Surrounded by Egypt, Sudan, and Eritrea along the coast of Africa, and Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, this region is distinguished as one of the rare marine areas where both hard and soft coral species are densely found.
Commonly seen in the region, hard corals such as Acropora, Porites, and Pocillopora, along with various types of soft corals, form the fundamental building blocks of the Red Sea's ecosystem.
These coral colonies house hundreds of small invertebrates, sponge species, and numerous fish populations.
Microalgae called zooxanthellae, which live in symbiotic relationships with coral polyps, not only support the survival of the corals but also form the foundation of the food chain within the reefs.
Among the creatures dependent on the reefs are angelfish, butterfly fish, wrasses, moray eels, sea turtles, and many invertebrate species.
