Gulf of Guinea
Topic: World Physical Features and Natural Regions · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Gulf of Guinea is the north-eastern part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of West Africa. The Equator (0° latitude) and the Prime Meridian (0° longitude) cross here, at the point 0°, 0°. The seabed and coast are rich in oil, especially around the Niger Delta. Oil tankers and weak coastal policing have made it a piracy hotspot. West and Central African countries signed the Yaounde Code of Conduct (2013) to fight piracy together.
Example
Nigeria's Niger Delta, on the Gulf of Guinea, is one of Africa's main oil-producing areas. Tankers leaving it have often been attacked by pirates.
Don't confuse with
- Gulf of Aden: this is also a piracy zone, but it lies off East Africa, between Yemen and Somalia. It is an arm of the Arabian Sea, not the Atlantic.
Related concepts
- Persian Gulf
- Red Sea
- Gulf of Aden
- Horn of Africa
- Black Sea
- South China Sea
- Spratly and Paracel Islands