The Persian Gulf is a large mass of sea water which lies in the Middle East, between the Arabian Peninsula and the coasts of Iran. It extends westward as an arm of the Arabian Sea, which is in turn part of the Indian Ocean. The gulf is joined in the east to the Arabian Sea by the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. It has an area of 239,000 km2 and a southeast-northwest length of 926 km, and a north-to-south width of 180 to 320 km. It has an average depth of 50 m, while 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.
Important rivers flow into the Persian Gulf, such as the Shatt al-Arab, which is formed by the union of the Euphrates, Tigris River, and Karun River, as well as the Safid and Dez River. The Persian Gulf’s hydrological profile makes it a continental sea. The water temperature is between 30° and 33°C in August and 15° and 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. The fishing industry and pearl diving are very important economic activities in the gulf.
Oil as source of income but also as a magnet for imperial encroachment.
Vast oil and natural gas deposits are located beneath the surface of the Persian Gulf and in the surrounding land regions. Thus, the oil industry is the main source of income to the countries surrounding the gulf as there are important oil refineries along the coasts. However, the hydrocarbon extraction and industry, made of the Persian Gulf region the world's main hub of geopolitical conflicts. In 1953, right after the democratic Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh nationalized the oil industry, the British MI6 and the CIA orchestrated a military coup d'Etat that put the Shah of Persia in power. Then the Shah, acting as a puppet, handed over the oil wells and industry over to the British Petroleum and other Western companies.
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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