Suez, Gulf Of

Gulf of Suez, Arabic Khalīj As-suways, northwestern arm of the Red Sea between Africa proper (west) and the Sinai Peninsula (east) of Egypt. The length of the gulf, from its mouth at the Strait of Jubal to its head at the city of Suez, is 195 miles (314 km), and it varies in width from 12 to 20 miles (19 to 32 km). The gulf is linked to the Mediterranean Sea by the Suez Canal (north) and is an important shipping route. Settlements along the gulf are confined to a few fishing and mining villages. In the 1970s and ’80s oil was discovered at numerous locations onshore and offshore in the gulf. On the Sinai coast the harbour of Abū Zanīmah serves the neighbouring Umm Bugma (Bujmah) manganese mines.