Arm of the Arabian Sea.
It is 550 mi (885 km) long and has an average depth of 328 ft (100 m). It is connected with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea through the Strait of Hormuz . It contains the island kingdom of Bahrain and is bordered by Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Iraq. It has long been a maritime trade route between the Middle East and South Asia; its modern economy is dominated by petroleum production. It was the scene of the Persian Gulf War in 1991.