UPSC Prelims 2026 Q30: Strait of Hormuz and Gulf States — Explained
Ships from which of the following countries have to cross the Strait of Hormuz to reach out to the Indian Ocean?
1. Bahrain
2. Syria
3. Qatar
4. Egypt
- 1 and 2
- 1 and 3
- 2 and 3
- 3 and 4
Answer: (b) 1 and 3
Statement-wise explanation
- 1: correct — Bahrain is an island country inside the Persian Gulf, between the Qatar peninsula and the coast of Saudi Arabia. The Persian Gulf has only one sea outlet: the Strait of Hormuz, which leads to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. A ship leaving a Bahraini port has to pass through Hormuz to reach the Indian Ocean.
- 2: incorrect — Syria's only coastline is on the eastern Mediterranean Sea, where its ports Latakia and Tartus lie. To reach the Indian Ocean, a Syrian ship goes through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. It never enters the Persian Gulf, so it does not use the Strait of Hormuz.
- 3: correct — Qatar is a peninsula that juts into the Persian Gulf from the Arabian mainland. All of its coastline faces the Gulf. Its ships, including the LNG carriers that supply India, have to cross the Strait of Hormuz to reach the open Indian Ocean.
- 4: incorrect — Egypt has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, and the Suez Canal links the two. Egyptian ships reach the Indian Ocean down the Red Sea and through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait into the Gulf of Aden. The Strait of Hormuz is not on that route.
How to eliminate
You can solve this with a mental map; no memorised data is needed. The Strait of Hormuz is the only exit from the Persian Gulf, so the question really asks which of these countries lie only on the Persian Gulf. Syria is on the Mediterranean coast; most aspirants know Damascus and the Syrian coast lie west, near Lebanon and Turkey. Striking out Syria removes options (a) and (c). Egypt's link to the Indian Ocean is the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, which removes option (d). The one fact to remember: Bahrain and Qatar sit inside the Persian Gulf, together with Kuwait and Iraq.
Know more
Strait of Hormuz: the Persian Gulf's only gate
The Strait of Hormuz links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, and from there to the Arabian Sea. Iran lies to its north and Oman's Musandam peninsula (an exclave) to its south. At its narrowest point it is about 21 miles (≈34 km) wide. The shipping lanes in each direction are only about 2 miles wide (US EIA). It is the world's most important oil-transit chokepoint.
Whether a Gulf state depends on Hormuz depends on whether it has a coast outside the Gulf:
| Country | Coast outside the Persian Gulf? | Depends on Hormuz for sea access? |
|---|---|---|
| Kuwait | No | Fully |
| Iraq | No (short Gulf coast at Umm Qasr) | Fully |
| Bahrain | No (island state) | Fully |
| Qatar | No (peninsula) | Fully |
| UAE | Yes: Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman | Partly |
| Saudi Arabia | Yes: Red Sea (Jeddah, Yanbu) | Partly |
| Iran | Yes: Gulf of Oman (Chabahar, Jask) | Partly |
| Oman | Yes: Arabian Sea | No (it borders the strait) |
Other West Asian chokepoints, for comparison
- Bab-el-Mandeb: links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Djibouti/Eritrea. It is about 18 miles wide.
- Suez Canal: a man-made canal in Egypt that links the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.
- Ships from Mediterranean countries (Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt) reach the Indian Ocean through Suez, then the Red Sea, then Bab-el-Mandeb. They never pass Hormuz.
Why India watches Hormuz: a large share of India's crude oil and LNG imports from Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE and Saudi Arabia passes through it. Disruption raises freight costs and energy prices and puts Indian seafarers at risk.
In the news
In 2026 the Strait of Hormuz was at the centre of the West Asia conflict. Shipping through it was disrupted, and in April 2026 the UN Security Council debated resolutions on reopening it. This put the strait and the states that depend on it in the news shortly before Prelims.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Strait of Hormuz: Every option hinges on whether a country's ports lie inside the Gulf, where the Strait of Hormuz is the only exit to the Arabian Sea.
- Persian Gulf: Bahrain and Qatar sit within the Persian Gulf, so knowing its enclosed shape and single outlet decides how their ships reach open ocean.
- Maritime chokepoint: The question compares chokepoints: Hormuz for Gulf ports versus Bab-el-Mandeb for Red Sea routes, so each country maps to one narrow passage.
- Suez Canal: Syria and Egypt face the Mediterranean or Red Sea, so their Indian Ocean route runs via the Suez Canal rather than the Gulf.