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 Ben Garfinkel, age 7, of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, for his question:

HOW DID THE RED SEA GET ITS NAME?

One of the most famous bodies of water in the world is the Red Sea. It is 1,400 miles long and 220 miles wide at its widest point. It averages about 2,000 feet deep and covers an area of about 169,000 square miles. It is just a bit larger than the area of California. It is a northern arm of the Indian Ocean that separates the Arabian Peninsula from northeastern Africa.

It is called the Red Sea because, as you have probably already guessed, the water is often red in color. One reason for this strange situation is that a large amount of a certain type of red algae grows in the water.

Another reason for the Red Sea's name is that the hills surrounding the body of water and the coral reefs and seaweed found near the shore are all a reddish color. Desert winds add to the picture by often blowing great clouds of red sand that settle on the surface of the water in long reddish streaks.

The Red Sea is mentioned in one of the Bible's most famous stories. In chapter 14 of Exodus we can read how the waters were rolled back and the Children of Israel were allowed to cross on dry land.

The Red Sea is perhaps the most important water highway between the Orient and Europe. It has been used to carry goods for many hundreds of years, with overland caravans being used from the Mediterranean Sea to the northern end of the Red Sea until the famous Suez Canal was opened in 1869. The 100 mile long canal makes it possible for ships to save more than 6,000 miles of travel by not having to go around the Cape of Good Hope.

The Red Sea, geologists report, is actually a great crack in solid rock that is filled with water. The shore is barren for the most part with few harbors. High mountains are found along the eastern side and low sand hills of desert dominate the west.

Water of the Red Sea is very salty because the strong winds and hot desert sun make the water evaporate rapidly. Much of the time the temperature along the Red Sea is 100 degrees F. It doesn't at all resemble the cooler atmosphere around the Mediterranean Sea.

The Suez Canal is known as the world's busiest interocean waterway. It was closed in 1967 during the Arab Israel war but was reopened in 1975. Petroleum¬carrying tankers now account for about 70 percent of the total tonnage moved on the canal between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.

 

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