Bab El-Mandeb Strait

The Bab-el-Mandeb is a strait located between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. It is approximately 26 kilometers wide at its narrowest point and is a critical chokepoint for global energy security, with an estimated 5.1 million barrels of oil passing through it per day. The strait is divided into two channels by the island of Perim, with the eastern channel being 5.37 kilometers wide and 29 meters deep, and the western channel being 20.3 kilometers wide and 310 meters deep. The strait is significant for maritime trade, with most exports of petroleum and natural gas from the Persian Gulf passing through it, and its closure could impact global energy security by forcing tankers to divert around the southern tip of Africa.learn more on wikipedia