The Red Sea is a critical seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean positioned directly between Africa and Asia, linked to the ocean in the south through the Bab el-Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. To the north, it is bordered by the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez, which connects to the Mediterranean Sea via the artificial Suez Canal. Countries with coastlines along this vital marine body include Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Eritrea, Yemen, and Jordan.