Access over 20 million homework & study documents

105930465_india_and_yemen_enlarging_geopolitical_connections_across_the_arabian_sea.doc

Content type
User Generated
Rating
Showing Page:
1/14
156
156
INDIA AND YEMEN: ENLARGING
GEOPOLITICAL CONNECTIONS ACROSS THE
ARABIAN SEA
Mohammed Khalid*
ABSTRACT
Occupying the southwestern and southern end of the Arabian
Peninsula, Yemen is a geopolitically important country. It is
bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north for 1,458 km, and Oman to
the east for 288 km. Yemen has a coastline of about 1906 km in the
Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Having a land area of 527,968 sq km,
Yemen is one of the oldest centers of civilization on Arabian
Peninsula. Its land is relatively fertile to sustain a stable population
while its desert regions (Rub' al Khali and Sayhad) have been the
core settlements of Nomadic Semites since long. The country is
strategically located on Bab el Mandeb (literally the gate of tears)
which acts as a strategic link between the Indian Ocean and the
Mediterranean Sea, via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. A favoured
sea route between Asia and Europe, thousands of commercial and
military vessels pass through Bab el Mandeb making it one of the
busiest waterways in the world.
1
Introduction
Yemen’s sea to its west and south provides it over 200 islands in the Red Sea
and Gulf of Aden, providing it a strategic extension in the Ocean. These islands are
scattered at the entry of Red Sea in the Gulf of Aden and Bab el Mandeb. The largest of
them is Socotra archipelago lying about 380 km south of the Yemen mainland. This
*associate professor in Political Science, Department of Evening Studies, Panjab
University, Chandigarh

Sign up to view the full document!

lock_open Sign Up
Showing Page:
2/14
157
157
archipelago also includes smaller islands of Abd al Kuri, Samhah, Darsah
and Hadibu. Archipelago of Socotra bears tremendous strategic
importance for the sea traffic and is useful to monitor activities of Somali
pirates which are a nightmare for trading ships using this sea rout. Perim
Island (also called Mayoon Island) is located in the Bab el Mandeb at the
southern entrance of the Red Sea, on a short distance from Djibouti. The
island has a natural harbour on its southwestern coast.
2
Due to its
geostrategic significance, Portuguese tried to capture Perim in 1513,
France occupied it in 1738. In 1799, the island was briefly occupied by the
British East India Company in preparation for the invasion of Egypt. It
was reoccupied by the British in 1857 and attached to their colony of
Aden. From 1869 onwards, the island was used by the British as a coaling
station for its ships using the Suez Canal. In 1916, Turkish forces
attempted to seize the island but failed and the island remained under the
British occupation till 1967. Perim Island is poised to play a crucial role if
a proposed 28.5 km bridge is built linking Yemen and Djibouti.
3
Similarly, Hanish and Jabal al-Tair Islands lie in the middle of Red
Sea between Yemen and Eritrea. Kamaran Island which is the largest
Yemen-controlled Island in the Red Sea is strategically located in the
shallow waters on the continental shelf of the Arabian Peninsula. Saso and
Zuqar are other important islands in the Red Sea under the Yemeni
control. Rich in marine life and coral reefs, these islands provide
unforgettable beauty and attract tourists from all over the world. They
collectively make Yemen geo-strategically very important and have
traditionally made Yemen to play an important role in the history of the
Middle East. Many a times, great powers of the time who wished to
control the Red Sea entry points tried to take over Yemen and its islands.
Strategic location of Yemen was recognized long back first by the
Portuguese who occupied Yemen in 15131538 and 15471548, Ottoman
Empire ruled it between 15381547 and 15481645 and

Sign up to view the full document!

lock_open Sign Up
Showing Page:
3/14

Sign up to view the full document!

lock_open Sign Up
End of Preview - Want to read all 14 pages?
Access Now
Unformatted Attachment Preview
INDIA AND YEMEN: ENLARGING GEOPOLITICAL CONNECTIONS ACROSS THE ARABIAN SEA Mohammed Khalid* ABSTRACT Occupying the southwestern and southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen is a geopolitically important country. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north for 1,458 km, and Oman to the east for 288 km. Yemen has a coastline of about 1906 km in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Having a land area of 527,968 sq km, Yemen is one of the oldest centers of civilization on Arabian Peninsula. Its land is relatively fertile to sustain a stable population while its desert regions (Rub' al Khali and Sayhad) have been the core settlements of Nomadic Semites since long. The country is strategically located on Bab el Mandeb (literally the gate of tears) which acts as a strategic link between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. A favoured sea route between Asia and Europe, thousands of commercial and military vessels pass through Bab el Mandeb making it one of the busiest waterways in the world.1 Introduction Yemen’s sea to its west and south provides it over 200 islands in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, providing it a strategic extension in the Ocean. These islands are scattered at the entry of Red Sea in the Gulf of Aden and Bab el Mandeb. The largest of them is Socotra archipelago lying about 380 km south of the Yemen mainland. This *associate professor in Political Science, D ...
Purchase document to see full attachment
User generated content is uploaded by users for the purposes of learning and should be used following Studypool's honor code & terms of service.

Anonymous
I was having a hard time with this subject, and this was a great help.

Studypool
4.7
Trustpilot
4.5
Sitejabber
4.4