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; 43.333Coordinates: 12°35′N 43°20′E / 12.583°N 43.333°E / 12.583; 43.333
Basin countries	Djibouti,  Eritrea,  Yemen
Max. length	80 mi (130 km)
Max. width	25 mi (40 km)
Average depth	−609 ft (−186 m)
Islands	Seven Brothers, Doumeira, Perim

The Bab-el-Mandeb (Arabic: باب المندب, lit. "Gate of Tears") or Mandeb Strait 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.

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 Eritrea and Djibouti from Yemen or Arabia.

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 m³) of oil passed through the strait per day, out of a world total of about 43 million barrels per day (6,800,000 m³/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.