Bab - el - Mandeb - wikipedia Bab - el - Mandeb Bab - el - Mandeb Bab - el - Mandeb area with description. Coordinates 12 ° 35 ′ N 43 ° 20 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 12.583 ° N 43.333 ° E ﻿ / 12.583 ; 43.333 Coordinates : 12 ° 35 ′ N 43 ° 20 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 12.583 ° N 43.333 ° E ﻿ / 12.583 ; 43.333 Basin countries Djibouti, Eritrea and Yemen Max. length 31 mi ( 50 km ) Max. width 12 mi ( 19 km ) Average depth − 609 ft ( − 186 m ) Islands Seven Brothers, Doumeira, Perim The Bab - el - Mandeb ( Arabic : باب المندب, lit. `` Gate of Tears '' ) is a strait located between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Contents 1 Name 2 Geography 3 History 4 Sub-region 4.1 Demographics 5 Population centers 5.1 Djibouti 5.2 Yemen 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 External links Name Bathymetric map of the Red Sea with the Bab - el - Mandeb at the bottom right The strait derives its name from the dangers attending its navigation, or, according to an Arab legend, from the numbers who were drowned by the earthquake which separated Arabia from the Horn of Africa. Geography The Bab - el - Mandeb acts as a strategic link between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. In 2006, an estimated 3.3 million barrels ( 520,000 m ) of oil passed through the strait per day, out of a world total of about 43 million barrels per day ( 6,800,000 m / d ) moved by tankers. The distance across is about 20 miles ( 30 km ) 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 2 miles ( 3 km ) wide and 16 fathoms ( 30 m ) deep, while the western, or Dact - el - Mayun, has a width of about 16 miles ( 25 km ) and a depth of 170 fathoms ( 310 m ). 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. History Paleo - environmental and tectonic events in the Miocene epoch created the Danakil Isthmus, a land bridge forming a broad connection between Yemen and Ethiopia. During the last 100,000 years eustatic sea level fluctuations have led to alternate opening and closing of the straits. According to the recent single origin hypothesis, the straits of Bab - el - Mandeb were probably witness to the earliest migrations of modern humans. It is presumed that at this time, the oceans were much lower and the straits were much shallower or dry, allowing a series of emigrations along the southern coast of Asia. According to Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church tradition, the straits of Bab - el - Mandeb were witness to the earliest migrations of Semitic Ge'ez speakers into Africa, occurring c. 1900 BC, roughly around the same time as the Hebrew patriarch Jacob. The Kingdom of Aksum was a major regional power in the Horn of Africa. It extended its rule across the strait with the conquest of the Himyarite Kingdom shortly before the rise of Islam. The United Kingdom unilaterally seized the island of Perim in 1799 on behalf of its Indian empire. Britain reasserted its ownership in 1857 and erected a lighthouse there in 1861, using it to command the Red Sea and the trade routes through the Suez Canal. On February 22, 2008, a company owned by Tarek bin Laden unveiled plans to build a bridge named Bridge of the Horns across the strait, linking Yemen with Djibouti. Middle East Development LLC has issued a notice to construct a bridge passing across the Red Sea that would be the longest suspended passing in the world. The project has been assigned to engineering company COWI in collaboration with architect studio Dissing + Weitling, both from Denmark. It was announced in 2010 that Phase 1 had been delayed and as of mid-2016 nothing more has been heard about the project. Sub-region The Bab - el - Mandeb is also a sub-region in the Arab League, which includes Djibouti, Yemen, and Eritrea. Demographics Bab - el - Mandeb : Country Area ( km2 ) Population ( 2016 est. ) Population density ( per km2 ) Capital GDP ( PPP ) $ M USD GDP per capita ( PPP ) $ USD Djibouti 23,200 846,687 37.2 Djibouti City $3.327 $3,351 Eritrea 117,600 6,380,803 51.8 Asmara $9.121 $1,314 Yemen 527,829 27,392,779 44.7 Sana'a $58,202 $2,249 Total 668,629 34,620,269 29.3 / km2 Various $70,650 $1841 Population centers The most significant towns and cities along both the Djiboutian and Yemeni sides of the Bab - el - Mandeb Djibouti Khôr ' Angar Moulhoule Fagal Yemen At Turbah Cheikh Saïd See also Strait : Red Sea Dam Region : Arab League Maghreb Mashriq Notes References ^ Jump up to : Baynes, T.S., ed. ( 1878 ), `` Bab - el - Mandeb '', Encyclopædia Britannica, 3 ( 9th ed. ), New York : Charles Scribner 's Sons, p. 179 Jump up ^ World Oil Transit Chokepoints Archived February 18, 2015, at the Wayback Machine., Energy Information Administration, US Department of Energy Jump up ^ Henri J. Dumont ( 2009 ). The Nile : Origin, Environments, Limnology and Human Use. Monographiae Biologicae. 89. