Persian Gulf

noun

1. an arm of the Arabian Sea, between SW Iran and Arabia. 600 miles (965 km) long.

Persian Gulf

noun

1. 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)

Persian Gulf

1. Arm of the Indian Ocean between Arabia and Iran.

The Persian Gulf oil fields are among the most productive in the world.

The Persian Gulf region was dominated by Britain for most of the twentieth century. After Britain's withdrawal in the late 1960s, the United States and the Soviet Union competed for influence in the region. (See Persian Gulf War.)