Aden, a den, an important seaport on the southern coast of Arabia. The city occupies the crater of an extinct volcano. Volcanic bluffs, the lip of the old crater, encircle the city, rising to a height of 2,000 feet. Aden was a depot of trade in Roman times. It is now the seat of government, not only for British territory in Arabia, but for British Somaliland, a strip of seacoast wrested from Abyssinia. Recent fortresses have rendered the port one of the strongest fortifications in the world, almost ranking with Gibraltar. Aden is the center of the Arabian caravan trade. On an average 767 loaded camels swing into the town daily. Each is loaded with from 600 to 900 pounds of coffee, fodder, grain, fruits, vegetables, wood, charcoal, and water. There are no wagons, no horses, only camels, many from a distance of seven hundred miles. The trade of Abyssinia centers at Aden. Aden exports coffee, gum arabic, tobacco, hides, and other local products. The opening of the Suez Canal made Aden a coaling station on the way to India. Aden is a variation of the word Eden, meaning Paradise, the name being given on account of its fine climate, perpetual sunshine, and pleasant sea breezes. The population of the city and immediate vicinity is about 45,000. When it is 12 o'clock at noon in the Mississippi Valley, it is 9 P.M. at Aden. Aden is no longer a British protectorate; since 1967 it has been part of Southern Yemen. See ARABIA; SUEZ CANAL.