Page 199 - NS-2 Textbook

Maritime Geography of the Eastern Seas

Oil-its source and the sea routes over which it travels- Ports alld Naval Bases. The port of Suez is important
dominates most trade in the seas south of Asia. From the because it is the southern anchorage for ships waiting to
Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea, the routes go westward to go through the canal northward to the Mediterranean
the Red Sea and Suez, and eastward through the Strait of Sea. Port Said (Sa-cd') on the northern end of the canal is
Malacca and the seas around China to Japan. The trade important for the saIne reason. Mese\,\Ta (Me-sa' -V\Ta) is
moves fronl easternAfrica~ India, Indonesia, and western the only port and naval base in Ethiopia. Jidda, a seaport
Australia to Suez. It moves from China, Japan, Indonesia, in Saudi Arabia, serves as a port of entry for the Moslem
and the islands of the Pacific to the West Coast of the holy city of Mecca, about forty miles inland.
United States and South America. Suez to Singapore, Djibouti U6-bM' -tel, the capital city and port in the
the most important British lifeline of past years, still is nation of the same name, is the major African port on the
the scene of trade and travel between the Orient and the Horn of Africa, on the Gulf of Aden. It not only serves its
West. own country but also is the main port for shipment of
Because of the sh'ategic importance of the Middle Ethiopian inlportS and exports. The major port of the
East-its \varm-water ports; its oil; and its hundreds of area is Aden, capital of Yemen (Yem' -an).
millions of people, many trying to survive with weak Strategic Geography. The Red Sea is a strategic water-
governments and poor envirOluuents-U.s. naval forces way. Along with the Suez Canal and Gulf of Suez to its
operate routinely in the Indian Ocean. The U.S. Fifth
Fleet flagship has its homeport in Manama, Bahrain. The
United States tries to maintain friendships in the region
despite political and economic unrest. TIurd World na- Suez C,"'al--1
tions are hying to improve the lives of their people, and
must look to the seas to do so. Gulf of

THE RED SEA AND GULF OF ADEN
TIle Red Sea is a warm, very salty sea stretching some
SAUDI
1,300 miles southeast from the Egyptian port of Suez to N
the Strait of Bab el Mandeb. It is only 90 to 200 miles ARABIA
wide, with an area of 169,000 square miles. The Axial
Trough in the very middle of the narrow sea is the deep-
SUDAN
est at 9,580 feet near the Saudi Arabian port of Jidda
Uid' -a).
Millerals. The Red Sea has no known oil deposits. It
is a possible fuhITe source of valuable metals, hO'wever.
Pools of boiling hot brine are found in the Axial Trough.
These waters are rich in dissolved metals, including zinc
and copper, in the seabed muds. Someday it may be pos- ETHIOPIA
sible to nnne these nnnerals.
Fishillg. TIlere is not much fishing in the Red Sea.
Many kinds of fish are caught, but except for sardines
near the Gulf of Suez, there is no major fishery. Lights are
Suez, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Horn of Africa. The
used to attract fish to the nets, since coral reefs make bot- southern entrance to the Red Sea is controlled by the Strait of Bab
tom trawling risky and expensive. el Mandeb. The oil fields of the Persian Gulf are at the upper right.

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