006, an estimated 3.3 million barrels (520,000 m3) of oil passed through the strait per day, out of a world total of about 43 million barrels per day (6,800,000 m3/d) moved by tankers.[6] This rose by 2014 to 5.1 million barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil, condensate and refined petroleum products headed toward Europe, the United States, and Asia, then an estimated 6.2 b/d by 2018. Total petroleum flows through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait accounted for about 9% of total seaborne-traded petroleum (crude oil and refined petroleum products) in 2017. About 3.6 million b/d moved north toward Europe; another 2.6 million b/d flowed in the opposite direction mainly to Asian markets such as Singapore, China, and India.[4]
History
According to
The
The British presence continued until 1967 when the island became part of the People's Republic of South Yemen. Before the handover, the British government had put forward before the United Nations a proposal for the island to be internationalized[11][12] as a way to ensure the continued security of passage and navigation in the Bab-el-Mandeb, but this was refused.
In 2008 a company owned by
Sub-region
The Bab-el-Mandeb is also a
Demographics
Bab-el-Mandeb:[15] | ||||||
Country | Area (km2) |
Population (2016 est.) |
Population density (per km2) |
Capital
|
GDP (PPP) $M USD | GDP per capita (PPP) $ USD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yemen | 527,829 | 27,392,779 | 44.7 | Sana'a
|
$58,202 | $2,249 |
Eritrea | 117,600 | 6,380,803 | 51.8 | Asmara | $9.121 | $1,314 |
Djibouti | 23,200 | 846,687 | 37.2 | Djibouti City | $3.327 | $3,351 |
Total | 668,629 | 34,620,269 | 29.3 / km2 | Various | $70,650 | $1,841 |
Population centers
The most significant towns and cities along both the Djiboutian and Yemeni sides of the Bab-el-Mandeb:
Djibouti
Yemen
See also
Strait:
Region:
Rail (tunnel or bridge) transport:
- Rail transport in Djibouti
- Rail transport in Eritrea
- Rail transport in Somalia
- Rail transport in Yemen
References
- ^ Wehr's Arabic-English Dictionary, 1960.
- ^ "BP pauses all Red Sea shipments after rebel attacks". BBC News. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Baynes, T. S., ed. (1878), Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 3 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, p. 179 ,
- ^ a b c "The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a strategic route for oil and natural gas shipments". www.eia.gov. August 27, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2023. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ISBN 9789004509368.
- ^ World Oil Transit Chokepoints Archived February 18, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Energy Information Administration, US Department of Energy
- ISBN 9781402097263.
- ISBN 9780309033299.
- ^ Official website of EOTC Archived June 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Gavin, p. 291.
- ISBN 0-521-32856-X.
- ^ Hakim, pp. 17-18.
- ^ "Tarek Bin Laden's Red Sea bridge". BBC News.
- ^ Tom Sawyer (May 1, 2007). "Notice-to-Proceed Launches Ambitious Red Sea Crossing". Engineering News-Record.
- ^ "CIA World Factbook". The World Factbook. Langley, Virginia: Central Intelligence Agency.
External links
- Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 3 (11th ed.), 1911, p. 91 ,
- Notice-to-Proceed Launches Ambitious Red Sea Crossing
- Sea crossing