List of islands in the Persian Gulf
Encyclopedia
Persian Gulf
is home to many island
s, mostly small, distributed in the gulf's entire geographic area and administered by the neighbouring nations. Most islands are sparsely populated, with some being barren, and some utilized for communication, military, or as ship dock
s. Some of the islands in the Persian Gulf are artificial
y constructed islands. The artificial islands often serve as tourist resorts, housing developments, or hotels. Despite their small sizes, some of these artificial islands have caused serious hazards for the already fragile ecosystem of the gulf and its dwindling widlife mass. A few of the Persian Gulf island are also historically significant, having been utilized by the ancient Persian empires, neighbouring kingdoms, and in the recent times, colonial powers such as the British empire
, and the Portuguese empire
. Recent globalization, and discovery of oil, has made some of the Persian Gulf islands, very significant for developed nations as a source of oil and raw industrial material. Recent wars, and political unrest has also made these islands strategic military locations for foreign powers from America
and Europe
.
Some Persian Gulf islands are nations themselves; Bahrain
, a recently independent Persian Gulf state, is the only gulf country, which is also an island. The biggest island geographically however, is the Qeshm island which is part of the Iran
ian province of Hormozgan. The following is the list of the most important islands, and the countries that administer them respectively:
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
is home to many island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s, mostly small, distributed in the gulf's entire geographic area and administered by the neighbouring nations. Most islands are sparsely populated, with some being barren, and some utilized for communication, military, or as ship dock
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
s. Some of the islands in the Persian Gulf are artificial
Artificial island
An artificial island or man-made island is an island or archipelago that has been constructed by people rather than formed by natural means...
y constructed islands. The artificial islands often serve as tourist resorts, housing developments, or hotels. Despite their small sizes, some of these artificial islands have caused serious hazards for the already fragile ecosystem of the gulf and its dwindling widlife mass. A few of the Persian Gulf island are also historically significant, having been utilized by the ancient Persian empires, neighbouring kingdoms, and in the recent times, colonial powers such as the British empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, and the Portuguese empire
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
. Recent globalization, and discovery of oil, has made some of the Persian Gulf islands, very significant for developed nations as a source of oil and raw industrial material. Recent wars, and political unrest has also made these islands strategic military locations for foreign powers from America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Some Persian Gulf islands are nations themselves; Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
, a recently independent Persian Gulf state, is the only gulf country, which is also an island. The biggest island geographically however, is the Qeshm island which is part of the Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian province of Hormozgan. The following is the list of the most important islands, and the countries that administer them respectively:
Bahrain
- Amwaj IslandsAmwaj IslandsAmwaj Islands are a group of man-made islands located in the northeast of Bahrain, near the coast of Muharraq island. It covers roughly 2 790 000 m² ....
- Bahrain IslandBahrain IslandBahrain Island is the largest island within the archipelago of Bahrain, and forms the bulk of the country's land mass while hosting the majority of its population. Around most of the Island of Bahrain is a relatively shallow inlet of the Persian Gulf known as the Gulf of Bahrain...
- Hawar IslandsHawar IslandsThe Hawar Islands are a group of islands situated off the west coast of Qatar in the Gulf of Bahrain of the Persian Gulf.Despite their proximity to Qatar , the islands...
- Jidda IslandJidda IslandJidda Island is an islet in Bahrain. It lies to the west of Bahrain Island and just north of Umm an Nasan in Persian Gulf. It is connected to Umm an Nasan by a short causeway.Jidda used to be the location of one of Bahrain's prisons...
- Muharraq IslandMuharraq IslandMuharraq Island is the third largest island in the archipelago of Bahrain after Bahrain Island and Hawar Island. It is named after Muharraq City, the former capital of Bahrain.There are several towns and villages located on the Island, including:...
- Nabih SalehNabih SalehNabih Saleh is an island of Bahrain in Persian Gulf. It lies in the Tubli Bay, east of Bahrain Island. It is connected to Bahrain Island and Sitra through the Sitra Causeway....
- SitraSitraSitra is an island in the Central Governorate of Bahrain, just east of Bahrain Island in Persian Gulf. It lies south of Manama and Nabih Saleh. The island's western coast forms the boundary of Tubli Bay....
- Umm an NasanUmm an NasanUmm an Nasan island is the fourth largest island in Bahrain, after Bahrain Island, Hawar Island and Muharraq Island. It is privately owned by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and is off limits to ordinary citizens. It is connected to Bahrain Island through the King Fahd Causeway. There is little...
- Umm as SabaanUmm as SabaanUmm as Sabaan is an islet in Bahrain. It lies off the north western corner of Bahrain Island, near Budaiya village, and east of Jidda Island, located in Persian Gulf....
Iran
- Abbasak
- Abu Musa IslandAbu MusaAbu Musa is a 12-km² island in the eastern Persian Gulf, part of a six-island archipelago near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. The island is administered by Iran as part of the Iranian province of Hormozgan, but is also claimed by the United Arab Emirates .Abu Musa's inhabitants call it...
- Buneh Island
- Dara Island
- Farsi IslandFarsi IslandFarsi Island is one of the Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf. There is an IRGC Navy base on this Island. The island is completely restricted to public, due to top secret governmental activities....
- Forur Bozorg Island
- Forur Koochak Island
- Forurgan Island
- Germ Island
- Greater TunbGreater and Lesser TunbsGreater Tunb and Lesser Tunb are two small islands in the eastern Persian Gulf, close to the Strait of Hormuz. They lie at and respectively, some 12 kilometers from each other and 20 south of the Iranian island of Qeshm...
