Gulf of Aqaba
| Gulf of Aqaba | ||
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 Aerial photograph taken from the space shuttle STS-40 |
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| Waters | Red Sea | |
| Land mass | Sinai Peninsula , Arabian Peninsula | |
| Geographical location | 28 ° 41 ′ N , 34 ° 42 ′ E | |
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| width | 29 km | |
| length | 175 km | |
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The Gulf of Aqaba (in ancient times Aelaniticus Sinus , Arabic خليج العقبة Khalidsch al-Aqaba , DMG Ḫalīǧ al-ʿAqaba ), occasionally after the Israeli coastal city of the Gulf of Eilat ( Hebrew מפרץ אילת Mifraz Eilat ), next to the Gulf of Suez , forms one of the two elongated bays in which the Red Sea runs out at its northern end. It separates the Arabian Peninsula from the Sinai Peninsula . The transition between the open sea and the northeasternly terminating Gulf of Aqaba forms a strait with islands and reefs at its southern end , the Strait of Tiran .
The countries bordering the Gulf are Egypt , Israel , Jordan (with the city of Akaba as namesake) and Saudi Arabia . While the Gulf provides Jordan with the only sea access, it offers Israel - in addition to its Mediterranean neighbors - direct access to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean .
The Gulf of Aqaba extends from its origin on the Strait of Tiran for a length of about 175 km. At its widest point, it measures 29 km. The maximum depth is given as 1850 meters. At the northern end are three major cities: Taba in Egypt, Eilat in Israel and Akaba in Jordan. All of these cities are commercially important ports, Aqaba is the only seaport in Jordan, and they are popular vacation spots for tourists who enjoy the warm climate.
The Gulf of Aqaba, like the coastal regions of the Red Sea, is a paradise for snorkelers and divers. It is rich in a variety of different corals and other marine life. Some wrecks, both from sunken and sunken ships, are popular diving sites and a habitat for marine life.
From a geological perspective, the Gulf of Aqaba is part of the Great African Rift Valley, which runs northward from East Africa through the Red Sea and further towards the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley .
