Gulf of Aden

PRELIMS – MAP

Context: During an event marking 2024 as the ‘Year of Naval Civilians,’ the Defence Minister highlighted potential rising threats in the Gulf of Aden. Naval civilians, who constitute about one-third of the Navy’s workforce, are often referred to as “Soldiers without Uniforms.”

Geographical Overview:

• Location:
  The Gulf of Aden lies in the Indian Ocean, nestled between Yemen on the southern Arabian Peninsula and Somalia in Africa.
• Dimensions:
  It extends approximately 900 kilometers in length and 500 kilometers in width, running in a west-east direction.
• Strategic Importance:
  • The Gulf serves as a critical maritime corridor for transporting oil from the Persian Gulf.
  • It forms a vital oil shipping route in conjunction with the Red Sea, linked via the Bab el Mandeb strait, connecting Europe with the Far East.