Gulf of Aqaba

The Gulf of Aqaba (in ancient times Aelaniticus Sinus, Arabic خليج العقبة Chalij al-Aqaba, DMG Ḫalīǧ al-ʿAqaba), occasionally called after the Israeli coastal city of Gulf of Eilat (Hebrew מפרץ אילת Mifraz Eilat), forms, along with the Gulf of Suez, one of the two elongated bays into which the Red Sea empties at its northern end. It separates the Arabian Peninsula from the Sinai Peninsula. The transition between the open sea and the northeastern Gulf of Aqaba is formed at its southern end by a strait with islands and reefs, the Strait of Tiran.

The Gulf's littoral states are Egypt, Israel, Jordan (with the city of Aqaba as its namesake) and Saudi Arabia. While the Gulf provides the only sea access for Jordan, it offers Israel - in addition to its Mediterranean riparianism - direct access to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.

The Gulf of Aqaba extends from its origin at the Strait of Tiran in a length of about 175 km. At the widest point it measures 29 km. The maximum depth is given as 1850 meters. At the northern end are three important cities: Taba in Egypt, Eilat in Israel and Aqaba in Jordan. All these cities are commercially important port cities, Aqaba is the only seaport in Jordan, they are also popular resorts for tourists who enjoy the warm climate.

The Gulf of Aqaba, like the coastal regions of the Red Sea, is considered a paradise for snorkelers and divers. It is rich in a variety of different corals and other marine life. Some wrecks, both of sunken and sunken ships, are popular diving sites and a habitat of marine life.

Geologically, the Gulf of Aqaba is part of the Great African Rift Valley, which runs from East Africa northward through the Red Sea and on toward the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley.