The body of water is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. 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.
This inland sea of some , square kilometres 96, sq mi is connected to the Gulf of Oman in the east by the Strait of Hormuz ; and its western end is marked by the major river delta of the Shatt al-Arab , which carries the waters of the Euphrates and the Tigris. In Iran , this is called "Arvand Rud" lit.
Swift River. Its length is kilometres miles , with Iran covering most of the northern coast and Saudi Arabia most of the southern coast. The Persian Gulf is about 56 km 35 mi wide at its narrowest, in the Strait of Hormuz. Overall, the waters are very shallow, with a maximum depth of 90 metres feet and an average depth of 50 metres feet. Various small islands also lie within the Persian Gulf, some of which are the subject of territorial disputes between the states in the region. Exclusive economic zones in the Persian Gulf: [ 5 ] [ 6 ].
Countries by coastline length [ citation needed ] :. The Persian Gulf is home to many islands such as Bahrain, an Arab state. Geographically, the biggest island in the Persian Gulf is Qeshm island , belonging to Iran and located in the Strait of Hormuz.
In recent years, there has also been the addition of artificial islands for tourist attractions , such as The World Islands in Dubai and The Pearl Island in Doha. Persian Gulf islands are often also historically significant, having been used in the past by colonial powers such as the Portuguese and the British in their trade or as acquisitions for their empires. Writing the water balance budget for the Persian Gulf, the inputs are river discharges from Iran and Iraq estimated to be 2, cubic metres 71, cu ft per second , as well as precipitation over the sea which is around mm 7.