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 603. ISBN 9781402097263. Jump up ^ Climate in Earth History. National Academies. 1982. p. 124. Jump up ^ Official website of EOTC Archived June 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ BBC NEWS Africa Tarek Bin Laden 's Red Sea bridge Jump up ^ Tom Sawyer ( May 1, 2007 ). `` Notice - to - Proceed Launches Ambitious Red Sea Crossing ''. Engineering News - Record. Jump up ^ `` CIA World Factbook ''. The World Factbook. Langley, Virginia : Central Intelligence Agency. External links `` Bab - el - Mandeb '', Encyclopædia Britannica, 3 ( 11th ed. ), 1911, p. 91 Notice - to - Proceed Launches Ambitious Red Sea Crossing Sea crossing African seas Oceans and seas Alboran Sea Atlantic Ocean Indian Ocean Levantine Sea Mediterranean Sea Red Sea Southern Ocean Gulfs and bays Abu Qir Bay Acheïl Dakhlet Al Hoceima Bay Algiers Bay Algoa Bay Ambas Bay Ana Chaves Bay Angra de Cintra Antongil Bay Antsiranana Bay Arab 's Gulf Baía Almeida Baía da Condúcia Baía da Corimba Baía de Mocambo Baía de Mossuril Baía de Namibe Baia de Porto Amboim Baía de Santa Marta Baía de Sucujaque Baía de Tombua Baía do Ambriz Baía do Bengo Baía do Dande Baía do Govuro Baía do Lúrio Baía do Nzeto Baía do Suto Baia dos Tigres Baie de Gorée Baie de Sangareya Baie de Yof Bandombaai Bay of Anfile Bay of Arguin Bay of Aseb Bay of Arzew Bight of Benin Bay of Beylul Bay of Edd Bay of Hawakil Bay of Langarano Bay of Saint - Augustin Bay of Tangier Benguela Bay Bera'esoli Betty 's Bay Bight of Biafra Bocock 's Bay Bombetoka Bay Bootbaai Bosluisbaai Cape Cross Bay Cape Negro Bay Chake - Chake Bay Chameis Bay Chwaka Bay Conception Bay Cuio Bay Dakhlet Nouadhibou Dalwakteah Bay Deurloopbaai Doringbaai Dungonab Bay Durissa Bay Elands Bay Enseada das Pombas Enseada de São Braz Enseada do Catumbo Enseada do Chalungo Enseada do Quicombo Enseada do Quitungo Enseada dos Três Irmãos Equimina Bay False Bay Farta Bay Fernao Veloso Bay Foul Bay Frederik se Baai Grosse Bucht Gulf of Aden Gulf of ' Agig Gulf of Gabès Gulf of Guinea Gulf of Hammamet Gulf of Sirte Gulf of Suez Gulf of Tadjoura Gulf of Tunis Gulf of Zula Hafun Bay South Hann Bay Harrison Cove Henties Bay Hirghīgo Bahir Selat'ē Horingbaai Hottentotsbaai Hurdiyo Hydra Bay Inhambane Bay Jammer Bucht John Owen Bay Kalawy Bay Kiwaiyu Bay Lambert Bay Lamu Bay Langbaai Loango Bay Lobito Bay Luanda Bay Lüderitz Bay McDougall Bay Manza Bay Maputo Bay Markusbaai Memba Bay Menai Bay Meob Bay Mietjie Frans se Baai Moraha Bahir Selat'ē Mossel Bay Möwebaai Noopbaai Oran Gulf Pemba Bay Pipas Bay Platbaai Plaatjieskraalbaai Plettenbergbaai Pointe - Noire Bay Port Alexander, Angola Prinzen Bucht Río de Oro Bay Rock Bay Roode Bay Rooiwalbaai Saint Francis Bay Saint Francis Bay ( Eastern Cape ) St Helena Bay Saint Sebastian Bay Saldanha Bay Sandwich Harbour Sierra Bay Skoonbergbaai Skurfbaai Slangbaai Sodwana Bay Sofala Bay Somnaasbaai Spencer Bay Struisbaai Spoegrivierbaai Swartstraat Table Bay Thysbaai Tietiesbaai Ungama Bay Walker Bay Walvis Bay ( bay ) Yawri Bay Straits Bab - el - Mandeb Bab Iskender Canal de Bolama Canal de Bolola Canal de Caió Canal de São Vicente Canal do Meio Mafia Channel Massawa Channel Mozambique Channel ‎ Pemba Channel Shubuk Channel Guardafui Channel Strait of Gibraltar Strait of Sicily Straits of Tiran Zanzibar Channel Historical seas Aethiopian Sea Erythraean Sea Sea of Zanj WorldCat Identities GND : 4575483 - 4 VIAF : 247384671 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bab-el-Mandeb&oldid=864865678 '' Categories : Straits of Asia Straits of Africa Straits of the Indian Ocean Arabian mythology Bodies of water of Yemen Bodies of water of Djibouti Bodies of water of the Red Sea Gulf of Aden Borders of Yemen Borders of Djibouti Borders of Eritrea International straits Djibouti -- Eritrea border Hidden categories : Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from EB9 Webarchive template wayback links Coordinates on Wikidata Articles containing Arabic - language text Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Asturianu Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه বাংলা Bân - lâm - gú Башҡортса Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Bosanski Català Cebuano Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית Basa Jawa ქართული Kiswahili Kurdî Кыргызча Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar Македонски മലയാളം მარგალური Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Нохчийн Norsk Norsk nynorsk Occitan Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча پنجابی Polski Português Română Русский Scots Simple English Slovenčina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Татарча / tatarça ไทย Türkçe Türkmençe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt Winaray 吴语 粵語 中文 67 more Edit links This page was last edited on 20 October 2018, at 01 : 00 ( UTC ). 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Question: what is the name of the strait between djibouti and yemen
Answer: Bab-el-Mandeb