Makran (مکران) (pronounced [mæk'rɑːn]) is a semi-desert coastal strip in
Balochistan, in
Pakistan and
Iran, along the coast of the
Persian Gulf and the
Gulf of Oman. The name Makran derives from
Maka, borne by an overlapping
satrapy of the
Achaemenid Empire. Another, older derivation is from the Makar, or sea dragon, after the humpback whales or whale sharks that abound in the north Arabian Sea.