AQABA, GULF OF

Arabic Khalij Al-'aqabah, northeastern arm of the Red Sea, penetrating between Saudi Arabia and the Sinai Peninsula. It varies in width from 12 to 17 miles (19 to 27 km) and is 100 miles (160 km) long. The gulf lies in a pronounced cleft between hills rising abruptly to about 2,000 feet (600 m). Navigation is difficult because of the gulf's narrow entrance at the Straits of Tiran and its islands, coral reefs, and sudden squalls. The Gulf of Aqaba is part of the complex East African Rift System, and its head touches the Egyptian, Israeli, Jordanian, and Saudi Arabian boundaries. Although Dhahab (Dahab), Egypt, is the only sheltered harbour along the gulf, Jordan and Israel created the ports of Al-'Aqabah and Elat, respectively, as outlets to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.