Gulf is a term used in geography for define the part of the sea that penetrates the land, whose opening is extremely wide.
The gulfs are formed on several different occasions, such as from a huge fault in the earth's crust - the Gulf of Mexico is an example, where the sea arm follows the land fault line, creating a very long gulf with margins. parallel.
Usually, the gulfs are considered privileged places to occupy or inhabit. As they are areas surrounded by land, they are protected against sea currents, making them an important means of transporting boats or fishing.
The biggest gulf of all is the gulf of bengal, in the northeastern Indian Ocean. With a triangular shape, this gulf has a surface that reaches 2,172,000 square kilometers, and is almost 1,900 kilometers long.
Gulf and Bay
The big difference between the gulfs and the bays is in their dimensions. While the gulfs are characterized by having enormous dimensions and an extremely large outflow to the sea. big, the bays have a much simpler length, and with a fairer exit towards the ocean, closed.
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf is located in the Middle East region, being a portion of the Indian Ocean that divides the Arabian Peninsula.
With an area of approximately 240 thousand km2 (equivalent to the state of São Paulo), the Persian Gulf forms the coastline of eight countries - Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Oman.
Gulf of Mexico
Known as the "Mediterranean of the Americas", the Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water on the planet. The gulf is an oceanic basin bordering part of North and Central America.
The Gulf of Mexico is approximately 1.5 million km2, larger than the state of Minas Gerais.
See also:
- aquifer