View source for Bab-el-Mandeb

{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{short description|Strait between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti in the Horn of Africa}}
{{redirect|Gate of Grief|the album by White Ring|Gate of Grief (album)}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name               = Bab-el-Mandeb
| image              = Bab-el-Mandeb, outer space.jpg
| caption            = Bab-el-Mandeb as seen from space
| image_bathymetry   = Map of Bab-el-Mandeb.png
| caption_bathymetry = [[locator map]] of the strait
| location           = Between [[Northeast Africa]] and [[West Asia]]
| coords             = {{coord|12|35|N|43|20|E|type:waterbody|display=inline,title}}
| type               = 
| depth              = {{convert|609|ft|abbr=on}}
| inflow             = 
| outflow            = 
| catchment          = 
| basin_countries    = [[Djibouti]], [[Eritrea]] and [[Yemen]]
| length             = {{convert|31|mi|abbr=on}}
| width              = 
| min_width          = {{convert|16|mi|abbr=on}}
| islands            = [[Seven Brothers Islands|Seven Brothers]], [[Doumeira Islands|Doumeira]], [[Perim]]
}}

The '''Bab-el-Mandeb''' ({{langx|ar|باب المندب|lit=Gate of Grief/Tears}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-12-18 |title=BP pauses all Red Sea shipments after rebel attacks |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-67748605 |access-date=2023-12-19}}</ref>) is a [[strait]] 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 by extension the [[Indian Ocean]].

{{anchor|Toponymy|Etymology}}

== Etymology ==
[[File:Bab el Mandeb NASA with description.jpg|thumb|[[Satellite imagery|Satellite photo]] of Bab-el-Mandeb (with labels)]]
In ''Bab-el-Mandeb'', ''Bab'' means "gate" while ''Mandeb'' means "lamentation" or "grief". The strait derives its name from the dangers attending its navigation or, according to an Arab legend, from the numbers who were drowned by an earthquake that separated the [[Arabian Peninsula]] from the [[Horn of Africa]].<ref name="EB 1878, 179">{{cite EB9 |mode=cs2 |wstitle=Bab-el-Mandeb |volume=3  |ref={{harvid|''EB''|1878}} |page=179 }}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Total_petroleum_and_LNG_flows_through_the_Bab_el-Mandeb_Strait_in_2014_through_2018_(48671783212).png|thumb|upright=1.3|Flows of [[petroleum]] products and [[liquefied natural gas]] through the strait, 2014–2018]]

[[Paleo-environmental]] and [[tectonics|tectonic]] events in the [[Miocene]] epoch created the Danakil Isthmus, a land bridge forming a broad connection between Yemen and Ethiopia.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Nile: Origin, Environments, Limnology and Human Use|author=Henri J. Dumont|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|year=2009|series=Monographiae Biologicae|volume=89|isbn=9781402097263|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iF_U1NoknHoC|page=603}}</ref> During the last 100,000 years, [[eustatic sea level]] fluctuations have led to alternate opening and closing of the straits.<ref>{{cite book|title=Climate in Earth History|publisher=National Academies|year=1982|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k0QrAAAAYAAJ|page=124|isbn=9780309033299}}</ref> According to the [[recent single origin hypothesis]], the straits of Bab-el-Mandeb were probably witness to the earliest migrations of [[modern humans]]. It is presumed that the oceans were then much lower and the straits were much shallower or dry, which allowed a series of emigrations along the southern coast of Asia.

In Arab tradition it is reported that in ancient times Asia and Africa were joined together, until
they were split at the Bab-el-Mandeb. [[Yaqut al-Hamawi]] associates the name Bab-el-Mandeb with the 6th century crossing of the [[Kingdom of Aksum|Aksumites]] over the sea to Yemen. Two Sabaean inscriptions of the early 6th century mention ''silsilat al-Mandab'' in connection with the conflict between [[Dhu Nuwas]] and the Aksumites.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: A-C |pages=427}}</ref>

The [[East India Company|British East India Company]] unilaterally seized the island of [[Perim]] in 1799 on behalf of its [[British India|Indian empire]]. The government of [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]] asserted its ownership in 1857 and erected a lighthouse there in 1861, using it to command the [[Red Sea]] and the trade routes through the Suez Canal.<ref name="EB 1878, 179"/> It was used as a coaling station to refuel steamships until 1935 when the reduced use of coal as fuel rendered the operation unprofitable.<ref name="Gavin, p. 291">Gavin, p. 291.</ref>

