Also called Ras Muhammad. It is a large Marine Park at the south-west tip of the Sinai peninsula. It not only extends underwater, but above water as well.
It is established in 1983 as the first Marine park in the Red Sea, when the Egyptian authorities came to realize that the coral reefs needed to be protected. The reef-structure is very fragile in more than one way. The reef itself can be easily damaged, even the movement of a fin from a diver nearby can break coral. But the whole ecosystem is also very fragile. A rise in watertemperature of just 0.5 degree Celsius can already have grave effects, not to mention pollution, anchoring etc.
In 1989 the Park extended to other areas and in 1998 it covered an area in the South Sinai of 11.000 km2. It includes the coral reefs, the mountain deserts, coastal lagoons and important cultural and religious areas.
The southernmost part of the peninsula is distinguished by two rocky spits separated by a deep bay known as Hidden Bay (see also picture to the right). While the eastern part of the peninsula is relatively high (60 m above sea level), the western part is low, with a sandy island separated by a narrow channel. In this channel grow mangrove forests which are a puzzle to scientists (why do they grow so far north of their usual biological limit?).
The water masses from the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez come together and mix at this point. The result is enormous quantities of plankton are carried into the area, creating the perfect conditions for a large food chain, from invertebrates to the large oceanic predators.
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This is an aerial view of the cape of Ras Mohammed. It shows the long inlet of Hidden Bay in the foreground with Mangrove Channel to the left, separating Mangrove Island from the mainland. Click to enlarge. |
