Stock Photo - EARTH IRAN Musa Bay-- 20 Jan 2015 -- Before draining into the Persian Gulf, several rivers and streams in southern Iran converge into Musa Bay, a shallow estuary with a long history as a port. As far back as 326 BC, the Greek navigator Nearchos noted that the area was already a shipping center. Today, it supports Bandar Imam Khomeini, Iran's busiest port city. On the centre-left of this image is the Bandar Imam Khomeini petrochemical complex, Iran's largest supplier of petrochemicals to the international market. The refining facilities produce a wide variety of petroleum-based products that are turned into gasoline and other fuels, plastics, fertilizers, and industrial chemicals. While the main port complex lies just out of the scene, several docks are visible. The bay is polluted with oil residue, tar balls, and other heavy metals -- Picture by Atlas Photo Archive/NASA.