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The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran (Persia) and the Arabian Peninsula. The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers. In 1991, the Persian Gulf again was the background for what was called the "Persian Gulf War" or the "Gulf War" when Iraq invaded Kuwait and was subsequently pushed back, despite the fact that this conflict was primarily a land conflict. The Persian Gulf has many good fishing grounds, extensive coral reefs, and abundant pearl oysters, but its ecology has come under pressure from industrialization, and in particular, oil and petroleum spillages during wars in the region. Historically and internationally known as the Persian Gulf, this body of water is sometimes controversially referred to as the Arabian Gulf or simply The Gulf by most Arab states, although neither of the latter two terms is recognized internationally. The name Gulf of Iran (Persian Gulf) is used by the International Hydrographic Organization. |