The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman (Arabic: خليج عمان khalīj ʿumān; Persian: دریای عمان daryâ-ye omân), also known as Gulf of Makran or Sea of Makran (Arabic: خلیج مکران khalīj makrān; Persian: دریای مکران daryâ-ye makrān), is a gulf in the Indian Ocean that connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, which then runs to the Persian Gulf. It borders Iran and Pakistan on the north, Oman on the south, and the United Arab Emirates on the west.
| Gulf of Oman | |
|---|---|
| خليج عمان (Arabic) | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 25°N 58°E / 25°N 58°E |
| Type | Sea |
| Ocean/sea sources | Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea |
| Basin countries | |
| Max. width | 340 km (210 mi) |
| Surface area | 115,000 km2 (44,000 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 3,700 m (12,100 ft) |
| Location | |
 | |
Extent
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Gulf of Oman as follows:
Exclusive economic zone
Exclusive economic zones in Gulf of Oman:
| Number | Country | Area (Km2) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Oman | 108,779 |
| 2 |  Iran | 65,850 |
| 3 |  United Arab Emirates | 4,371 |
| 4 |  Pakistan | 2,000 |
| Total | Gulf of Oman | 181,000 |
Bordering countries
Coastline length of bordering countries:
Iran - 850 km coastline
Oman - 750 km coastline
United Arab Emirates - 50 km coastline
Pakistan - 50 km coastline
Alternative names
The Gulf of Oman historically and geographically has been referred to by different names by Arabian, Iranian, Indian, Pakistani, and European geographers and travelers, including Makran Sea and Akhzar Sea.
- Makran Sea
- Akhzar Sea
- Persian Sea (consists of the whole of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman)
Until the 18th century, it was known as Makran Sea and is also visible on historical maps and museums.
Major ports
- Port of Fujairah, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates
- Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates
- Port of Chabahar, Chabahar, Iran
- Port Sultan Qaboos, Muttrah, Oman
International trade
The Western side of the gulf connects to the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic route through which a third of the world's liquefied natural gas and 20% of global oil consumption passes from Middle East producers.
Ecology
In 2018, scientists confirmed the Gulf of Oman contains one of the world's largest marine dead zones, where the ocean contains little or no oxygen and marine wildlife cannot exist. The dead zone encompasses nearly the entire 165,000-square-kilometre (63,700 sq mi) Gulf of Oman and equivalent to the size of Florida, United States of America. The cause is a combination of increased ocean warming and increased runoff of nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers.
International underwater rail tunnel
In 2018, a rail tunnel under the sea was suggested to link the UAE with the western coast of India. The bullet train tunnel would be supported by pontoons and be nearly 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) in length.
Pop culture
In the Battlefield video game series, the Gulf of Oman is a map used in Battlefield 2, Battlefield 3, Battlefield Play4Free and Battlefield 4 with the United States Marines Corps (USMC) invading the shore of Oman with the fictional Middle Eastern Coalition (MEC) defending it in Battlefield 2, and with Russian Ground Forces defending it in Play4Free, Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4.
See also
- Eastern Arabia
- Musandam Peninsula
- History of the United Arab Emirates#The pearling industry and the Portuguese empire: 16th - 18th century
- Saeed bin Butti#Perpetual Maritime Truce
- Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi#Perpetual Maritime Truce of 1853
- Persian Gulf campaign of 1809
- Persian Gulf campaign of 1819
- General Maritime Treaty of 1820
- May 2019 Gulf of Oman incident
- June 2019 Gulf of Oman incident
References
- "Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition" (PDF). International Hydrographic Organization. 1953. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- "Sea Around Us | Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity". www.seaaroundus.org.
- "Sea Around Us | Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity". www.seaaroundus.org.
- "Sea Around Us | Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity". www.seaaroundus.org.
- "Sea Around Us | Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity". www.seaaroundus.org.
- "Sea Around Us | Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity". www.seaaroundus.org.
- "Sea Around Us | Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity". www.seaaroundus.org.
- "Makran Sea/Gulf of Oman|Mokran Sea or Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf, Pars sea". www.persiangulfstudies.com.
