Abu Musa (Persian: بوموساlistenⓘ, IPA:[æbumu'sɒ], Arabic: أبو موسى) is an Iranian 12.8-square-kilometre (4.9 sq mi) island in the eastern Persian Gulf, found near the entrance of Strait of Hormuz.[3] Due to the depth of sea, oil tankers and big ships have to pass between Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs, making these islands some of the most strategic points in the Persian Gulf.[4] The island is under the administration of Iran, as part of the Hormozgan province.[5][6]
Name
Iranian inhabitants of Abu Musa call it "Gap-sabzu" (Persian: گپسبزو), which in Persian means "the great green place". On old Persian maps, the island is called:
"Boum-Ouw" (Persian: بوماوو) or "Boum-Ouf" (Persian: بوماوف) which in Persian means "Waterland".
"Boum-Souz" (Persian: بومسوز) or "Boum-Sou"/"Boum-Souw" (Persian: بومسو) or "Gap-Sabzou" (Persian: گپسبزو) which in Persian means "Green Land".[7]
In recent centuries it has also been called Bum Musa, Persian for "the land of Musa/Moses", instead of "Boum-Sou".[8]
In Arabic sources, "Abu Musa" (Arabic: أبو موسى) comes from Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, a companion of Muhammad, who stayed on the island in 643 CE before battling the Persians.[9][10]
Geography
Abu Musa island is located 70 kilometres (43 mi) south of Bandar-e Shenas and 59 kilometres (37 mi) north-northwest of Sharjah. Out of the 14 islands of Hormozgan, it is the farthest from the Iranian coast. Its highest point is the 110-metre (360 ft) Mount Halva[11] and has Abu Musa city as the center of the island. The weather in Abu Musa is warm and humid, a better climate compared to other islands in the Persian Gulf. It has the most diverse ecosystem, but lacks suitable soil and water for farming. Fishing is the main industry for the locals.
Abu Musa and other islands in the Persian gulf in a map by Adolf Stieler
The sovereignty of Iran on Abu Musa has been disputed by UAE, which inherited a dispute since 1971.[12][13] By common consent, the island had been under the control of the Al-Qasimi ruler of Sharjah.[14][15] In 1906 Salim bin Sultan, the uncle of Sharjah's ruler Saqr bin Khalid, awarded a concession for iron oxide deposits discovery in the island to three Arabs, whose workers extracted the mineral and agreed to sell it to Wonckhaus, a German enterprise. However, Saqr bin Khalid discovered and disagreed with the act, so he cancelled the grant. The workers were then removed from the island with assistance from the British, resulting in an international incident.[16][17]
After 1908, the UK controlled the island along with the other British-held islands in the Persian Gulf, including what is today the UAE. In the late 1960s, the UK transferred administration of the island to the British-appointed Sharjah, one of the seven sheikdoms that would later form the UAE.
After the UK announced in 1968 that it would end its administrative and military positions in the Persian Gulf, Iran moved to reattach the island politically to the mainland. On 30 November 1971 (two days before the official establishment of UAE), Iran and Sharjah signed a Memorandum of Understanding. They agreed to allow Sharjah to have a local police station and Iran to station troops on the island according to the map attached to the Memorandum of Understanding.[15] The agreement also divided the island's energy resources between the two signatories. "By agreeing to the pact, the tiny emirate prevented an invasion by Iran, which two days earlier had taken two other disputed islands, the Greater and Lesser Tunbs, which were even smaller and uninhabited."[18]
Sheikh Saqer welcoming Iranian troops of Iran's destroyer Artemiz in Abu Musa, 1971
The UAE took its sovereignty claim over Abu Musa and the two Tunb islands to a meeting of the United Nations Security Council of 9 December 1971. At that meeting, it was decided to "defer consideration of this matter to a later date".[20][21] Iraq (Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr era),[22] Kuwait,[23] Algeria,[24]South Yemen[24] and Libya[24] held the view that the territory rightfully belongs to the UAE.[25][26][27][28][29] Since that time, the UAE has consistently called in public statements[21][30] for either bilateral negotiations or by referring the issue to the International Court of Justice (or another form of international arbitration).[31]
Saddam Hussein attempted to justify the Iran–Iraq War by claiming that one of the objectives was to "liberate" Abu Musa and the Tunbs in the Persian Gulf. In 1992, Iran expelled "foreign" workers who operated the UAE-sponsored school, medical clinic, and power-generating station.[32] The dispute has also caused serious friction between Ras al-Khaimah and Sharjah on the one hand and some other emirates of the UAE on the other. Ras Al Khaimah advocates tough measures against Iran. Dubai, on the other hand, believes that the conflict is unnecessary. The present ruler of Dubai (who is also Vice President, Prime Minister and Defence Minister of the UAE), Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has earlier stated publicly that "he believes the tensions over the islands have been fabricated by the United States".[33]
In 2012 a visit to the island by Iranian president Ahmedinejad provoked a diplomatic incident.[34] Iran's historical claim to ownership over the islands roots back to the Parthian and Sasanian Empires, among others.[35] Iran considers the island to have been occupied by the UK and refers to the agreement between Iran and the emirate of Sharjah in 1971.[15]
Demographics
As of 2012[update], the island had about 2,131 inhabitants, making it Iran's smallest county.[36] The city of Abu Musa had 1,953 inhabitants in 2012, up 248 from 2006.[37]
Most of the native residents of the island speak the "Bandari" dialect of Persian.
UAE citizens living on the island allegedly face "great difficulties" with the lack of proper clinics and schools. Only one school exists on the island,[38] and it is used by 150 students.[39] Moreover, patients have to be transported to Sharjah to receive treatment, but that is sometimes not feasible because of the Iranian authorities.[39] In addition, Iran allegedly delays or blocks UAE's school and medical supplies from entering the island.[39]
Climate
The island’s climate is hot and arid. Classified as BWh under Köppen climate classification. The Island has warm to hot weather throughout the year, with all months averaging above 20 °C (68 °F), almost all of the annual precipitation falls during the winter season.
Climate data for Abu Musa Island (normals 1991-2020 extremes 1984-2020)
^Ibrahim Abed; Peter Hellyer (2001). United Arab Emirates: A New Perspective. Trident Press Ltd. pp. 182–. ISBN978-1-900724-47-0. Archived from the original on 30 May 2016. Iran claims Abu Musa Territorial and political ambitions, combined with the economic interests of influential elements within the government, helped strengthen the first Iranian claim to the island of Abu Musa in 1904. Iran began to challenge ...
^Ahmadi, Kourosh (2008). Islands and International Politics in the Persian Gulf: The Abu Musa and Tunbs in Strategic Context. Routledge. p. 54. ISBN978-0-415-45933-4.
^ abcMojtahedzadeh, Pirouz (1993). Countries and boundaries in the geopolitical region of the Persian Gulf (in Persian). The Institute for Political and International Studies. OCLC651081387.
^Mojtahedzadeh, Pirouz (1999). Security and territoriality in the Persian Gulf. London: RoutledgeCurzon. p. 214. ISBN0-7007-1098-1.
^Mattair, Thomas (2005). The Three Occupied Islands of the UAE: The Tunbs and Abu Musa. Abu Dhabi: Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. ISBN9948-00-765-4.
^Mattair, Thomas (2005). The Three Occupied Islands of the UAE: The Tunbs and Abu Musa. Abu Dhabi: Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. pp. 165–166. ISBN9948-00-765-4.
Schofield, Richard (2003). Unfinished Business: Iran, the Uae, Abu Musa and the Tunbs. London: Royal Institute of International Affairs. ISBN0-905031-90-3.
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