Bight of Benin at a glance
- 1,162 maverage depth
- 876 mmedian depth
- 3,340 mmaximum depth
- 53,455 km²water area
Bight of Benin is a bay. Inside its outline the GEBCO grid has about 53,455 km² of water, with an average depth of about 1,162 m (the middle value is 876 m) and a maximum of 3,340 m, found at 5.35° N, 2.75° E.
Open the map at the deepest cell and tap to read the depth.
How deep is each part of the Bight of Benin?
The bar splits the Bight of Benin's water by depth. Each colour is a depth band, and the shares add up to 100%.
- 0 to 200 m: 38.3%
- 200 to 1,000 m: 13.4%
- 1,000 to 4,000 m: 48.3%
- 4,000 to 6,000 m: 0%
- below 6,000 m: 0%
Named features near the deepest point: Le Trou sans Fond (744 km), Guinea Basin (819 km), Congo Canyon (1,607 km), Angola Basin (2,295 km).
The Bight of Benin if sea level dropped
The slider on the map lowers the sea in steps. This table shows how much of the Bight of Benin's water would be land at each step.
| Sea level lowered by | Becomes land | Share of its water |
|---|---|---|
| 10 m | 1,555 km² | 2.9% |
| 20 m | 5,419 km² | 10.1% |
| 50 m | 13,270 km² | 24.8% |
| 80 m | 16,936 km² | 31.7% |
| 120 m | 18,942 km² | 35.4% |
| 200 m | 20,469 km² | 38.3% |
| 500 m | 23,696 km² | 44.3% |
| 1,000 m | 27,633 km² | 51.7% |
| 2,000 m | 37,978 km² | 71% |
| 3,000 m | 50,316 km² | 94.1% |
| 4,000 m | 53,455 km² | 100% |
| 6,000 m | 53,455 km² | 100% |
A simple bathtub model: it lowers the sea everywhere by the same amount and does not simulate how water would really drain.
Nearby seas
- Gulf of Guinea average depth about 2,882 m
- Alboran Sea average depth about 760 m
- Mediterranean Sea average depth about 1,844 m
- Balearic Sea average depth about 899 m
- Ionian Sea average depth about 2,122 m
- Tyrrhenian Sea average depth about 1,596 m
Nearest by the centre of each outline. All oceans and seas
Frequently asked questions
How deep is the Bight of Benin?
On average about 1,162 m in the GEBCO grid (the middle value is 876 m). The deepest cell inside its outline is 3,340 m, at 5.35° N, 2.75° E.
How big is the Bight of Benin?
About 53,455 km² of water inside its Natural Earth outline, counted from the grid cells that are below sea level.
How much of the Bight of Benin would be land if sea level dropped?
With the sea 10 m lower, about 1,555 km² (2.9%) of its water would be land. At 6,000 m lower, 100% would be. This is a simple bathtub model that lowers the sea evenly everywhere.
Data: depths from the GEBCO_2026 grid, statistics worked out inside the Natural Earth outline of the bay. See data sources and licences. The GEBCO Grid should NOT be used for navigation or for any other purpose involving safety at sea.