Red Sea

Table of Contents

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Red Sea and its surroundings

Coral reef in the Red Sea

Red Sea: El Gouna, Egypt

Global shipping through the Suez Canal

Scuba divers in the Red Sea.

Explore the cities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv–Yafo and the natural sites of the Dead Sea and the Red Canyon

For Students

Red Sea summary

Read Next

Sailboat against a beautiful landscape

Which Waters Do You Pass Through When You “Sail the Seven Seas”?

World map. Continents. Oceans. Mendel thumb ok

Just How Many Oceans Are There?

Small canyon underwater carved by the swell into the fore reef with sunlight through water surface, Huahine island, Pacific ocean, French Polynesia.

A Tale of Two Submerged Continents

Discover

Dancers at a Cinco de Mayo festival at the Mission District, San Francisco, California. (Photo dated 2019.) holidays

Is Cinco de Mayo Mexico's Independence Day?

Cathedrale St.Jean in Lyon, France has a 14th-century astronomical clock that shows religious feast days till the year 2019; Perpetual Calendar

Ten Days That Vanished: The Switch to the Gregorian Calendar

Portrait of a mountain gorilla at a short distance. gorilla close up portrait.The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)

Falling Stars: 10 of the Most Famous Endangered Species

Gutzon Borglum. Presidents. Sculpture. National park. George Washington. Thomas Jefferson. Theodore Roosevelt. Abraham Lincoln. Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota.

9 Memorials and Monuments in the United States

Aurochs. Bos primigenius. Skeleton. Extinct animal. Skeleton of an Aurochs, an extinct wild ox.

6 Animals We Ate Into Extinction

US Marines firing at Fallujah, Iraq, during the Second Battle of Fallujah in November 2004. Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq War.

Timeline of the 2000s

Berries and leaves of the bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) plant. Poisonous plant

7 of the World’s Deadliest Plants

Red Sea: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

Sudan envoy to UN says UAE carried out May 4 attacks on Port Sudan from Emirati Red Sea base • May 20, 2025, 4:08 AM ET (Reuters)

Suez Canal offers 15% discount to cargo ships: Will vessels return to the Red Sea route after US-Houthi ceasefire? • May 19, 2025, 2:41 AM ET (The Indian Express)

Israel attacks Yemeni ports, warns that Houthi leader could be target • May 16, 2025, 9:07 AM ET (Straits Times)

HHLA warns of critical Red Sea security impact on supply chains • May 15, 2025, 4:31 AM ET (Jerusalem Post)

Fighter jet goes overboard from USS Harry S Truman. Yemen's Houthis assess Sanaa airport damage • May 7, 2025, 10:29 PM ET (AP)

Photos and Videos

Red Sea and its surroundings

Coral reef in the Red Sea

Red Sea: El Gouna, Egypt

Global shipping through the Suez Canal

Scuba divers in the Red Sea.

Explore the cities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv–Yafo and the natural sites of the Dead Sea and the Red Canyon

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

Persian Gulf Arabian Sea Andaman Sea Timor Sea Bermuda Triangle Caspian Sea Mediterranean Sea Aral Sea Black Sea Salton Sea

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Africa: Formation of the Red Sea

Quiz

water glass on white background. (drink; clear; clean water; liquid)

Water and its Varying Forms

wave. ocean. Cresting ocean wave. Large sea waves. storm, hurricane, tropical cyclone

All About Oceans and Seas Quiz

Shallow staghorn water corals in fringing reef at low tide in Thailand. (coral reefs; endangered area; ocean habitat; sea habitat; coral reef)

Unknown Waters

Demystified

Sailboat against a beautiful landscape

Which Waters Do You Pass Through When You “Sail the Seven Seas”?