The Red Sea is a long, narrow arm of the Indian Ocean located between northeastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

Quick Scoop: Where is the Red Sea?

  • It lies between Africa on the west and Asia (the Arabian Peninsula) on the east.
  • To the west are Egypt, Sudan, and Eritrea; to the east are Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
  • It stretches from the city of Suez in northeastern Egypt in the north down to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects it to the Gulf of Aden and then the Indian Ocean, in the south.
  • At its northern end it splits into the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba , surrounding the Sinai Peninsula.

Nearby countries at a glance

Side of Red Sea Main countries
West (Africa) Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea
East (Arabian Peninsula) Saudi Arabia, Yemen
North extensions Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba (near Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia)

In simple terms: if you look at a map of northeast Africa and the Middle East, the Red Sea is that long blue strip separating Egypt/Sudan/Eritrea from Saudi Arabia/Yemen, linking up to the Indian Ocean at its southern tip.

TL;DR: The Red Sea is between northeastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, running from Suez in Egypt down to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where it connects to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.