Red Sea

The Red Sea (also the Erythraean Sea) is aseawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. The Red Sea has a surface area of roughly 438,000 km² (169,100 mi²), is about 2250 km (1398 mi) long and, at its widest point, 355 km (220.6 mi) wide. It has a maximum depth of 2211 m (7254 ft) in the central median trench, and an average depth of 490 m (1,608 ft). However, there are also extensive shallow shelves, noted for their marine life and corals. The sea is the habitat of over 1,000invertebrate species, and 200 soft and hard corals. It is the world's northernmost tropical sea.

The name of the sea may signify the seasonal blooms of the red-coloured Trichodesmium erythraeum near the water's surface.  A theory favored by some modern scholars is that the name red is referring to the direction south, just as theBlack Sea's name may refer to north. The association of the Red Sea with the biblical account of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea is ancient, and was made explicit in the Septuagint translation of the Book of Exodusfrom Hebrew to Koine Greek in approximately the third century B.C. 

 

The famous biblical account of the "Red Sea Crossing

Photo Source: Collected from Internet