Ras Mohammed National Park is both a terrestrial and an aquatic nature reserve. The 480 square kilometer protected area lies where the Gulf of Suez meets the Gulf of Aqaba at Sinai's southern extremity.
The arid desert terrain of sand dunes, gravel plains, fossilized corals and granite mountains is home to a number of rare mammal species: Dorcas gazelle, Nubian ibex and red fox. Easier to spot are the resident birds like terns, herons, gulls and ospreys. Thousands of white storks pass through Ras Mohammed each year, heading south during September/October and back north during April/May. About 85 flora species live in the park, including mangroves.
In glaring contrast to the seemingly desolate landscape above, the ecosystem underwater is a magnificent eruption of life: 200 coral species (125 of which are soft corals), 1000 fish species, 40 starfish species, 25 sea urchin species, 100 mollusk species, 150 crustacean species, and 2 turtle species: the Green Turtle and the Hawksbill Turtle. |
