Ras Mohamed National Park
About Ras Mohamed National Park
Ras Mohamed National Park is located in Egypt at the southern extreme of the Sinai Peninsula. It overlooks the Gulf of Suez on the west and the Gulf of Aqaba to the east. The park spans an area of 480 km2, including 135 km2 of surface land area and 345 km2 area over water.
History
When the Sinai Peninsula was returned to Egypt, Ras Mohamed was declared for protection from fishing and other human activities. In 1983, the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency established the area as a marine reserve for the protection of marine and terrestrial wildlife. The park was also established to protect against urban sprawl from Sharm El Sheikh and other coastal development.
Geography
The park is situated in the tourist region of the Red Sea Riviera, located 12 km from the city of Sharm El Sheikh. The park includes a diversity of desert habitats such as mountains and wadis, gravel and coastal mud plains, and dunes.
Marine Life
The Red Sea Reef and surrounding reef areas include both fringing and hermatypic-type reefs. There are over 220 species of corals accompanied by over 1,000 species of fish, 40 species of starfish, 150 species of crustaceans, and 25 species of sea urchins. The green turtle and the hawksbill turtle are two sea turtles that can be found swimming amongst the reefs fairly regularly.