Arabian Gulf

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The classical Sinus Arabicus, from a Ptolemaic map
The classical Sinus Arabicus, from a Ptolemaic map

The controversial term Arabian Gulf, the subject of the Persian Gulf naming dispute, may refer to the:

  • Red Sea, an older name used by some European nations until the nineteenth century.
  • Persian Gulf, a confusing recent usage.

It should not be confused with the Arabs Gulf, west of Alexandria in Egypt, or the Gulf of Aden, at the south end of the Arabian peninsula.

Classical geographers such as Claudius Ptolemaeus (Ptolemy) used the name Arabian Gulf (in Latin, Sinus Arabicus) to refer to what is now known as the Red Sea (while the name Red Sea, in its ancient forms, referred to all the sea around the Arabian peninsula, as in the mariners' guide Periplus of the Erythraean Sea). By the 19th century, the old name was all-but forgotten; for example, Beeton's Dictionary of Geography (London, Ward Lock, 1868) contains the brusque entry: "ARABIAN GULF (See RED SEA)".

Since the 1960s, starting with Gamal Abdel Nasser and the proponents of pan-Arabism, some Arab states have often used the name Arabian Gulf[1] for the body commonly known as the Persian Gulf, even in their English publications. This is very controversial, and not commonly used outside of the Arab world, nor is it recognized by the United Nations[2][3][4][5] and other international organizations.

Arabian Gulf rugby union team is a rugby team representing teams from various countries in the middle east.

References

  1. ^ LookLex / Encyclopaedia
  2. ^ http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/maplib/docs/escwa.pdf
  3. ^ http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/iran.pdf
  4. ^ http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/westasia.pdf
  5. ^ United Nations Experts on Geographical Names, Working Paper No. 61


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