Bab el-Mandeb Strait

• It is strait between Arabia (northeast) and Africa (southwest) that connects the Red Sea (northwest) with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean (southeast).
• It forms a vital strategic link in the maritime trade route between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
• It is bordered by Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea on the African coast.

Red Sea

• Location: The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia.
• Connects: The Red Sea is connected to the Indian ocean through the Bab el Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden in the south.
• Features:
  • To the north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez (leading to the Suez Canal).
  • The sea is underlain by the Red Sea Rift, which is part of the Great Rift Valley.
  • Red Sea is bordered by Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, Israel, and Jordan

Source: The Indian Express