page_title: Red Sea
section_title: Ecosystem
hierarchical_section_title: Red Sea / Ecosystem
caption_attribution_description: עברית: שונית אלמוגים באילת Arriba, colonia de Turbinaria; a la derecha Millepora.
context_page_description: The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Arabia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez. It is underlain by the Red Sea Rift, which is part of the Great Rift Valley.
  The Red Sea has a surface area of roughly 438,000 km², is about 2250 km long, and — at its widest point — 355 km wide. It has an average depth of 490 m, and in the central Suakin Trough it reaches its maximum depth of 3,040 m.
  The Red Sea also has extensive shallow shelves, noted for their marine life and corals. The sea is the habitat of over 1,000 invertebrate species and 200 types of soft and hard coral. It is the world's northernmost tropical sea, and has been designated a Global 200 ecoregion.
context_section_description: The Red Sea is a rich and diverse ecosystem. More than 1200 species of fish have been recorded in the Red Sea, and around 10% of these are found nowhere else. This also includes 42 species of deepwater fish. 
  The rich diversity is in part due to the 2,000 km (1,240 mi) of coral reef extending along its coastline; these fringing reefs are 5000–7000 years old and are largely formed of stony acropora and porites corals. The reefs form platforms and sometimes lagoons along the coast and occasional other features such as cylinders (such as the Blue Hole (Red Sea) at Dahab). These coastal reefs are also visited by pelagic species of Red Sea fish, including some of the 44 species of shark.
  It contains 175 species of nudibranch, many of which are only found in the Red Sea.
  The Red Sea also contains many offshore reefs including several true atolls.  Many of the unusual offshore reef formations defy classic (i.e., Darwinian) coral reef classification schemes, and are generally attributed to the high levels of tectonic activity that characterize the area.
  The special biodiversity of the area is recognized by the Egyptian government, who set up the Ras Mohammed National Park in 1983. The rules and regulations governing this area protect local marine life, which has become a major draw for diving enthusiasts.
  Divers and snorkellers should be aware that although most Red Sea species are innocuous, a few are hazardous to humans: see Red Sea species hazardous to humans.
  Other marine habitats include sea grass beds, salt pans, mangroves and salt marshes.
caption: Red Sea coral and marine fish
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