<P> The Persian Gulf was a battlefield of the 1980--1988 Iran--Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers . It is the namesake of the 1991 Gulf War, the largely air - and land - based conflict that followed Iraq's invasion of Kuwait . </P> <P> The gulf has many fishing grounds, extensive reefs (mostly rocky, but also coral), and abundant pearl oysters, but its ecology has been damaged by industrialization and oil spills . </P> <P> The body of water is historically and internationally known as the "Persian Gulf". Some Arab governments refer to it as the "Arabian Gulf" (Arabic: الخليج العربي ‎, translit . Al - Khalīj al - ˁArabī) or "The Gulf", but neither term is recognized internationally . The name "Gulf of Iran (Persian Gulf)" is used by the International Hydrographic Organization . </P> <P> The Persian Gulf is geologically very young, having been formed around 15,000 years ago . </P>

The persian gulf the gulf of mexico and the north sea are all known for their reserves of what ocean