Persian Gulf

a shallow arm of the Arabian Sea between SW Iran and Arabia: linked with the Arabian Sea by the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman; important for the oilfields on its shores. Area: 233 000 sq. km (90 000 sq. miles)

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Persian Gulf

a gulf northwest of the Indian Ocean, lying between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. The Persian Gulf is joined in the east to the Arabian Sea by the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. Extending 926 km inland, the gulf has an area of 239,000 sq km and a width of 180 to 320 km. Depths less than 50 m predominate; the maximum depth is 102 m. There are many small islands along the coasts and many coral reefs in the southern part. Bahrain and Qeshm are the most important islands. The Shatt al-Arab flows into the gulf.

The Persian Gulf’s hydrological profile makes it a continental sea. The water temperature is 30°-33°C in August and 15°-21°C in February. Salinity is as high as 40‰; near the estuary of the Shatt al-Arab it is 30‰ The currents flow counterclockwise. There is fishing and pearl diving in the gulf.

Vast oil deposits are located beneath the gulf and in the surrounding regions. The principal ports are al-Faw and al-Basra (Iraq, on the Shatt al-Arab); Abadan (on the Shatt al-Arab), Bendare-Shahpur, Bendare-Mah Shahr, and Khark (Iran); al-Kuwait (Kuwait); Ra’s at Tannurah (Saudi Arabia); Manamah (Bahrain); Musay’id (Qatar), and Abdu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates).

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References in periodicals archive

On March 2014, the meeting of Rouhani and Sultan Qaboos is an example of detente in Persian Gulf Region.

Foreign Policy of Iran during Hassan Rohani

China has been actively investing in greater refining capabilities in the Persian Gulf, although in a sign of diversifying interests, they have also been cooperating with Kuwait on agricultural sustainability and with Saudi Arabia on telecommunications infrastructure.

Davidson, Christopher. The Persian Gulf and Pacific Asia: From Indifference to Interdependence

While other missiles mostly traverse at subsonic speeds and in cruise style, the Persian Gulf moves vertically after launch, traverses at supersonic speeds, finds the target through a smart program, locks on the target and hit it.

Iran PG Balistic Missile Precision Capability Increased

Iran employs the term "Persian Gulf" exclusively and does not recognize alternate forms such as the "Arabian Gulf" or "The Gulf." It does not consider the latter term a neutral designation, but sees it as a rebuff to the historical name.

Mapping the Persian Gulf Naming Dispute

Some learnings that counselors can glean from past wars include helping students grieve the loss of family and friends who have served in the military during wartimes (World War II); allowing adolescents to be heard as citizens (Vietnam War); and recognizing that even brief, successful wars create anxiety and fear for those who have never experienced wartime firsthand (Persian Gulf War).

Counseling adolescent students affected by the war in Iraq: using history as a guide

Today, the Carter Doctrine stretches far beyond the Persian Gulf. It is the blueprint for the extension of U.S.

The Carter Doctrine goes global

in-stream upload of ammunition in the Persian Gulf. The mission: Deliver a resupply of Hellfire missiles.

MTMC coordinates creative resupply missions

A mysterious and controversial illness said to afflict many veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War may often stem from mood and anxiety disorders rather than wartime exposure to infectious agents or toxins, a new study finds.

Gulf War syndrome may signal mental ills

The author examines the rise of three such "powers": Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia in the Middle East, particularly their role in the Persian Gulf between 1988-91.

Emergent Regional Powers and International Relations in the Gulf: 1988-1991

Using the latest data available, it reported the cancer rate of Persian Gulf vets was slightly below that of comparable vets who didn't deploy to the Gulf, and far lower than that of the comparable civilian population.

Gulf Lore Syndrome

A preponderance of analysis of the Persian Gulf War has focused on Norman Schwarzkopf: an important figure in that conflict, of course, but one who was utterly uninvolved in its actual fighting.

Prodigal Soldiers: How the Generation of Officers Born of Vietnam Revolutionized the American Style of War