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Persian Gulf

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: General Geography

   Map of the Persian Gulf. The Gulf of Oman leads to the Arabian Sea.
   Detail from larger map of the Middle East.
   Enlarge
   Map of the Persian Gulf. The Gulf of Oman leads to the Arabian Sea.
   Detail from larger map of the Middle East.

   The Persian Gulf ( Persian: خليج فارس khalīj-e-Fārs; in Arabic: الخليج
   الفارسي al-khalīj al-fārisī), in the Southwest Asian region, is an
   extension of the Gulf of Oman located between Iran ( Persia) and the
   Arabian Peninsula.

   The Persian Gulf was the focus of the Iraq-Iran War that lasted from
   1980 to 1988, 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 abundant pearl oysters, but
   its ecology has become increasingly under pressure from the heavy
   industrialisation and in particular the repeated major petroleum
   spillages associated with recent wars fought in the region.

Geography

   Satellite image showing the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz is the
   dramatic constriction on the right third.
   Enlarge
   Satellite image showing the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz is the
   dramatic constriction on the right third.

   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 Shatt al-Arab, 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 have a maximum depth of 90 metres and an average depth of 50
   metres.

   Countries with a coastline on the Persian Gulf are (clockwise, from the
   north): Iran, Oman (exclave of Musandam), 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.

Oil and gas

   The Persian Gulf and its coastal areas are the world's largest single
   source of crude oil and related industries dominate the region.
   Al-Safaniya, the world's largest offshore oilfield, is located in the
   gulf. Large gas finds have also been made with Qatar and Iran sharing a
   giant field across the territorial median line (North Field in the
   Qatari sector; South Pars Field in the Iranian sector). Using this gas,
   Qatar has built up a substantial liquified natural gas (LNG) and
   petrochemical industry.

   The oil-rich countries (excluding Iraq) that have a coastline on the
   Persian Gulf are referred to as the Persian Gulf States. Iraq's egress
   to the gulf is narrow and easily blockaded consisting of the marshy
   river delta of Arvandrud/Shatt al-Arab, which carries the waters of the
   Euphrates and the Tigris Rivers, where the left (East) bank is held by
   Iran.

Naming dispute

   Regional map showing the word Bahr Fars, ("Sea of Persia") in Arabic,
   from the 9th century text Al-aqalim by Persian geographer Istakhri.
   Enlarge
   Regional map showing the word Bahr Fars, ("Sea of Persia") in Arabic,
   from the 9th century text Al-aqalim by Persian geographer Istakhri.

   Since the 1960s, starting with Gamal Abdel Nasser, some of the Persian
   Gulf's Arabs and their states have often used the name Arabian Gulf (in
   Arabic: الخلیج العربي al-khalīj al-ʿarabī) for the body. This is
   controversial and not commonly used outside of the Arab world, nor is
   it recognized by the United Nations and other international
   organizations as historically the name is "Persian Gulf". "Arabian
   Gulf" is also an ancient name for the Red Sea. The term Arabian Gulf is
   slowly beginning to fade away when Kuwait and Iraq, who both have ports
   on the Persian Gulf, took sides with Iran's argument to keep the name
   of the sea as the Persian Gulf.

British residency

   From 1763 until 1971, the United Kingdom maintained varying degrees of
   political control over some Persian Gulf states, including the United
   Arab Emirates (originally called the "Trucial Coast States") and at
   various times Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Gulf"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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