Red Sea Riviera
Encyclopedia
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
Riviera, in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, consists of the resort cities lying on the western shore of the Gulf of Aqaba
Gulf of Aqaba
The Gulf of Aqaba is a large gulf located at the northern tip of the Red Sea. In pre twentieth-century and modern sources it is often named the Gulf of Eilat, as Eilat is its predominant Israeli city ....
and along the eastern coast of mainland Egypt south of the Gulf of Suez
Gulf of Suez
The northern end of the Red Sea is bifurcated by the Sinai Peninsula, creating the Gulf of Suez in the west and the Gulf of Aqaba to the east. The Gulf of Suez is formed within a relatively young, but now inactive rift basin, the Gulf of Suez Rift, dating back about 28 million years...
. The combination of a favorable climate, warm sea, thousands of kilometers of shoreline, abundant natural and archaeological points of interest makes this stretch of Egypt’s coastline a popular national and international tourist destination. Many cities and towns in the area are well-known internationally for their outstanding beauty, as the Egyptian Red Sea Riviera is considered one of the most beautiful shorelines in the entire world, even more beautiful than Egypt's Mediterranean Riviera
Northern coast of Egypt
The Mediterranean Coast of Egypt or the Northern Coast of Egypt, known in Arabic Al-Sāḥil al-Shamāliy, extends for about from Rafah in the east on Sinai Peninsula to Sallum in the west on the Egyptian-Libyan border...
. Numerous locations of the Red Sea Riviera are national Parks, both under water and on land. Desert and marine life are protected by a number of laws, and visitors not abiding to the regulations may be subjected to heavy fines.
Listed in geographic order, from north to south:
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On the Sinai Peninsula
Sinai Peninsula
The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt about in area. It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa, effectively serving as a land bridge between two...
:
- TabaTaba (Egypt)Taba is a small Egyptian town near the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba. Taba is the location of Egypt's busiest border crossing with neighboring Israel. Little more than a bus depot and a luxury hotel , Taba is a frequent vacation spot for Egyptians and tourists, especially those from Israel on...
- NuweibaNuweibaNuweiba is a coastal town in the eastern part of Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. Located on the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba, it sits at around . It is believed by many to be the site of the Exodus account of ancient Israelites crossing the Red Sea.-Geography:...
- DahabDahabDahab is a small town situated on the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. Formerly a Bedouin fishing village, located approximately northeast of Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab is considered to be one of the Sinai's most treasured diving destinations...
- Sharm-El-Sheikh
- Ras SidrRas SudarRas Sidr is an Egyptian city located on the Gulf of Suez and the Red Sea coast. It is a part of the South Sinai Governorate, and consists of three areas: Wadi Sidr, Abu Sidr and Soerp. The region has been known since ancient biblical times....
- Ras Muhammad National Park
- Straits of TiranStraits of TiranThe Straits of Tiran , are the narrow sea passages, about wide, between the Sinai and Arabian peninsulas which separate the Gulf of Aqaba from the Red Sea...
Sinai's nearby islands include:
- Tiran IslandTiran IslandTiran is an Egyptian-administered island that belongs to Egypt and is being claimed by Saudi Arabia. It is located at the entrance of the Straits of Tiran, which separates the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aqaba. It has an area of about 80 km2...
- Sanafir IslandSanafir IslandSanafir Island is an island that belongs to Saudi Arabia in the Straits of Tiran east of Tiran Island. It measures 33 km² in area....
- Pharaoh's IslandPharaoh's IslandPharaoh's Island refers to an island in the northern Gulf of Aqaba off the shore of Egypt's eastern Sinai Peninsula.-History:In the 12th century, Crusaders defending the route between Cairo and Damascus controlled by the nearby city of Aqaba, in Jordan, built a citadel on the small island, which...
On the Western Red Sea shore:
- Ain SukhnaAin SukhnaAin Sukhna, is a town in Suez Governorate, Egypt, lying on the western shore of the Red Sea's Gulf of Suez. It is situated 55 km south of Suez and approximately 120 km east of Cairo.-Etymology:...
