The Somali Peninsula forms the geographic Horn of Africa, projecting into the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.
It includes Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea and parts of Ethiopia and Kenya, although definitions vary slightly depending on whether the term is used geographically or politically. Somalia occupies most of the peninsula, giving the region its common name.
The peninsula’s easternmost projection is Cape Guardafui in Somalia. Its position has made the surrounding waters important for trade between the Red Sea, Arabian Sea and western Indian Ocean since ancient times.
The Somali Peninsula is often confused with the Horn of Africa. The Horn is the broader region; the Somali Peninsula emphasizes the landform projecting eastward from northeastern Africa. The Arabian Peninsula lies across the Gulf of Aden to the northeast.