(Tunb-e-Bozorg Island) - Lesser TunbGreater and Lesser TunbsGreater Tunb and Lesser Tunb are two small islands in the eastern Persian Gulf, close to the Strait of Hormuz. They lie at and respectively, some 12 kilometers from each other and 20 south of the Iranian island of Qeshm...
(Tunb-e-Kouchak Island) - Hendurabi IslandHendurabiHendurabi or Hendorabi in an Iranian island in the Persian Gulf. Its name is derived from the Persian word اندرآبی Andar-abi meaning "Inside the waters". It is located in Hormozgan Province, to the west of Kish Island and due south of Bastak.-See also:*Kookherd*Bastak*Bandar Lengeh*Hormozgān...
- Hengam IslandHengam IslandHengam Island , is an Iranian island located at south of Qeshm Island, Iran and in the Persian Gulf. Hengam Island is 36.6 km wide with the truncated cone shape. The island is generally Calcareous and generally low lying. The highest point on the island is Nakas Mountain that is about 106 meters...
- Hormuz IslandHormuz IslandHormuz Island , also spelled Hormoz, is an Iranian island in the Persian Gulf. It is located in the Strait of Hormuz and is part of the Hormozgān Province.-Geography:...
- Jonobi Island
- Kharg IslandKharg IslandKharg Island is a continental island in the Persian Gulf belonging to Iran. The island is located off the coast of Iran and northwest of the Strait of Hormuz. Administered by the adjacent coastal Bushehr Province, Kharg Island provides a sea port for the export of oil and extends Iranian...
(Khark island) - Kish IslandKish, IranKish is a resort island in the Persian Gulf. It is part of the Hormozgān Province of Iran. Due to its free trade zone status it is touted as a consumer's paradise, with numerous malls, shopping centres, tourist attractions, and resort hotels. It has an estimated population of 20,000 residents and...
- Larak IslandLarak IslandLarak Island is an island off the coast of Iran in the Persian Gulf which has been one of Iran's major oil export point since 1987...
- Kharku Island
- Se Dandan
- Lavan Island
- Minu Island
- Omolkarm Island
- Polour
- Qabre Nakhoda Island
- Qeshm Island
- Qeys Island
- Rostam Island
- Shatvar Island
- Sheikh Shoeyb Island
- Shif Island
- Sirri IslandSirri IslandSirri Island , is an island in the Persian Gulf belonging to Iran.Sirri island is situated 76 km from Bandar-e Lengeh and 50 km east of Abu Musa island. The island is one of six in the Abu Musâ Island Group ....
- Shomali Island
- Smaller Bent Island
Kuwait
- Auhah IslandAuhah IslandAuhah Island is a small island belonging to Kuwait. It is 800 metres long by 540 metres wide, which corresponds to an area of about 34 ha, and is located 16 km south-east of Failaka Island, and 41 km from Salmiya on the mainland. Apart from a light-house and a small heliport, the island is ...
- Bubiyan IslandBubiyan IslandBubiyan Island is the largest island in the Kuwaiti coastal island chain situated in the north-western corner of the Persian Gulf, with an area of ....
- Failaka IslandFailaka IslandFailaka Island is an island that belongs to Kuwait in the Persian Gulf. The island is 20 km off the coast of Kuwait City in the Persian Gulf. The name 'Failaka' is thought to be derived from the ancient Greek φυλάκιο - fylakio "outpost"....
- Kubbar IslandKubbar IslandKubbar is a sandy island of Kuwait in the Persian Gulf, covered with shrub. It is located roughly 30 kilometers off the southern coast of Kuwait and 29 kilometres off the coast of Failaka. The island is nearly circular, with a diameter of 370 to 380 meters, corresponding to an area of about 11 ha....
- Miskan IslandMiskan IslandMiskan Island is a small, uninhabited island in the Persian Gulf off Kuwait. It is to the south of Bubiyan Island. It is about 1.2 kilometers long and 800 meters wide . The distance between it and Failaka Island, which lies to the south, is approximately 3.2 kilometers. The distance between...
- Qaruh IslandQaruh IslandQaruh Island is an island belonging to the state of Kuwait, which received its name from the large amounts of petroleum sediments in the area . It is the smallest of the nine islands, and also the furthest island from the Kuwaiti mainland. It is located 37.5 kilometers away from the mainland, and...
- Umm al Maradim IslandUmm al Maradim IslandUmm al Maradim is an island belonging to the state of Kuwait. It is located between Kuwaiti and Saudi territorial waters. The island is 1.5 kilometers in length and 540 meters wide Umm al Maradim (Translation: Mother of boulders) is an island belonging to the state of Kuwait. It is located...
- Umm an Namil IslandUmm an Namil IslandUmm al Namil is an island belonging to Kuwait, located within Kuwait Bay, in Persian Gulf. It is known to be the site of several archeological finds, mainly from the Islamic era, and the bronze age. The island is at shortest, 600 meters away from the Kuwaiti mainland....
- Warbah IslandWarbah IslandWarbah Island is an island belonging to Kuwait, located in the Persian Gulf, near the mouth of the Euphrates River. It is located roughly east of the Kuwaiti mainland, north of Bubiyan Island and south of the Iraqi mainland. It is roughly long and wide with a total area of...
United Arab Emirates
- Das
- DalmaDalma (island)Dalma is an Emarati island located in Persian Gulf approximately 26 miles off the coast of Abu Dhabi and 72 miles from Doha. The Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey ADIAS carried out an initial archaeological survey of Dalma island in 1992. A total of more than 20 archaeological sites were...
- Arzanah
- Al Qaffāy