Persian Gulf

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The Persian Gulf (Persian: ???? ????, pronounced "khalij-e fārs" or "Khalij-e Pars"), Arabic: الخليج الفارسي) in the Middle East region, is an extension of the Gulf of Oman located between Iran (Persia) and the Arabian Peninsula. Gulf Arabs often refer to the water body as the Arab or Arabian Gulf but this is not commonly used in English and is not acknowledged by organizations such as the United Nations.

Related Topics:
Persian - Arabic - Middle East - Gulf of Oman - Iran - Persia - Arabian Peninsula - United Nations

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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.

Related Topics:
Strait of Hormuz - River delta - Arvand/Shatt al-Arab - Euphrates - Tigris

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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.

Related Topics:
Persian Gulf States - Gulf States - Iran - Persia - United Arab Emirates - Saudi Arabia - Qatar - Peninsula - Bahrain - Kuwait - Iraq

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The Persian Gulf and its coastal areas are the largest single source of crude oil and related industries dominate the region.

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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 whatat was called the "Gulf War" when Iraq invaded Kuwait and was subsequently pushed back, despite the fact that this conflict was primarily a land conflict.

Related Topics:
Iraq-Iran War - 1980 - 1988 - Oil tanker - 1991 - Gulf War

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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.

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