- Nicolini, Beatrice (1 January 2004). Makran, Oman, and Zanzibar: Three-Terminal Cultural Corridor in the Western Indian Ocean, 1799-1856. BRILL. ISBN 9004137807.
- Esmaeili, H.; Mehraban, Hamidreza (2017). "New geographical record of the lined rockskipper, Istiblennius lineatus (Valenciennes, 1836) from the Iranian coast of the Makran Sea (Teleostei, Blenniidae)". Check List. 13 (6): 743–746. doi:10.15560/13.6.743. S2CID 90093756.
- "2 oil tankers were damaged in possible attacks in the Gulf of Oman". Vox. 13 June 2019.
- "Scientists Confirm Florida-Sized Dead Zone in the Gulf of Oman". Yale Environment 360. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- "A 2,000-km-long underwater rail will connect Mumbai to the UAE very soon!", Times of India, 30 November 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2021
- "The UAE Wants an Underwater Bullet Train to India", Futurism.com, 5 December 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2021
Further reading
- "The Book of Duarte Barbosa" by Duarte Barbosa, Mansel Longworth Dames. 1989. p. 79. ISBN 81-206-0451-2
- "The Natural History of Pliny". by Pliny, Henry Thomas Riley, John Bostock. 1855. p. 117
- "The Countries and Tribes of the Persian Gulf" by Samuel Barrett Miles - 1966. p. 148
- "The Life & Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner". by Daniel Defoe. 1895. p. 279
- "The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind". by Herbert George Well. 1920. p. 379.
- "The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge" by Johann Jakob Herzog, Philip Schaff, Albert Hauck. 1910. p. 242
The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman Arabic خليج عمان khalij ʿuman Persian دریای عمان darya ye oman also known as Gulf of Makran or Sea of Makran Arabic خلیج مکران khalij makran Persian دریای مکران darya ye makran is a gulf in the Indian Ocean that connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz which then runs to the Persian Gulf It borders Iran and Pakistan on the north Oman on the south and the United Arab Emirates on the west Gulf of Omanخليج عمان Arabic Coordinates25 N 58 E 25 N 58 E 25 58TypeSeaOcean sea sourcesIndian Ocean Arabian SeaBasin countriesList Oman Pakistan Iran United Arab EmiratesMax width340 km 210 mi Surface area115 000 km2 44 000 sq mi Max depth3 700 m 12 100 ft LocationSatellite view of Iran Pakistan and the Gulf of Oman Khor Fakkan a city in the Emirate of Sharjah has one of the major container ports in the eastern seaboard of the United Arab Emirates U S Navy French Navy and Italian Navy aircraft carriers conduct operations in the U S 5th Fleet area of responsibility in the Gulf of Oman ExtentThe International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Gulf of Oman as follows On the Northwest A line joining Ras Limah 25 57 N on the coast of Arabia and Ras al Kuh 25 48 N on the coast of Iran Persia On the Southeast The Northern limit of the Arabian Sea A line joining Ras al Hadd East point of Arabia 22 32 N and Ras Jiyuni 61 43 E on the coast of Pakistan Exclusive economic zoneExclusive economic zones in Gulf of Oman Number Country Area Km2 1 Oman 108 7792 Iran 65 8503 United Arab Emirates 4 3714 Pakistan 2 000Total Gulf of Oman 181 000Bordering countriesCoastline length of bordering countries Iran 850 km coastline Oman 750 km coastline United Arab Emirates 50 km coastline Pakistan 50 km coastlineAlternative namesThe western part of the Indian Ocean by Vincenzo Maria Coronelli 1693 from his system of global gores the Makran coastPaths that Alexander the Great took The Gulf of Oman historically and geographically has been referred to by different names by Arabian Iranian Indian Pakistani and European geographers and travelers including Makran Sea and Akhzar Sea Makran Sea Akhzar Sea Persian Sea consists of the whole of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman Until the 18th century it was known as Makran Sea and is also visible on historical maps and museums Major portsPort of Fujairah Fujairah United Arab Emirates Khor Fakkan