Bab al-Mandab Strait

Bab al-Mandab is a narrow strait between Yemen and the Horn of Africa that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.

Perim Island: A volcanic island in the center of Bab al-Mandab, dividing the strait into eastern and western channels. Its position divides the passage and shapes which channel ships can use.
Maritime chokepoint: A narrow waterway whose disruption can force ships onto longer routes or interrupt maritime trade. A closure or threat here can impede traffic entering or leaving the Red Sea.
Periplus of the Erythraean Sea: An ancient Greek navigational and trade guide describing ports and routes around the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. It documents the long history of maritime exchange through waters adjoining the strait.
Red Sea crisis: A period of attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, particularly since late 2023. Attacks near the strait have disrupted traffic and prompted military responses.
Djibouti: A country in the Horn of Africa bordering the Bab al-Mandab Strait and Gulf of Aden. Its coast faces the strait’s western entrance and hosts major foreign military bases.
Red Sea: A seawater inlet between northeastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, linked to the Indian Ocean through Bab al-Mandab. The strait is the Red Sea’s southern maritime entrance.
Suez Canal route: The maritime corridor linking Europe and Asia through the Mediterranean, Suez Canal, Red Sea, and Bab al-Mandab. The strait is essential to the route’s connection with the Indian Ocean.
Indian Ocean trade: A network of maritime commerce linking societies around the Indian Ocean across many centuries. The strait connects this trading world with the Red Sea and Mediterranean routes.
Houthi movement: A Yemeni political and armed movement that controls much of northwestern Yemen. Its forces have targeted vessels in and near the strait during the Red Sea crisis.
Yemen: A country on the southern Arabian Peninsula whose western coast borders the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait. Yemen controls the strait’s eastern shore.

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