Bab el-Mandeb Strait

Bab el-Mandeb Strait

Arabic  Bāb al-Mandab  

      strait between Arabia (northeast) and Africa (southwest) that connects the Red Sea (northwest) with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean (southeast). The strait is 20 miles (32 km) wide and is divided into two channels by Perim Island; the western channel is 16 miles (26 km) across, and the eastern is 2 miles (3 km) wide. With the building of the Suez Canal, the strait assumed great strategic and economic importance, forming a portion of the link between the Mediterranean Sea and East Asia. The flow through this strait provides for the circulation between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, since no flow takes place through the Suez Canal. The strait's Arabic name means “the gate of tears,” so called from the dangers that formerly attended its navigation.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bab-el-Mandeb — Basin countries  Yemen …   Wikipedia

  • Bab el Mandeb — [bab′ el man′deb΄] strait joining the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden: 20 mi (32 km) wide …   English World dictionary

  • Mandeb, Strait of — or Bab el Mandeb Arabic Bāb al Mandab Strait that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. Its land boundaries are the Arabian Peninsula (northeast) and the African coast (southeast), which are separated by some 20 mi (32 km). The strait is… …   Universalium

  • Bab el-Mandeb — /bæb ɛl ˈmændɛb/ (say bab el mandeb) noun a strait between eastern Africa and south western Arabia, connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. 32 km wide …  

  • Bab el Mandeb — Bab el Man•deb [[t]ˌbɑb ɛl ˈmɑn dɛb[/t]] n. geg a strait between NE Africa and the SW tip of the Arabian peninsula, connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. 20 mi. (32 km) wide …   From formal English to slang

  • Bab al Mandeb — strait between southwest Arabia and Africa connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Bab el Mandeb — geographical name strait between SW Arabia & Africa connecting Red Sea & Gulf of Aden …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Bab el Mandeb — /bahb el mahn deb/ a strait between NE Africa and the SW tip of the Arabian peninsula, connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. 20 mi. (32 km) wide. * * * …   Universalium

  • BAB-EL-MANDEB —    (i. e. the Gate of Tears), a strait between Asia and Africa forming the entrance to the Red Sea, so called from the strong currents which rush through it, and often cause wreckage to vessels attempting to pass it …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • Bab el Mandeb — /bahb el mahn deb/ a strait between NE Africa and the SW tip of the Arabian peninsula, connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. 20 mi. (32 km) wide …   Useful english dictionary

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