Strait of Hormuz

The Strait of Hormuz is a <a href="/facts/Strait/cCc9sung">strait</a> between the <a href="/facts/Persian_Gulf/W78AfnC1">Persian Gulf</a> and the <a href="/facts/Gulf_of_Oman/vFwyABLE">Gulf of Oman</a>. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and is one of the world's most strategically important <a href="/facts/Choke_point/pnETV2a6">choke points</a>. On the north coast lies <a href="/facts/Iran/24yukge8">Iran</a>, and on the south coast lies the <a href="/facts/Musandam_Peninsula/PLoz67Fe">Musandam Peninsula</a>, shared by the <a href="/facts/United_Arab_Emirates/o1bEjgbR">United Arab Emirates</a> and the <a href="/facts/Musandam_Governorate/mxhHpNBu">Musandam Governorate</a>, an <a href="/facts/Exclave/AFKB4LW6">exclave</a> of <a href="/facts/Oman/yNr7BPbm">Oman</a>. The Strait is about 104 miles (90 nmi; 167 km) long, with a width varying from about 60 mi (52 nmi; 97 km) to 24 mi (21 nmi; 39 km).
As of 2023, 20% of the world's <a href="/facts/Liquefied_natural_gas/HIm7BbAl">liquefied natural gas</a> and 25% of seaborne <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_oil_exports/Bftu8gCp">oil trade</a> passes through the Strait, making it a highly important location for trade. It has been so for centuries; its vast hinterlands were rich in luxury trade goods with no easy access to lucrative trading ports. <a href="/facts/Babur/2PnFxN3z">Babur</a>'s memoirs recount how almonds had to be carried from the distant <a href="/facts/Fergana_Valley/C5s9yxwa">Ferghana</a> region to Hormuz, to reach markets.
As of June 2025, the Strait has never been closed during Middle East conflicts, unlike the <a href="/facts/Straits_of_Tiran/MpgTqQJq">Straits of Tiran</a>.

Strait of Hormuz open-in-new

Strait of Hormuz