Aqaba, Gulf of
AQABA, GULF OF
Only 170 kilometers (106 miles) long by 25 kilometers (16 miles) wide, the Gulf of Aqaba separates the Sinai Peninsula from the Arabian coast. Four countries share its northern section: Egypt controls the western shore; Saudi Arabia the eastern shore; Jordan possesses a 25-kilometer corridor along the Gulf in which is located the city of Aqaba (the country's only maritime port); Israel has a 10-kilometer strip that includes the city of Eilat. The Gulf of Aqaba has always been, regionally, of strategic significance. Cargo through the port of Aqaba increased throughout the 1980s, partly as a result of development of the Jordanian port with aid from Iraq, to a high of 18.7 million tons in 1989. Cargo handling fell sharply (to 10 million tons) after the imposition of United Nations (UN) sanctions against Iraq in 1990. The lifting of UN sanctions in 2003 suggested that cargo shipment through the Gulf of Aqaba would again be on the rise.