Located at 27° 43.150' N,34° 15.590' E, Ras Mohamed is a very thin strip of land at the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula at the Northern end of the Red Sea. In itself a peninsula, it is bordered to the west by the relatively shallow waters of the Gulf of Suez, and to the east by the deep waters of the Gulf of Aqaba. Here the water reaches depths of up to 2000 meters as this is the beginning of an enormous cleavage in the earth’s crust that separates the, African and Eurasian continental plates.

To the north of Ras Mohamed lies the resort town of Sharm-El-Sheikh which is about 30 kilometers away. Directly to the south lies the vast expanse of the Red sea which is bordered to the West by the North East African Coast and by the Arabian Peninsula to the east. The park itself has been expanded in its size in 1989 and now incorporates much of the surrounding waters and territory. It is 480 km².

The west side has two deep fissures in its center and on the southeastern side is a sandy islet called the Mangroves Island from which it is separated by a shallow channel running northwest to southeast, called the Mangroves Canal.In the north, large dunes are interspersed with outcroppings of Miocene limestone in which are embedded an astonishing number and variety of marine fossils.The peninsula itself is made up of a fossil coral reef that emerged during the Quaternary Period about 75,000 years ago and as a result of changes in the coastline caused by variations in sea levels.

Due to its position, strong currents prevail throughout the year which makes the waters around it very rich in nutrients. This attracts huge numbers of schools of pelagic and reef fish. somewhere in the range of 1,000 different species, to be more specific!. Only 12 percent of the park is accessible to visitors.

The Peninsula is surrounded by high reef tables which provide some of the best diving spots in the world. The most prominent of these are Yolanda Reef at the extreme southern tip, and Shark Reef. This is dealt with in much more detail in the Diving section.

One main road runs through the peninsula and it is prohibited to leave that road by car. It is strictly adhered to, so be careful or you might find yourself paying a hefty fine to the otherwise very friendly, yet omnipresent rangers.

There is one camping site which is at the northern end of Marsa Bereika Bay. On the Western coast of the peninsula, there is the very interesting quay area and just north of that is a small, nameless lake (usually referred to as the Salty Lake).

Building of any kind is strictly prohibited in the park, and therefore no people actually live there. The area at large however is home to the Southern Sinai Bedouins, the Tawarrah, who claim descent from the tribes of the Hejaz and thus rate themselves amongst the purest of Arab genealogies. Traditionally, each tribe roamed its own territory in search of grazing and settled around local oases. Tribal and family honor were of the utmost importance and raids and camel-rustling were a potential cause for blood feuds which continued for generations. Though devout Muslims, the Bedouin retained some pre-Islamic practices which is included now in their common law. By providing employment and exposing the Bedouin to Modern Nile Valley Egyptian, and Western comforts, the coastal tourist resorts have had a strong impact on traditional lifestyles. After the liberation of Sinai in 1982, The Egyptian Government has spared no effort in trying to rehabilitate the Bedouins by building modern schools and permanent dwellings homes for them. Quite a few Bedouins have now settled close to the main tourist attractions and many of the men now earn their living by taxi driving, commerce or construction work. For the women, who are still confined to the domestic sphere, changes have been less fundamental.

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