5. Bab-el-Mandeb
The Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, located between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa, connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. This 20-mile-wide strait serves as a critical chokepoint for global maritime trade, with approximately 6.2 million barrels of oil passing through daily. Its strategic importance has been underscored by recent security concerns, including attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on commercial vessels, leading to disruptions in shipping routes and increased costs. (nationalgeographic.com)
