O Red Sea is a gulf, in other words, an indentation of sea water on the continent draws attention for its beauty and the biodiversity of marine life.
Location: It lies between the Asian and African continents, to the north it is limited by the Sinai Peninsula, to the east by the Arabian Peninsula and to the west by the African coast. It bathes Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel.
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According to Schreiber and Ryan, in the Red Sea text, the Red Sea has a maximum width of 300 km, a maximum depth of 3,040 meters and a length of 1,900 km. The diversity of corals attract hundreds of fish species, thousands of invertebrate species and hundreds of shark species.
Schreiber and Ryan also point out that the Red Sea has one of the saltiest waters in the world, it has a blue-green coloration, one of the hypotheses for The name "Red Sea", consists of the high amount of algae Trichodesmium erythraeum, which when dying turns red, becoming stretches of the sea. reddish.
There are also other hypotheses for attributing the name of this sea, such as the wear of rocks, composed of iron ore, which are subsequently carried by the wind to the Sea, turning it reddish.
Based on the theory of plate tectonics, the Red Sea was originated through the divergent movement (distance) between the Arabian Plate and the African Plate, approximately 30 million years ago, the separation between the plates, which occurs through a slow process, gave rise to the indentation of sea water on the continent, forming the Sea Red. This theory allows us to say that it is still in formation, as the divergent movement of tectonic plates continues to occur, therefore, the tendency is for the Sea to increase its extension (in the east - west direction) with the passing of the years old.
Geologist Manzig, in his text Continental Drift & Plate Tectonics, states that the Red Sea exemplifies an ocean in formation. We can compare this process of formation of the Red Sea with the process of formation of the Atlantic Ocean, 200 million years ago, the divergent movement between the South American Plate and the African Plate began, giving rise to the Atlantic Ocean, then this ocean, just as the Red Sea is in the process of expansion, since in both cases the divergent movement between the tectonic plates is still exist.
The natural characteristics of the Red Sea, clear water, temperature between 20°C and 25°C and biodiversity draw the attention of tourists and divers, a fact that drives the economy of countries bathed in this sea.
Schreiber and Ryan, described in an article, that in the Red Sea region there are deposits of oil, natural gas, gypsum, dolomite, sulfur, among others, which are or were explored at different levels by the countries neighboring the Sea Red.
These activities are important aspects of economic activity in the countries of the Red Sea region. However, not all mineral resources are extracted due to the depth that some deposits are found or low concentration of ores.
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According to Melo, from 1930 to the present day, the Dead Sea has dropped 34 meters. At first the only cause that led to the decline of the Dead Sea was evaporation, but since 1970 two causes have accelerated the process:
Several hypotheses and projects were considered in an attempt to save the Dead Sea, currently, a US company created a project that intends to connect the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, as the Dead Sea lies in an area of depression, 420 meters below sea level, the waters of the Red Sea would be transported by impulse Natural. The project also foresees the construction of desalination plants, to prevent the increase in the level of salinity in the sea Dead, the water channel (carried from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea) could also be used for energy production electrical devices.
Melo also highlights in his article, “A sea in search of water”, that there are disadvantages in the project, such as the high cost to carry out the necessary works and environmental impacts that can be triggered in the Dead Sea and the Sea Red.
It was built in Egypt, on the Sinai Peninsula, with the aim of connecting the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, that is, allows contact between East and West, allows Europeans to access Asia, without having to travel around the continent African. It is an extremely important channel, as approximately 10% of commercial routes pass through it.
This channel is 195 km long, is considered the largest artificial channel in the world and there was no need to build locks (because the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea are at the same level), recently, Egypt created a new project to expand the channel, it would be an increase of 35 km in length, in addition to increasing the width and depth of the channel. channel.
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