Middle Eastern Physical Geography

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Bab al-Mandab

Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa | 2004 | | Copyright

BAB AL-MANDAB

The narrow waterway separating Asia and Africa.

Because of its place on the sea-lanes between Europe and the Indian Ocean and points east, the Bab al-Mandab straits have been assigned considerable strategic importance over the centuries, particularly with the building of the Suez Canal, the flowering of the British Empire, and the more recent dependence of Europe on oil from the Persian/Arabian Gulf. The two Yemens meet on the Asian side of the strait, and Ethiopia and Djibouti meet on the African side. This geography helps explain Yemeni interest in the politics of the Horn of Africa.

see also persian (arabian) gulf; suez canal.

Robert D. Burrowes

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Burrowes, Robert D.. "Bab al-Mandab." Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

Burrowes, Robert D.. "Bab al-Mandab." Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3424600395.html

Burrowes, Robert D.. "Bab al-Mandab." Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa. 2004. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3424600395.html

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Bab el Mandeb

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2008 | Copyright

Bab el Mandeb [Arab.,= gate of tears], strait, 17 mi (27 km) wide, linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and separating the Arabian peninsula from E Africa. It is an important passage on the Indian Ocean-Mediterranean Sea shipping route via the Suez Canal. Control of the strategically located strait was long contested by Britain and France. The island of Perim is in the strait.

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"Bab el Mandeb." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-BabelMan.html

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Bāb al‐Mandab

Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names | 2005 | | Copyright

Bāb al‐Mandab, Red Sea A strait, the ‘Gate of the Tears’, linking the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean between Djibouti and Yemen. The name is derived from the Arabic bāb ‘gate’ or ‘door’ and mandab ‘lamentation’ or ‘tears’, a reference to the navigational difficulties that used to be experienced here.

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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Bāb al‐Mandab." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Bāb al‐Mandab." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-BbalMandab.html

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Bāb al‐Mandab." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-BbalMandab.html

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