Sea of Zanj

Sea of Zanj
بحر زنج (Arabic) Bahari ya Zanj (Swahili)
Sea of Zanj Location in the Indian Ocean
Location	Indian Ocean
Coordinates	7°0′S 50°0′E / 7.000°S 50.000°E / -7.000; 50.000
Type	Sea
Basin countries	Zanzibar, Comoros, Madagascar
Max. length	2,400 km (1,500 mi)
Max. width	1,500 km (930 mi)
References	The Meadows of Gold

The Sea of Zanj (Arabic: بحر زنج, romanized: Baḥr Zanj; Swahili: Bahari ya Zanj) is a former name for that portion of the western Indian Ocean adjacent to the region in the African Great Lakes referred to by medieval Arab geographers as Zanj.^[1] The Sea of Zanj was deemed a fearful zone by Arab mariners and legends regarding dangers in the waters abounded, especially near its far southern limits.^[2]