Erythraean Sea

Erythraean Sea
Ἐρυθρὰ Θάλασσα
An eighteenth century map showing the Erythraean Sea off the Horn of Africa. Drawn by James Rennell (1799)
Erythraean Sea Ἐρυθρὰ Θάλασσα is located in Indian Ocean
Erythraean Sea Ἐρυθρὰ Θάλασσα
Erythraean Sea
Ἐρυθρὰ Θάλασσα
LocationNorthwestern Indian Ocean
Coordinates12°0′N 55°0′E / 12.000°N 55.000°E / 12.000; 55.000
TypeSea
Basin countriesYemen, Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti

The Erythraean Sea (Greek: Ἐρυθρὰ Θάλασσα, Erythrà Thálassa, lit.'Red Sea') was a former maritime designation that always included the Gulf of Aden, and at times other seas between Arabia Felix and the Horn of Africa. Originally an ancient Greek geographical designation, the term was used throughout Europe until the 18th and 19th centuries. The area referred to by this name frequently extended beyond the Gulf of Aden—as in the famous 1st-century Periplus of the Erythraean Sea—to designate all of the present-day Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Indian Ocean as a single maritime area.[1]

  1. ^ "Somalia – Gulf of Aden | Africa | Peace Operations Update | Publications | ZIF – Center for International Peace Operations". Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.