The Gulf Region

What is the Gulf?

The Gulf is the name given to the area around the Persian Gulf.

Where is the Gulf?

It lies in the Middle East, to the north-east of the Indian Ocean.

Which countries are in the Gulf?

The states around the Persian Gulf in the Middle East form the area known as the Gulf.

• ❖ Iran.
• ❖ Iraq.
• ❖ Kuwait.
• ❖ Saudi Arabia.
• ❖ Bahrain.
• ❖ Qatar.
• ❖ United Arab Emirates.
• ❖ Oman.

Why is the Gulf significant?

The Gulf region contains about half of the known oil reserves on earth. This means that industrialised nations have been reliant on the region for their economic wellbeing and access to oil for industry, transport and domestic use.

Why is there tension in the Gulf?

There are a number of factors that created tension and conflict in the Gulf region in the twentieth century.

• ❖ The Gulf contains half of the world's known oil reserves. This means many industrialised western nations are reliant on it and may seek to interfere or control events there.
• ❖ Individuals, such as Saddam Hussein in Iraq, and Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran, have had a huge impact of the history on the region.
• ❖ Although the vast majority of Gulf inhabitants are Muslim, there are religious differences between the Sunni and Shia Muslims, both of whom live in the region.
• ❖ Some areas of the Gulf have been controlled by foreign powers for centuries and therefore have developed a strong sense of national identity and a desire to get rid of any control by outsiders.
• ❖ The Jewish state of Israel was created in 1948 from land taken from Arabs. This was opposed by Arab states.