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Persian Gulf

Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf from space
LocationWest Asia
Coordinates26°N 52°E / 26°N 52°E / 26; 52
TypeGulf
Primary inflowsGulf of Oman, Shatt-al-Arab
Basin countriesIran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Oman (exclave of Musandam)
Max. length989 km (615 mi)
Surface area251,000 km2 (97,000 sq mi)
Average depth50 m (160 ft)
Max. depth90 m (300 ft)
Water volume8,780 km3 (2,100 cu mi)
Persian Gulf at Night from ISS, 2020.

The Persian Gulf,[a] sometimes called the Arabian Gulf,[b] is a mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.[1] It is connected to the Gulf of Oman in the east by the Strait of Hormuz. The Shatt al-Arab river delta forms the northwest shoreline.

The Persian Gulf has many fishing grounds, extensive reefs (mostly rocky, but also coral), and abundant pearl oysters, however its ecology has been damaged by industrialization and oil spills.

The Persian Gulf is in the Persian Gulf Basin, which is of Cenozoic origin and related to the subduction of the Arabian Plate under the Zagros Mountains.[2] The current flooding of the basin started 15,000 years ago due to rising sea levels of the Holocene glacial retreat.[3]


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  1. ^ United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names Working Paper No. 61 Archived 2012-10-03 at the Wayback Machine, 23rd Session, Vienna, 28 March – 4 April 2006. accessed October 9, 2010
  2. ^ A Brief Tectonic History of the Arabian basin. Retrieved from the website: http://www.sepmstrata.org/page.aspx?pageid=133 Archived 2018-09-17 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "A hot survivor". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.

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