The Strait of Hormuz is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and is one of the world's most strategically important choke points. It has been so for centuries, with vast hinterlands rich in luxury trade goods, but no easy access to lucrative trading ports. In his memoirs, Babur, the first padishah of the Mughal Empire, recounted how almonds had to be carried from the distant Ferghana region in Central Asia to Hormuz to reach markets.
During 2023–2025, 20% of the world's liquefied natural gas (LNG) and 25% of seaborne oil trade passed through the strait annually. The strait had never been closed for extended time during Middle East conflicts (until this month) (unlike the Straits of Tiran/Bab-el-Mandeb) though Iran occasionally had threatened to close the strait (and they did), and preparations to mine it have been undertaken.
Etymology
Persian etymology derives "Hormuz" from the Middle Persian pronunciation of the name of the Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda. Alternatively, it has been suggested that the name derives from the local Persian word Hur-Mogh 'Place of Dates'. A theory claims that the strait of Hormuz may have been named after Ifra Hormizd, the mother of King Shapur II of Persia, who ruled between 309 and 379 AD.
In the 10th–17th centuries AD, the Kingdom of Ormus was located here. Scholars, historians and linguists derive the name "Ormuz" from the local Persian word هورمغ Hur-mogh meaning date palm.
From the 15th century onward, from a strategic point of view, the geography of the strait maintained and expanded its importance with the arrival of foreign powers such as Portugal, which maintained its presence between the 16th and 18th centuries, also provoking disputes with other emerging powers such as England when it arrived in the region in the 17th century.
Navigation
To reduce the risk of collision, ships moving through the strait follow a traffic separation scheme (TSS): inbound ships use one lane, outbound ships another, each lane being two miles wide. The lanes are separated by a two-mile-wide "median"
In 1959, Iran altered the legal status of the strait by expanding its territorial sea to 12 nmi (22 km) and declaring it would recognize only transit by innocent passage through the newly expanded area.[16] In 1972, Oman also expanded its territorial sea to 12 nmi (22 km) by decree.[16] Thus, by 1972, the Strait of Hormuz was completely "closed" by the combined territorial waters of Iran and Oman. During the 1970s, neither Iran or Oman attempted to impede the passage of warships, but in the 1980s, both countries asserted claims that were different from customary (old) law.
Oil trade flow
During 2023–2025, 20% of the world's liquefied natural gas and 25% of seaborne oil trade passes through the Strait, illustrating its important location for trade.
More than 85% of these crude oil exports went to Asian markets on a daily basis, with Japan, India, South Korea and China the largest destinations. If shipping through the Strait of Hormuz were significantly disrupted for an extended period, it could lead to a major oil supply crisis for major Asian importers such as India and China.
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Chapotraphouse
Banned? DM Wmill to appeal.
No anti-nautilism posts. See: Eco-fascism Primer
Slop posts go in c/slop. Don't post low-hanging fruit here.
Everything is plastic. My couch is plastic. My carpet is plastic. My clothes are plastic. My bedsheets and pillowcases are plastic. The plushie I'm hugging rn is plastic. I must be inhaling microfibres constantly like how the fuck are you meant to avoid this shit. I can swap out clothes for cotton but I'd have to replace 95% of my wardrobe, I could rip up the carpeting and then have cold floorboards (how expensive would that be jfc. My downstairs neighbours would have a fit with my clumsy arse clomping around all day). I can swap the bedsheets for cotton ones, I already have a set. But I can't stop hugging my plushy. The world is too cruel, and too plastic.
Unfortunately, most microplastics come from car tires anyway, so there's not that much point in trying to reduce plastic in your direct environment.
This was all predicted by Aqua, Im a barbie girl🎵
We definitely lost the struggle against microplastics, they will be with us for tens of thousands of years.
my cat likes to chew on plastic. she digs chip/crisp packets from the bedroom bin and crunches on them if we dont give her breakfast in time. her favourite snack is the plastic wrapper on our 6 pack of apples
I can understand that entirely, I used to chew through pen after pen (especially the bic 4 colour changing one with the white nub on the end, because they lasted the longest), right up until about two years ago when I started to worry about this kind of thing. Your kitty probably gets some sort of stress relief or entertainment from it (or both).