The British presence continued until 1967 when the island became part of the [[South Yemen|People's Republic of South Yemen]]. Before the handover, the British government had put forward before the [[United Nations]] a proposal for the island to be internationalized<ref>{{cite book |first=Fred |last=Halliday |title=Revolution and Foreign Policy, the Case of South Yemen, 1967–1987 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1990 |page=11 |isbn=0-521-32856-X }}</ref><ref name="Hakim, pp. 17-18">Hakim, pp. 17-18.</ref> as a way to ensure the continued security of passage and navigation in the Bab-el-Mandeb, but this was refused.

{{anchor|Bridge}}
In 2008 a company owned by [[Tarek bin Laden]] unveiled plans to build a bridge named Bridge of the Horns across the strait, linking [[Yemen]] with [[Djibouti]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Tarek Bin Laden's Red Sea bridge<!-- Bot generated title --> |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7259427.stm |publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> Middle East Development LLC issued a notice to construct a bridge passing across the Red Sea that would be the longest suspended passing in the world.<ref>{{cite web |author=Tom Sawyer |title=Notice-to-Proceed Launches Ambitious Red Sea Crossing |url=https://www.enr.com/articles/32155-notice-to-proceed-launches-ambitious-red-sea-crossing |work=[[Engineering News-Record]] |date=May 1, 2007}}</ref> The project was assigned to engineering company [[COWI]] in collaboration with architect studio [[Dissing+Weitling]], both from Denmark but the announced delay to Phase 1 in 2010 and the lack of any further updates since makes this a defunct project.

== Significance in the maritime trade route ==
The Bab-el-Mandeb acts as a strategic link between the [[Indian Ocean]] and the [[Mediterranean Sea]] via the Red Sea and the [[Suez Canal]].  Most exports of petroleum and natural gas from the Persian Gulf that transit the Suez Canal or the [[Sumed pipeline|SUMED Pipeline]] pass through both the Bab el-Mandeb and the [[Strait of Hormuz]].<ref name="EIA">{{cite web |title=The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a strategic route for oil and natural gas shipments |url=https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=41073 |website=www.eia.gov |access-date=November 10, 2023 |language=en |date=August 27, 2019}}{{PD-notice}}</ref> While the narrow width of the strait requires vessels to travel through the [[territorial sea]] of adjacent states, under the purview of Article 37 of the [[United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea]], the legal concept of [[transit passage]] applies to Bab el-Mandeb, although Eritrea (unlike the rest of coastal countries) is not a party to the convention.<ref>{{Cite book|publisher=[[Brill (publisher)|Brill]]|isbn=9789004509368|year=2022|pages=117–118|chapter-url=https://brill.com/display/book/9789004509368/BP000008.xml|chapter=Iran-Israel ‘Shadow War’ in Waters around the Arabian Peninsula and Incidents near the Bab el-Mandeb|title=Hybrid Threats and the Law of the Sea|first=Alexander|last=Lott}}</ref>

Chokepoints are narrow channels along widely used global sea routes that are critical to global energy security. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is {{convert|26|km|nmi|abbr=off}} wide at its narrowest point, limiting tanker traffic to two 2-mile-wide channels for inbound and outbound shipments.<ref name="EIA"/><ref name="EB 1878, 179" />

Closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could keep tankers originating in the Persian Gulf from transiting the Suez Canal or reaching the SUMED Pipeline, forcing them to divert around the southern tip of Africa, which would increase transit time and shipping costs.

In 2006, an estimated {{convert|3.3|Moilbbl|m3}} of oil passed through the strait per day, out of a world total of about {{convert|43|Moilbbl/d|m3/d}} moved by [[Tanker (ship)|tankers]].<ref name="chokepoints">[http://www.eia.gov/countries/regions-topics.cfm?fips=wotc&trk=p3 World Oil Transit Chokepoints] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218222232/http://www.eia.gov/countries/regions-topics.cfm?fips=wotc&trk=p3|date=February 18, 2015}}, Energy Information Administration, US Department of Energy</ref> This rose by 2014 to  5.1 million barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil, condensate and refined petroleum products headed toward Europe, the United States, and Asia, then an estimated 6.2 million b/d by 2018. Total petroleum flows through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait accounted for about 9% of total seaborne-traded petroleum (crude oil and refined petroleum products) in 2017. About 3.6 million b/d moved north toward Europe; another 2.6 million b/d flowed in the opposite direction mainly to Asian markets such as Singapore, China, and India.<ref name="EIA"/>