Container Terminal Khor Fakkan United Arab Emirates Port of Chabahar Chabahar Iran Port Sultan Qaboos Muttrah OmanInternational tradeThe Western side of the gulf connects to the Strait of Hormuz a strategic route through which a third of the world s liquefied natural gas and 20 of global oil consumption passes from Middle East producers EcologyIn 2018 scientists confirmed the Gulf of Oman contains one of the world s largest marine dead zones where the ocean contains little or no oxygen and marine wildlife cannot exist The dead zone encompasses nearly the entire 165 000 square kilometre 63 700 sq mi Gulf of Oman and equivalent to the size of Florida United States of America The cause is a combination of increased ocean warming and increased runoff of nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers International underwater rail tunnelIn 2018 a rail tunnel under the sea was suggested to link the UAE with the western coast of India The bullet train tunnel would be supported by pontoons and be nearly 2 000 kilometres 1 200 mi in length Pop cultureIn the Battlefield video game series the Gulf of Oman is a map used in Battlefield 2 Battlefield 3 Battlefield Play4Free and Battlefield 4 with the United States Marines Corps USMC invading the shore of Oman with the fictional Middle Eastern Coalition MEC defending it in Battlefield 2 and with Russian Ground Forces defending it in Play4Free Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 See alsoEastern Arabia Musandam Peninsula History of the United Arab Emirates The pearling industry and the Portuguese empire 16th 18th century Saeed bin Butti Perpetual Maritime Truce Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi Perpetual Maritime Truce of 1853 Persian Gulf campaign of 1809 Persian Gulf campaign of 1819 General Maritime Treaty of 1820 May 2019 Gulf of Oman incident June 2019 Gulf of Oman incidentReferences Limits of Oceans and Seas 3rd edition PDF International Hydrographic Organization 1953 Archived from the original PDF on 8 October 2011 Retrieved 28 December 2020 Sea Around Us Fisheries Ecosystems and Biodiversity www seaaroundus org Sea Around Us Fisheries Ecosystems and Biodiversity www seaaroundus org Sea Around Us Fisheries Ecosystems and Biodiversity www seaaroundus org Sea Around Us Fisheries Ecosystems and Biodiversity www seaaroundus org Sea Around Us Fisheries Ecosystems and Biodiversity www seaaroundus org Sea Around Us Fisheries Ecosystems and Biodiversity www seaaroundus org Makran Sea Gulf of Oman Mokran Sea or Gulf of Oman Persian Gulf Pars sea www persiangulfstudies com Nicolini Beatrice 1 January 2004 Makran Oman and Zanzibar Three Terminal Cultural Corridor in the Western Indian Ocean 1799 1856 BRILL ISBN 9004137807 Esmaeili H Mehraban Hamidreza 2017 New geographical record of the lined rockskipper Istiblennius lineatus Valenciennes 1836 from the Iranian coast of the Makran Sea Teleostei Blenniidae Check List 13 6 743 746 doi 10 15560 13 6 743 S2CID 90093756 2 oil tankers were damaged in possible attacks in the Gulf of Oman Vox 13 June 2019 Scientists Confirm Florida Sized Dead Zone in the Gulf of Oman Yale Environment 360 30 April 2018 Retrieved 30 April 2018 A 2 000 km long underwater rail will connect Mumbai to the UAE very soon Times of India 30 November 2018 Retrieved 2 November 2021 The UAE Wants an Underwater Bullet Train to India Futurism com 5 December 2018 Retrieved 2 November 2021Further reading The Book of Duarte Barbosa by Duarte Barbosa Mansel Longworth Dames 1989 p 79 ISBN 81 206 0451 2 The Natural History of Pliny by Pliny Henry Thomas Riley John Bostock 1855 p 117 The Countries and Tribes of the Persian Gulf by Samuel Barrett Miles 1966 p 148 The Life amp Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York Mariner by Daniel Defoe 1895 p 279 The Outline of History Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind by Herbert George Well 1920 p 379 The New Schaff Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge by Johann Jakob Herzog Philip Schaff Albert Hauck 1910 p 242
