Persian Gulf
Categories: Gulfs | Indian Ocean | Persian Gulf | Middle East
The Persian Gulf (Persian: خلیج فارس, Khalij-e-Fars), (Arabic: الخلیج الفارسی, Al-Khaleej Al-Farsi) in the Middle East region, is an extension of the Gulf of Oman located between Iran (Persia) and the Arabian Peninsula. Since the 1960s, Gulf Arabs have often referred to the water body as the Arab or Arabian Gulf (which is in fact the ancient name of the Red Sea) but this is not commonly used in English and is not acknowledged by organizations such as the United Nations. See Dispute over the name of the Persian Gulf.
This inland sea of some 233,000 km² is connected to the Gulf of Oman in the east by the Strait of Hormuz, and its western end is marked by the major river delta of Arvand/Shatt al-Arab river, which carries the waters of the Euphrates and the Tigris. Its length is 989 kilometres separating mainly Iran from Saudi Arabia with the shortest divide of about 56 kilometres in the Strait of Hormuz. The waters are overall very shallow and do not exceed 60 metres in depth anywhere.
Countries with a coastline on the Persian Gulf, called the Persian Gulf States or the Gulf States, are (clockwise, from the north): Iran (Persia), United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar on a peninsula off the Saudi coast, Bahrain on an island, Kuwait and Iraq in the northwest. Various small islands lie within the Persian Gulf.
The Persian Gulf and its coastal areas are the largest single source of crude oil and related industries dominate the region.
The Persian Gulf was among the scenes of the Iraq-Iran War that lasted from 1980 to 1988, as with each side attacking the other's oil tankers. In 1991 the Persian Gulf again was the background for what was called the "Persian Gulf War" or "The Gulf War" when Iraq invaded Kuwait and was subsequently pushed back, despite the fact that this conflict was primarily a land conflict.
The natural environment of the Persian Gulf is very rich with good fishing grounds, extensive coral reefs and pearl oysters in abundance, but has become increasingly under pressure due to the heavy industrialisation and in particular the repeated major oil spillages associated with the various recent wars fought in the region.
See also
External links
- The Persian Gulf, Information, history and resources of the Persian Gulf
- The Portuguese in the Arabian peninsula and in the Persian Gulf
- Persian Gulf Pavillion of Tehran Int'l Book Fair
- Publication of Historical Maps of the Persian Gulf in Tehran
- Factsheet on on the Legal and Historical Usage of the "Persian Gulf" - ISG MITar:الخليج الفارسي
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