AfricaAsia

Northern Red Sea

There are a great many number of paradisiacal places that one is witness to throughout the world. While some of these paradises are right on the land mass on which we survive, there are also great paradises that can be called the treasures of the seas. With more than seventy percent of the entire Earth being covered by water, this does not come off as too much of a surprise. One such paradise is the Northern Red Sea. So beautiful in fact, is the Northern Red Sea that is often referred to as the underwater “Garden of Eden”. The North Sea is truly one of the most brilliant Underwater Wonders of the World. The Red Sea is an inlet of saltwater, which is in the Indian Ocean in the regions between Africa and Asia. This channel that has been present from the creation of the planet, is a natural wonder that is closed to one thousand nine hundred kilometers long, and has varying breaths depending upon the region where it is seen from. The breath of the sea here varies from a hundred to three hundred kilometers. At its deepest, the Northern Sea reaches a depth of five hundred meters. The Red Sea is so called due to a phenomenon wherein a large amount of red algae called Cyno-bacteria or Trichodesmium Erytreum, starts multiplying unabated, leading to the water itself seeming to turn red. The term “Red Sea” is a literal translation of the Greek term “Erythra Thalassa”, which stands for Red Sea.

The coasts of the countries of Jordan, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Eritrea are all fed by the waters of the Northern Red Sea. What makes the strategic positioning of this Sea so spectacular is the fact that all of the countries mentioned earlier all have huge desert coasts. All of these coasts together make the largest expanse of sand in the entire world. However, if you are expecting the Northern Red Sea to be like the desert all around, barren and empty, you are mistaken. The Northern Red Sea has one of the most exclusive and most exhilarating biodiversities on the planet. The ecosystems that survive in the waters of the Northern Red Sea are unlike most others that are found on the face of the Earth. The Northern Red Sea is a brilliant native home for a number of species of corals and a large number of different species of fish.

The Northern Red Sea has been studied to have more than a thousand different species of fish, many thousands of species of invertebrates, and close to four hundred varied species of corals. Close to ten percent of all of these fish, invertebrates, and coral are known to be found only in the Northern Red Sea. The cause for these creatures to be found only in the Northern Red Sea is because of the specific geographical and environmental conditions that have been created over millions of years. The Northern Red Sea is said to be amongst the world’s most saline seas, with the salinity level over here being in the range of 3.6 and 3.8%. Add to that, the statistic that the Northern Red sea has a tidal rate of sixty centimeters or 1.6 feet. The underwater currents in the Northern Red Sea also give rise to a very unique yet life-supporting climate here. During the days of the summer, the temperature of the waters of the Northern Red Sea is 26ºC or 79ºF. The average water temperature of the Northern Red Sea, on the other hand is close to 22ºC or 72ºF. in the period other than this, the temperature of the water varies from time to time, changing by two degrees, at the most.

The underwater life of the Northern Red Sea becomes unbelievably beautiful when one sees the corals that spread for a distance of close to two thousand kilo meters or more than one thousand two hundred miles. Even the species of fish that one is witness here makes one marvel at the grandiose that nature manages in the most diverse of regions and settings. One such fish is the brilliantly colored Red Lionfish. The Lionfish is known to be one of the most beautiful fish species in the world, yet the dorsal spine of the fish is said to be very poisonous, especially the spikes. Found right at the bottom of the sea, the Lionfish waits in silent anticipation for the smaller fish to become its meals. It is a brilliant sight to see the lionfish lurking in nooks and crannies waiting for fish to get ensnared. The other intriguing species of animals that one is witness to over here are the anemones, the clown fish, dolphins, sharks, rays, eels, and the triggerfish. Quite a large part of the ecosystems of the Northern Red Sea is tended to by the Ras Mohamed National Park, which is under the purview of the Government of Egypt. A great many number of people who go to the Ras Mohamed National Park also go on scuba diving excursions to the bottom of the Northern Red Sea.

Among the most popular places to go scuba diving in the Northern Red Sea, and possibly the world is the Aqaba Gulf. Going on a scuba diving exercise in the Aqaba Gulf is especially recommended if you want to see marine life like none that is seen anywhere in the planet. in the sea, one gets to see a great diversity of coral and fish species a great amount of fish schools and activity is noticed in the many shipwrecks that one can see over here. The ships that lie at the bottom of the see provide the most habitable settings for a great many species of fish here. Infact, so brilliant is the place that it has found mention in the Old Testament book of Exodus, which is followed by Christians and Jews the world over. According to the book, the Gulf of Aqaba was the place where Moses parted the sea, and led his people to freedom. There, however, is no scientific basis for this claim.