You are here: Home >> ToThePoint >> GK - Geography : Major Gulf of the World

Learn major Gulfs of the World important for SSC, PSC, CDS, NDA, Banks, Railways, etc.


What is a Gulf?.
A gulf is a body of water that is connected to a sea or ocean and is surrounded or penetrated by land. Gulfs vary greatly in size, shape, and depth. They are generally larger than bays. Like bays, they often make excellent harbors. Many important trading centers are located on gulfs. Gulfs may be formed by movements in the Earth's crust. The Earth's tectonic plates may rift, or break apart resulting in creation of gulf.


List of Important Gulfs of the World-

1. Gulf of Mexico -
(a) It is the largest gulf in the world.
(b) It is bordered by the United States, Mexico, and the island nation of Cuba.
(c) It has a coastline of about 5,000 km.

2. Gulf of Oman -
(a) Gulf of Oman connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, which then runs to the Persian Gulf.
(b) The gulf borders Pakistan and Iran on the north, Oman on the south, and the United Arab Emirates on the west.

3. Gulf of Aden -
(a) Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen and Somalia.
(b) In the north-west, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.
(c) The waterway is part of the important Suez canal shipping route between the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Sea in the Indian Ocean.

4. Persian Gulf -
(a) It is located in Western Asia between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.
(b) The Persian Gulf is an extension of the Indian Ocean (Gulf of Oman) through the Strait of Hormuz.
(c) Countries with a coastline on the Persian Gulf are (clockwise, from the north): Iran, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq.

5. Gulf of Carpentaria -
(a) It is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the Arafura Sea. Arafura Sea is the body of water that lies between Australia and New Guinea.

6. Gulf of Bothnia -
(a) Gulf of Bothnia is part of the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland.
(b) It is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea.

7. Gulf of Riga -
(a) Gulf of Riga is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia.
(b) Gulf of Riga and the Baltic Sea is connected by the Irbe Strait.

8. Gulf of Alaska -
(a) The Gulf of Alaska is an arm of the Pacific Ocean.
(b) The entire shoreline of the Gulf is a rugged combination of forest, mountain, and a number of tidewater glaciers.
(c) Alaska's largest glaciers, the Malaspina Glacier and Bering Glacier spill out onto the coastal plain along the Gulf of Alaska.

9. Gulf of Finland -
(a) Gulf of Finland is located between the southern coast of Finland and the northern coast of Estonia in the Baltic Sea.
(b) It extends all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. The eastern parts of the Gulf of Finland belongs to Russia
(c) The area of the gulf is 30,000 km2. The length from the Hanko Peninsula to Saint Petersburg is 400 km.

10. Gulf of Mannar -
(a) Gulf of Mannar lies between the southeastern tip of India and the west coast of Sri Lanka.
(b) It is a large shallow bay forming part of the Laccadive Sea in the Indian Ocean.
(c) Adam's Bridge, also called Ramsethu, which includes Mannar Island, separates the Gulf of Mannar from Palk Bay, which lies to the north between India and Sri Lanka.
(d) In 1986, a group of 21 islets lying off the Tamil Nadu coast between Thoothukudi and Dhanushkodi were declared the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park. The park and its 10 km buffer zone were declared a Biosphere Reserve in 1989.

11. Gulf of Panama -
(a) Gulf of Panama is a gulf in the Pacific Ocean, near the southern coast of Panama.
(b) It has a maximum width of 250 km, a maximum depth of 220 m and the size of 2,400 km2 .
(c) The Panama Canal connects the Gulf of Panama with the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.


12. Gulf of Suez -
(a) Gulf of Suez connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, which then runs to the Persian Gulf.
(b) The gulf borders Pakistan and Iran on the north, Oman on the south, and the United Arab Emirates on the west.

13. Gulf of Thailand -
(a) Gulf of Thailand was formerly known as Gulf of Siam.
(b) The Gulf of Thailand is bordered by Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.
(c) The northern tip of the gulf is the Bay of Bangkok at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River.
(d) The gulf covers roughly 320,000 km2.

14. Gulf of Gabes -
(a) Gulf of Gabes is a gulf on Tunisia's east coast in the Mediterranean Sea, off North Africa.
(b) The gulf borders Libya and Tunisia.

15. Gulf of Saint Lawrence -
(a) Gulf of Saint Lawrence is the world's largest estuary.
(b) The gulf is the outlet of the North American Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean.
(c) The Gulf of Saint Lawrence is bounded on the north by the Labrador Peninsula and Quebec, to the east by Newfoundland Island, to the south by the Nova Scotia peninsula and Cape Breton Island, and to the west by the Gaspe Peninsula, New Brunswick, and Quebec.

16. Gulf of Aqaba -
(a) The Gulf of Aqaba or Gulf of Eilat is a large gulf located at the northern tip of the Red Sea, east of the Sinai Peninsula and west of the Arabian mainland.
(b) Its coastline is divided between four countries: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
(c) The Gulf of Aqaba is one of the world's premier sites for diving.

17. Amundsen Gulf -
(a) Amundsen Gulf is a gulf located in Canadian Northwest Territories, between Banks Island and Victoria Island and the mainland.
(b) The gulf is 400 km in length.
(c) The Amundsen Gulf was explored by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.

18. Gulf of Tonkin -
(a) Gulf of Suez connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, which then runs to the Persian Gulf.
(b) The gulf borders Pakistan and Iran on the north, Oman on the south, and the United Arab Emirates on the west.