Strait of Hormuz Strait of Hormuz The Strait of Hormuz ( "Tangeye Hormoz" ) 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. 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 . About 20% of the world's petroleum (about 35% of the petroleum traded by sea) passes through the strait, making it a
Persian Gulf Residency Persian Gulf Residency The Persian Gulf Residency was an official colonial subdivision (i.e., residency) of the British Raj from 1763 until 1947 (and remained British protectorates after Indian independence in 1947, up to 1971), whereby the United Kingdom maintained varying degrees of political and economic control over several states in the Persian Gulf, including what is today known as the United Arab Emirates (formerly called the "Trucial States") and at various times southern portions of Persia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar. British interest in the Persian Gulf originated in the sixteenth century and steadily increased as British India's importance rose