The northern end of the
Red Sea bifurcates into the
Sinai Peninsula, creating the
Gulf of Suez (;
transliterated:
khalīǧ as-suwais; formerly: بحر القلزم, transliterated:
baḥar al-qulzum) in the west and the
Gulf of Aqaba to the east. The gulf was formed within a relatively young but now inactive
Gulf of Suez Rift rift basin, dating back about 28 million years. It stretches some north by northwest, terminating at the Egyptian city of
Suez and the entrance to the
Suez Canal. Along the mid-line of the gulf is the boundary between
Africa and
Asia. The entrance of the gulf lies atop the mature Gemsa oil and
gas field.