- Gamsha Bay
- El Gouna
- Ras GharibRas GharibRas Gharib is a municipality in the Red Sea Governorate, Egypt, situated on the African side of the Gulf of Suez. It is the second-largest city in the governorate after Hurghada, and one of the leading centers of petroleum production in Egypt, having housed the main operations for first the...
- HurghadaHurghadaHurghada is a city in the Red Sea Governorate of Egypt. It is a main tourist center and second largest city in Egypt located on the Red Sea coast.- Overview :...
- Sahl Hasheesh Bay
- Serrenia
- Makadi Bay
- Soma BaySoma BaySoma Bay is a coastal resort on the Red Sea in Egypt, 45 km south of Hurghada International Airport. The ten million m², self-contained community of Soma Bay is a peninsula surrounded on all sides by the sea...
- Shoni Bay
- Safaga
- QuseirAl-QusairAl-Qusair is a city in Egypt. Approximately 5000 year old, it lies along the Red Sea...
- Port Ghalib
- Marsa AlamMarsa AlamMarsa Alam is a town in south-eastern Egypt, located on the western shore of the Red Sea. It is currently seeing fast increasing popularity as a tourist destination and development following the opening of Marsa Alam International Airport in 2001....
- Hamata
- Berenice Troglodytica
- Hala'ibHala'ibHala'ib or Halayeb is a Red Sea port and town, located in the Hala'ib Triangle, a area disputed between Egypt and Sudan. The town lies on the southern tip of the Egyptian Red Sea Riviera and is near the ruins of medieval Aydhab...
- Alshalateen
- Ras BanasRas BanasRas Banas is a peninsula in Egypt extending into the Red Sea. The inlet of water sheltered to the south of it is called Foul Bay, at the head of which sits the ancient port of Berenice...
- Foul BayFoul BayFoul Bay is an inlet of water on the Egyptian side of the Red Sea. It is located slightly north of the Tropic of Cancer. The town which lies at the most inland section of the bay is Berenice. The northern part of Foul Bay is a peninsula called Ras Banas....
- Abu Shar
- Abu Tig, El Gouna
- Gebel ElbaGebel ElbaGebel Elba or Elba Mountain is a peak and, in general, includes the associated mountainous area in the Hala'ib Triangle area. This area, despite being claimed by Sudan, is currently under Egyptian control.-Geography:...
- Wadi Gimal
- Gubal Strait
- TarabinTarabinTarabin may refer to:*Tirabin al-Sana, a Bedouin village in Israel*Nuweiba, a resort in Sinai, Egypt...
town
Red Sea islands include:
- ShadwanShadwanShadwan is a barren rocky island in the mouth of the Gulf of Suez in the northern Red Sea. Situated some 20 miles from Sharm el-Sheikh, the island is in length, and between 3 and 5 km wide. It was formerly also called Shaker Island...
- St. John's Island, EgyptSt. John's Island, EgyptSt. John's Island is the largest of a group of islands in Foul Bay, Red Sea in Southern Egypt. It covers an area of 4.50 square kilometres . It is not a quaternary volcanic island, but rather is believed to be an upthrusted part of upper mantle material. The nearest island is Rocky Island...
- Mukawwa IslandMukawwa IslandMukawwa Island is a small shore island in the Red Sea. It is owned by Egypt and can be found at the northern entrance to Foul Bay. It is one of a small group of islands which litter Foul Bay including Rocky Island and St. John's Island...
- Rocky Island
- Green Island (Egypt)
- Abu Minqar Island
See also
- Egypt's Mediterranean RivieraNorthern coast of EgyptThe Mediterranean Coast of Egypt or the Northern Coast of Egypt, known in Arabic Al-Sāḥil al-Shamāliy, extends for about from Rafah in the east on Sinai Peninsula to Sallum in the west on the Egyptian-Libyan border...
- Turkish RivieraTurkish RivieraThe Turkish Riviera is a term used to define an area of southwest Turkey encompassing Antalya, Muğla and to a lesser extent the provinces of Aydın, southern İzmir and western Mersin...
- Italian RivieraItalian RivieraThe Italian Riviera, or Ligurian Riviera is the narrow coastal strip which lies between the Ligurian Sea and the mountain chain formed by the Maritime Alps and the Apennines...
- French RivieraFrench RivieraThe Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
- Mayan Riviera