Persian Gulf





The Persian Gulf (sometimes Arabian Gulf, sometimes shortened to just the
Gulf to avoid debate) 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, called Arvand-Rood by Iranians, which carries the waters of
the Euphrates and the Tigris.

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. In the 1960s, with the rise of Arab
nationalism, Arab countries began to call the 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 stay neutral and say "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 dominates 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.