CONCEPT – STRAIT OF HORMUZ & PERSIAN GULF

Excellent study material for all civil services aspirants - begin learning - Kar ke dikhayenge!

CONCEPT – STRAIT OF HORMUZ & PERSIAN GULF

---

Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

---

Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

---

---

• Strait: A strait is a naturally formed, narrow, typically navigable waterway that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but can be a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not navigable (too shallow, or contains an unnavigable reef or archipelago).

• The Strait of Hormuz: It is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and is one of the world's most strategically important choke points.

1. Physical locations: On the north coast lies Iran, and on the south coast the United Arab Emirates and Musandam, an exclave of Oman. At its narrowest, the strait has a width of 29 nautical miles (54 km). The strait separates Iran (north) from the Arabian Peninsula (south). It contains the islands of Qeshm (Qishm), Hormuz, and Hengām (Henjām). Oil tankers collecting from various ports on the Persian Gulf must pass through the strait.
2. Importance: About 20% of the world's petroleum (about 35% of the petroleum traded by sea) passes through the strait, making it a highly important strategic location for international trade.
3. Area: The sea has an area of about 93,000 square miles (241,000 square km). Its length is some 615 miles (990 km), and its width varies from a maximum of about 210 miles (340 km) to a minimum of 35 miles (55 km) in the Strait of Hormuz.

• Story since second world war: Since World War II the Persian Gulf and the surrounding countries have produced a significant proportion of the world’s oil production. The area has approximately two-thirds of the world’s estimated proven oil reserves and one-third of the world’s estimated proven natural gas reserves. Exploration has remained active, and new reserves are continually being discovered, both on land and offshore. Control of these has led to numerous legal wrangles among states about exact territorial limits.
• Conflicts in the region: The Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, the Persian Gulf War of the early 1990s, and the Iraq War of the early 21st century are some of the major ones. Large amounts of oil are refined locally, but most is exported to northwestern Europe, East Asia, and other areas of the world.
• Iran’s warnings: In July 2018, Iran made threats to close the strait, due to American sanctions after the U.S withdrew from the JCPOA deal. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards reported they were ready to carry out the action if required. In August 2018, Iran test-fired ballistic missile for first time in 2018. According to the officials, the anti-ship Fateh-110 Mod 3 flew over 100 miles on a flight path over the Strait of Hormuz to a test range in the Iranian desert.

---

---

Join UPSC Self Prep course | Online Course (PT Gurukul)  | Covid Special Course | Join PT courses

* Content sourced from free internet sources (publications, PIB site, international sites, etc.). Take your own subscriptions. Copyrights acknowledged.