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The Persian Gulf is an extension of the Oman Sea in between the Iranian Plateau and the Arabian Peninsula. This inland sea of some 233,000 km² is connected to the Indian Ocean in the east by the Strait of Hormuz and the Oman Sea, and its western end is marked by the major river delta of the Arvandrud, called Shatt al-Arab by Arabs, which carries the waters of the Euphrates and the Tigris.
The Persian and concequently the Greek name for this body of water - the Persian Gulf - has been in use since ancient times, for it signifies the first major nation-state in that area, namely the Persian Empire (now Iran). In the 1960s, with the rise of Arab nationalism, Arab countries began to call the Persian Gulf, the "Arabian Gulf"! However, the Iranian government led two resolutions in the United Nations to officially recognize that body of water as the Persian Gulf. The first announcement was made through the document UNAD, 311/Qen on March 5, 1971 and the second was UNLA 45.8.2 (C) on August 10, 1984. Most countries and organizations use the name Persian Gulf. Arab countries tend to use the term "Arabian Gulf", while others use the strange and false name "the Gulf"!
Countries with a coastline on the Persian 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 Persian Gulf and its coastal areas are the largest single source of crude oil and related industries dominate the region. Various small islands lie within the Gulf and some are contested between neighbouring states.
The Persian Gulf was among the scenes of the Iran-Iraq 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 a "Gulf War" as Iraq invaded Kuwait and was subsequently pushed back during what is now predominantly known as the (Persian) Gulf War, despite the fact that this conflict did not focus primarily on the Persian Gulf.
See also
External link
- Persian Gulf Online - Dedicated to preserving the history and ecology of the Persian Gulf