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| The '''Persian Gulf''' (sometimes shortened to just ''the Gulf'' and called the by ]) is an extension of the ] in between the ] and ]. This inland sea of some 233,000 km² is connected to the Arabian Sea in the east by the ] and the ], and its western end is marked by the major ] of the ], which carries the waters of the ] and the ]. | The '''Persian Gulf''' (sometimes shortened to just ''the Gulf'' and called the ] by ]) is an extension of the ] in between the ] and ]. This inland sea of some 233,000 km² is connected to the Arabian Sea in the east by the ] and the ], and its western end is marked by the major ] of the ], which carries the waters of the ] and the ]. | ||
| Countries with a coastline on the Gulf are (clockwise, from the southeast): ], ], ] on a ] off the Saudi coast, ] on an island, ] and ] in the northwest, and ] in the north. The Gulf and its coastal areas are the largest single source of ] and related industries dominates the region. Various small islands lie within the Gulf and some are contested between neighbouring states. | Countries with a coastline on the Gulf are (clockwise, from the southeast): ], ], ] on a ] off the Saudi coast, ] on an island, ] and ] in the northwest, and ] in the north. The Gulf and its coastal areas are the largest single source of ] and related industries dominates the region. Various small islands lie within the Gulf and some are contested between neighbouring states. | ||
Revision as of 03:13, 9 April 2003
The Persian Gulf (sometimes shortened to just the Gulf and called the '''Arabian Gulf''' by Arabs) is an extension of the Arabian Sea in between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. This inland sea of some 233,000 km² is connected to the Arabian Sea in the east by the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, and its western end is marked by the major river delta of the Shatt al-Arab, which carries the waters of the Euphrates and the Tigris.
Countries with a coastline on the Gulf are (clockwise, from the southeast): United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar on a peninsula off the Saudi coast, Bahrain on an island, Kuwait and Iraq in the northwest, and Iran in the north. The Gulf and its coastal areas are the largest single source of crude oil and related industries dominates the region. Various small islands lie within the Gulf and some are contested between neighbouring states.
The Persian Gulf first gave its name to the Iran-Iraq War that lasted from 1980 to 1988, which was popularly known as the (Persian) Gulf War as the Gulf became the centre of hostilities with each country attacking the other's oil tankers. In 1991 the Gulf again was the background for a "Gulf War" as Iraq invaded Kuwait and was subsequently pushed back during what is now predominantly known as the Gulf War, despite the fact that this conflict did not focus primarily on the Persian Gulf.