Sinai Peninsula

Sinai Peninsula, peninsula in the Middle East, the meeting point of the continents of Africa and Asia. The peninsula is generally considered part of Asia, though it is sometimes associated with Africa because it is part of Egypt. The name Sinai may stem from the Moon god Sin that was worshipped by indigenous peoples in ancient history. It may also come from the Hebrew word seneh, which is the name of a bush native to the area. The Sinai Peninsula is bounded by Israel's Negev Desert and the Gulf of Aqaba to the east, the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gulf of Suez and the Suez Canal to the west. It is roughly triangular in shape, with the apex in the south where the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez meet at Ras Muhammed. The area of the peninsula is approximately 60,863 sq km (23,500 sq mi). It is primarily wilderness, with inhabitants sparsely distributed along the coast and in several Bedouin groups, with the total population numbering approximately 55,300.

The peninsula is divided into a number of distinct geographic zones. In the north along the Mediterranean coast there is a strip of loose sand and dunes running a short distance inland that gives way to a flat, barren plain. This gravel and limestone dominated zone continues for nearly 241 km (150 mi), rising at its southern extremity to the El Tih plateau. From this plateau to its southern tip Sinai is cut by a jagged system of wadis (intermittent riverbeds) and mountains.

The climate of Sinai is generally hot and dry, receiving an average of less than 100 mm (4 in) of rain per year. The sparse population is distributed along the coast. Several Bedouin groups live in the region, some still following their traditional nomadic lifestyle. Due to the difficult terrain and lack of water, economic activity is limited to mineral extraction, fishing, and tourism, with some offshore oil drilling.

The Sinai has a long history; numerous Egyptian inscriptions dating from about 3400 to 1000 bc have been found on the peninsula. While it has long served as the land bridge between Africa and Asia, the peninsula’s harsh climate has also made it a buffer zone between competing empires. In recorded history the peninsula has been invaded more than 50 times; its first well-known association is as the land where Moses and the Israelites wandered after their biblical exodus from Egypt. One of the primary attractions in the peninsula today is Mount Sinai, which rises to 2,285 m (7,497 ft). Mount Sinai is a site of religious pilgrimage, as is the monastery at the base of Mount Katharina, Sinai's highest mountain at 2,609 m (8,561 ft).

The recent history of the peninsula has been driven by competition between adjacent powers for control of the area. Since the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Sinai has gained importance by bordering that vital waterway. Thus imperial Ottoman (in Palestine) and British (in Egypt) interests were played out in the peninsula, with the British maintaining the upper hand. Since World War II the Egyptians and Israelis have fought in Sinai four times. Egyptian interference with Israelis shipping through closure of the Strait of Tiran, opposite southern Sinai, precipitated war in 1956 and again 11 years later. Israel captured the entire territory from Egypt during the 1967 Six-Day War, resulting in a temporary closure of the Suez Canal. In 1973 Sinai was once again a battlefield in the Yom Kippur War, but Israel retained control of the Sinai, and held it until the final stage of the 1979 Camp David accords were implemented in 1982.

The peninsula is now divided into a number of zones of demilitarization, monitored by Multinational Force Observers. Since 1982 Egypt has expanded the local tourism infrastructure inaugurated during the period of Israeli rule, and maintained the advanced military airfields left behind by Israel. Ambitious plans for development of Sinai have yet to be realized, however. Despite this, the Red Sea coast, renowned for its skin-diving sites, continues to draw an international following of tourists, and joint Israeli-Jordanian-Egyptian cooperation at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba promises to bring new resources to the area.