Strait of Hormuz Map

Description: This map shows countries, provinces, islands, and gulfs in the Strait of Hormuz Area.

Description: This map shows countries, cities, towns, ports, airports, islands, and roads in the Strait of Hormuz Area.

Description: This map shows where Strait of Hormuz is located on the Asia Map.

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway located between the Coasts of Iran to the north and the Musandam Peninsula of Oman and the United Arab Emirates to the south. It connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, which leads to the Arabian Sea and the broader Indian Ocean.

At its narrowest point, the strait is approximately 33 kilometers (21 miles) wide. The navigable shipping channel consists of two 3.2-kilometer-wide (2-mile) traffic lanes - one for inbound vessels and one for outbound - separated by a 3.2-kilometer buffer zone.

The strait is widely regarded as one of the most strategically critical chokepoints in the global energy supply chain. Approximately 20–21 million barrels of oil per day pass through it, representing roughly 20% of the world's total petroleum consumption and about one-third of all liquefied natural gas (LNG) traded globally. Major exporters whose shipments transit the strait include Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar.

The name derives from the historical city and island of Hormuz (also spelled Hormoz), which was an important trading hub in the medieval period. The Portuguese captured the island in 1507 and maintained control over it until 1622, when a combined Anglo-Persian force seized it.

The depth of the strait ranges from approximately 60 to 100 meters. Its total length is about 150 kilometers (93 miles).

Because of its importance to global oil markets, the strait has been the subject of repeated geopolitical tensions. Iran has on multiple occasions threatened to close it in response to international sanctions and military pressure. The United States Navy's Fifth Fleet, headquartered in Manama, Bahrain, maintains a permanent presence in the region specifically to ensure freedom of navigation through the strait.

During the Tanker War phase of the Iran–Iraq War (1984–1988), both nations attacked oil tankers operating in the Persian Gulf, disrupting traffic through the strait and prompting international naval escorts. The United States re-flagged Kuwaiti tankers under Operation Earnest Will in 1987 to protect them from attacks.

The strait falls under the legal regime of transit passage as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which guarantees the right of continuous and expeditious transit for all ships and aircraft, including warships.