Gulf (redirected from The Gulf)

Gulf. For names of bodies of water beginning thus, see second part; e.g., for Gulf of Mexico, see Mexico, Gulf of.

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gulf

Any large coastal indentation, similar to a bay but larger. Most existing gulfs were formed or greatly extended as a result of the rise in sea level that accompanied the ending of the last ice age. Some, such as the Gulf of California and the Gulf of Oman, resulted from warping, folding, or downfaulting of the Earth's crust, which caused parts of the shoreline to drop below sea level. Most gulfs are connected with the sea by one or more straits. A gulf may have a group of islands at its mouth or may open into another gulf. Gulfs may differ from the adjoining sea in water properties and sedimentation.

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gulf

1. a large deep bay

2. a deep chasm

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Gulf the

1. the Persian Gulf

2. Austral

a. the Gulf of Carpentaria

b. of, relating to, or adjoining the Gulf

3. NZ the Hauraki Gulf

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gulf [gəlf]

(geography)

An abyss or chasm.

A large extension of the sea partially enclosed by land.

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Gulf 

bay, a part of an ocean, sea, or lake that extends inland but has a free exchange of water with the main body of water.

The hydrologic and hydrochemical conditions of a gulf (bay) are identical to the conditions of the body of water of which it is a part. In isolated cases local peculiarities of climate and continental flow can give to the hydrologic characteristics of the surface layer of a gulf (bay) some distinguishing features. Among the largest gulfs (bays) of the world’s oceans are the Gulf of Alaska, the Bay of Bengal, the Bay of Biscay, the Great Australian Bight, and the Gulf of Guinea. In a number of cases the name “gulf” (bay) has been attached to bodies of water that, by their hydrologic conditions, are seas (the Gulf of Mexico, Hudson Bay, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of California).

International law of gulfs (bays). The waters of gulfs (bays), like the waters of ports and sounds, are internal waters of the littoral state, that is, they are subject to its exclusive jurisdiction if the width of the entrance to the gulf (bay) does not exceed the size specified by international law. At the Geneva Conference on Maritime Law in 1958 a resolution was accepted by virtue of which a gulf (bay) with an entrance no greater than 24 nautical miles in width should belong to internal waters, provided its shores belong to one state. If the shores belong to two or more states, the control of the waters is decided by the states by mutual agreement, with consideration for the rightful interests of other states. International practice also recognizes as internal waters several so-called historical gulfs (bays), independent of the width of the entrance into them, by virtue of particular historical, economic, or other conditions: for example, Peter the Great Bay in the USSR, Hudson Bay in Canada, and the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel in France.