Michelle Osborn, age 9, of Sioux City, Iowa, for her question:

HOW DID THE RED SEA GET ITS NAME?

The Red Sea is an arm of the Indian ocean that separates the Arabian Peninsula from northeastern Africa. Experts give several reasons for the origin of the name Red.

Sometimes the water is colored red by a type of algae. Also, the surrounding hills and the coral reefs and seaweed have a reddish color. And a third reason: sometimes the hot winds blow clouds of desert sand that settles on the surface in great reddish streaks.

The Red Sea is about 220 miles at its widest and about 1,400 miles long. It has an average depth of about 2,000 feet. In size, it is a little larger than California.

The Red Sea fills a great crack in solid rock that has filled with salty water. The shore is barren and there are few harbors in she desert regions. But it is an important waterway between the orient and Europe.