==Geography==
[[File:Bab-el-Mandeb Seen From Midchannel (cropped).jpg|thumb|Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb with Perim Island in the distance]]
The distance across is about {{convert|26|km|nmi}} from [[Ras Menheli]] in Yemen to [[Ras Siyyan]] in Djibouti. The island of [[Perim]] divides the strait into two channels, of which the eastern, known as the [[Bab Iskender]] (Alexander's Strait), is {{convert|5.37|km|nmi}} wide and has a depth of {{convert|16|fathom|m ft|lk=in|disp=flip}} deep, while the western, or [[Dact-el-Mayun]], has a width of {{convert|20.3|km|nmi}} and a depth of {{convert|170|fathom|m ft|disp=flip}}. Near the coast of Djibouti lies a group of smaller islands known as the "[[Seven Brothers Islands|Seven Brothers]]". There is a surface current inwards in the eastern channel, but a strong undercurrent outwards in the western channel.<ref name="EB 1878, 179" />

===Demographics===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Country
! [[List of countries by area|Area]]<br/>(km<sup>2</sup>)
! [[List of countries by population|Population]]<br/>(2016 est.)
! [[List of countries by population density|Population density]]<br/>(per km<sup>2</sup>)
! [[Capital (political)|Capital]]
! [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|GDP (PPP) $M USD]]
! GDP per capita (PPP) $ USD
|-
| {{flagicon|Yemen}} [[Yemen]]
| align="right" | 527,829
| align="right" | 27,392,779
| align="right" | 51.9
| [[Sana'a]]
| align="right" | $58,202
| align="right" | $2,249
|-
| {{flagicon|Eritrea}} [[Eritrea]]
| align="right" | 117,600
| align="right" | 6,380,803
| align="right" | 54.3
| [[Asmara]]
| align="right" | $9.121
| align="right" | $1,314
|-
| {{flagicon|Djibouti}} [[Djibouti]]
| align="right" | 23,200 
| align="right" | 846,687
| align="right" | 36.5
| [[Djibouti City]]
| align="right" | $3.327
| align="right" | $3,351
|-
! Total
! align="right" | 668,629
! align="right" | 34,620,269
! align="right" | 51.8 / km<sup>2</sup>
! align="right" | Various
! align="right" | $70,650
! align="right" | $1,841
|-
| colspan="7" |'''Source:'''<ref name="factbook">{{cite web |title=CIA World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/index.html |work=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |location=Langley, Virginia}}</ref>
|}

==Population centers==
The most significant towns and cities along both the Djiboutian and Yemeni sides of the Bab-el-Mandeb:

===Djibouti===
* [[Khôr ʽAngar]]
* [[Moulhoule]]
* [[Fagal]]

===Yemen===
* [[At Turbah]]
* [[Cheikh Saïd]]
* [[Perim]]

==See also==
Strait:
*[[Red Sea Dam]]

Region:
*[[Horn of Africa]]
*[[Mashriq]]

Rail (tunnel or bridge) transport:
* [[Rail transport in Djibouti]]
* [[Rail transport in Eritrea]]
* [[Rail transport in Somalia]]
* [[Rail transport in Yemen]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{cite EB1911 |mode=cs2 |ref=none|wstitle=Bab-el-Mandeb |volume=3 |page=91 |short=x}}
* [http://enr.construction.com/news/intl/archives/070501.asp Notice-to-Proceed Launches Ambitious Red Sea Crossing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211174736/http://enr.construction.com/news/intl/archives/070501.asp |date=February 11, 2009 }}
* [http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Esteri/2007/07_Luglio/14/ponte_yemen.shtml Sea crossing]
{{List of African seas}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bab-El-Mandeb}}
[[Category:Bab-el-Mandeb| ]]
[[Category:Straits of Asia]]
[[Category:Straits of Africa]]
[[Category:Straits of the Indian Ocean]]
[[Category:Arabian mythology]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Yemen]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Djibouti]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of the Red Sea]]
[[Category:Gulf of Aden]]
[[Category:Borders of Yemen]]
[[Category:Borders of Djibouti]]
[[Category:Borders of Eritrea]]
[[Category:International straits]]
[[Category:Djibouti–Eritrea border]]