Gulf of Aden at a glance
- 1,475 maverage depth
- 1,645 mmedian depth
- 4,733 mmaximum depth
- 258,345 km²water area
Gulf of Aden is a gulf. Inside its outline the GEBCO grid has about 258,345 km² of water, with an average depth of about 1,475 m (the middle value is 1,645 m) and a maximum of 4,733 m, found at 12.89° N, 49.51° E.
Open the map at the deepest cell and tap to read the depth.
How deep is each part of the Gulf of Aden?
The bar splits the Gulf of Aden's water by depth. Each colour is a depth band, and the shares add up to 100%.
- 0 to 200 m: 9.1%
- 200 to 1,000 m: 20.3%
- 1,000 to 4,000 m: 70.7%
- 4,000 to 6,000 m: 0%
- below 6,000 m: 0%
Named features near the deepest point: Aden Ridge (297 km), Red Sea Rift (1,519 km), Arabian Basin (1,718 km), Carlsberg Ridge (2,117 km).
The Gulf of Aden if sea level dropped
The slider on the map lowers the sea in steps. This table shows how much of the Gulf of Aden's water would be land at each step.
| Sea level lowered by | Becomes land | Share of its water |
|---|---|---|
| 10 m | 2,737 km² | 1.1% |
| 20 m | 5,908 km² | 2.3% |
| 50 m | 12,760 km² | 4.9% |
| 80 m | 16,772 km² | 6.5% |
| 120 m | 19,252 km² | 7.5% |
| 200 m | 23,374 km² | 9% |
| 500 m | 41,770 km² | 16.2% |
| 1,000 m | 75,737 km² | 29.3% |
| 2,000 m | 176,311 km² | 68.2% |
| 3,000 m | 255,837 km² | 99% |
| 4,000 m | 258,265 km² | 100% |
| 6,000 m | 258,345 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
- Red Sea average depth about 504 m
- Arabian Sea average depth about 3,313 m
- Persian Gulf average depth about 35 m
- Gulf of Oman average depth about 1,437 m
- Laccadive Sea average depth about 1,956 m
- Caspian Sea average depth about 235 m
Nearest by the centre of each outline. All oceans and seas
Frequently asked questions
How deep is the Gulf of Aden?
On average about 1,475 m in the GEBCO grid (the middle value is 1,645 m). The deepest cell inside its outline is 4,733 m, at 12.89° N, 49.51° E.
How big is the Gulf of Aden?
About 258,345 km² of water inside its Natural Earth outline, counted from the grid cells that are below sea level.
How much of the Gulf of Aden would be land if sea level dropped?
With the sea 10 m lower, about 2,737 km² (1.1%) 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 gulf. See data sources and licences. The GEBCO Grid should NOT be used for navigation or for any other purpose involving safety at sea.