The Guardafui Channel ( so, Marinka Gardafuul) is an oceanic

strait A strait is an oceanic landform connecting two seas or two other large areas of water. The surface water generally flows at the same elevation on both sides and through the strait in either direction. Most commonly, it is a narrow ocean channe ...

off the tip of the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

that lies between the Puntland region of Somalia and Socotra to the west of the Arabian Sea. It connects the

Gulf of Aden The Gulf of Aden ( ar, خليج عدن, so, Gacanka Cadmeed 𐒅𐒖𐒐𐒕𐒌 𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒗𐒒) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channe ...

to the north with the Indian Ocean to the south. Its namesake is Cape Guardafui, the very tip of the Horn of Africa. Notable places of interest include the

Alula Lagoon Alula Lagoon is a large shallow lagoon in the northeastern Bari region of Somalia. The northernmost point in the country, it is mostly covered with mangroves. Overview Facing the Gulf of Aden, the lagoonal mangrove lies behind a barrier island. ...

Extent

Its width is roughy between Ras Asir (

Gardafuul Gardafuul is a region in north-west Puntland, Somalia. It is an administrative province of Puntland created in 2013 that was carved out of the Bari Province. It is named after Marinka Gardafuul (Guardafui Channel). Most locals work as fisherman ...

) and Abd al Kari, and roughly between Ras Asir and Socotra.

, a province of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, is named after it. In its narrower sense, Marinka Gardafuul, in English called the Guardafui Channel, refers to the strait between Puntland and Abd al Kuri.

Names

The oceanic strait goes by many names, including the ''Ras Hafun Strait'', named after the headland of

Ras Hafun Ras Hafun ( so, Ras Xaafuun, ar, رأس حـافـون, it, Capo Hafun), also known as Cape Hafun, is a promontory in the northeastern Bari region of Somalia. Jutting out into the Guardafui Channel, it constitutes the easternmost point in Afric ...

, near the town of

Foar Foar is a town in the northeastern Bari region of Somalia, on the coast of the Guardafui Channel The Guardafui Channel ( so, Marinka Gardafuul) is an oceanic strait off the tip of the Horn of Africa that lies between the Puntland region of Som ...

, the ''Ras Asir-Socotra Strait'', the ''Cape Guardafui Strait'', the Guardafui-Socotra Channel Guardafui Channel Cape Guardafui Channel, ''Socotra Strait'', and ''Socotra Passage''.

History

The oceanic strait has been regarded as a possibly dangerous pitfall both during peace and war times. It was a highly strategic region during World War Two. Due to its possession by an Axis power at the time, Italy, The Allies attempted to secure passage through the oceanic strait in the

Operation Chapter Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

. Subsequently, the Allies decided that in order to continue routing independent ships and convoys, air cover was needed. The oceanic strait also experiences cyclones that emerge from its southeast in the Somali sea. There is a dispute between the Somali government and Yemen over the sovereignty of its islands. The presence of an archipelago has also meant that there are shores for stranded sailors to find shelter, which on occasion has subsequently resulted in their evacuations.

Geography

To the northwest, it connects with the Gulf of Aden, to the northeast with the Arabian Sea and to the south with the Somali sea. The passage contains the islands of Abd al Kuri, Darsah and Samhah. Ships passing the strait use the Francesco Crispi lighthouse in Cape Guardafui as a navigational aid. On the western mainland on the Horn African coast, lie the

Puntite The Land of Punt (Egyptian: '' pwnt''; alternate Egyptological readings ''Pwene''(''t'') /pu:nt/) was an ancient kingdom known from Ancient Egyptian trade records. It produced and exported gold, aromatic resins, blackwood, ebony, ivory and ...

localities of Aluula,

Ras Filuk Ras Filuk ( so, Bolimoog, ar, رأس فيلوك), also known as Cape Elephant, is a headland in the northeastern Bari province of Somalia. It is situated in the autonomous Puntland region. Etymology Ras Filuk (or ''Ras Fil'') means the ''Head of ...

, Cape Guardafui, Bereeda,

Tohen Tohen ( so, Tooxin, ar, طوهآن) is a settlement in the northeastern Bari province of Somalia. It is situated in the autonomous Puntland region. Location Tohen is located at , on the northeastern coast of Somalia.Douglas Collins, ''Tales from ...

and Bargal.

Geology

The northern reaches of the Guardafui Channel lies at the Gulf of Aden

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...

- Miocene oceanic floor; here water depths reach in excess of 2500 m. The Guardafui Channel, as well as the island chain of the Socotra archipelago are located in the Somali Plate.Khanna, S. N., and G. E. Pillay. "Geology And Petroleum Prospects of Seychelles." (1988): 114-124.

References

External links

{{List of African seas Somalia International straits Bodies of water of Somalia