1. A bay is a small body of water or a broad inlet that is set off from a larger body of water generally where the land
curves inward.
The San Francisco Bay, off the coast in northern California, is a well-known bay in the United States. Examples of other
bays include the Bay of Pigs (Cuba), Hudson Bay (Canada), Chesapeake Bay (Maryland and Virginia), and Bay of Bengal
(near India).
Bays are significant for human development as they provide safe fishing and protection from the elements of the open
sea.
Bays are usually much calmer and more protected than seas or oceans. This makes them less likely to face severe
damage from waves, tsunamis, and storm surges.
Most bays make excellent harbors and major port cities are often located on them. Mumbai, India, sits on the mouth of
the Ulhas River and the Arabian Sea.
Bays
2. Examples of other gulfs include the Gulf of California, Gulf of Aden (between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea),
and the Persian Gulf (between Saudi Arabia and Iran).
The Persian Gulf is important with respect to world energy because petroleum is transported through its waters
in oil tankers. They also provide safe and flat waters which can help the development of tourist spots and
fisheries.
The Persian Gulf is an arm of the Arabian Sea bordered by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the
United Arab Emirates, and Oman. Vast deposits of petroleum in this region make the Persian Gulf strategically
important. Middle Eastern countries depend on the gulf for trade and for access to the Indian Ocean. All
countries that consume oil from the region, including the U.S., have a vital interest in keeping the gulf open to
shipping.
Gulfs
3. Two well-known straits are the Strait of Bosporus
and the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Bosporus is
located in southwestern Asia and southeastern
Europe. It connects the Black Sea (from the north)
and the Sea of Marmara (from the south), and splits
northwestern Turkey.
The Strait of Hormuz is located at the southeastern
end of the Persian Gulf It is a narrow waterway that
can be (and has been) controlled to prevent ships
from sailing through the gulf.
Straits
Historically, straits have had
great strategic importance. Whoever controls a
strait is likely to control the sea and shipping
routes of the entire region.
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf
and a part of the Arabian Sea called the Gulf of
Oman. Great quantities
of petroleum from Middle Eastern states are
shipped through the Strait of Hormuz.
The strait is jointly controlled by Oman, the
United Arab Emirates, and Iran. These
countries, which all export oil, are rarely
in dispute with each other. They all
have military centers in the region.
4. • With the opening of the Suez Canal (1869)
the Mediterranean resumed its importance
as a link on the route to the East. The
development of the northern regions of
Africa and of oil fields in the Middle
East has increased its trade. Its importance
as a trade link and as a route for attacks on
Europe resulted in European rivalry for
control of its coasts and islands and led to
campaigns in the region during both world
wars.
Mediterranean Sea
An importance of the Mediterranean Sea
area in geopolitical and geostrategic
standpoint one can understand from the
very fact that this area is situated at the
crossroads between three continents and
making de facto a bridge between
Europe, Asia, and Africa.
