Persian Gulf naming dispute Strait of Hormuz as "Basora Fretum" (Strait of Basra). Among all this confusion, the old name gradually reasserted itself in the 17th century, but Turkey still uses the name "Gulf of Basra" in Turkish today. Following British attempts to control the seaway in the late 1830s, the "Times Journal", published in London in 1840, referred to the Persian Gulf as the "Britain Sea", but this name was never used in any other context. The matter remains very contentious as the competing naming conventions are supported by certain governments in internal literature, but also in dealings with other states and international
Persian Gulf fishing grounds, extensive reefs (mostly rocky, but also coral), and abundant pearl oysters, but its ecology has been damaged by industrialization and oil spills. The body of water is historically and internationally known as the "Persian Gulf". Some Arab governments refer to it as the "Arabian Gulf" () or "The Gulf", but neither term is recognized internationally. The name "Gulf of Iran (Persian Gulf)" is used by the International Hydrographic Organization. The Persian Gulf resides in the Persian Gulf Basin, which is of Cenozoic origin and related to the subduction of the Arabian Plate under the Zagros Mountains. The current