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The Greater and Lesser Tunbs (Template:PerB, Tunb-e Buzurg and Tunb-e Kuchak; Template:ArB, Tunb al-kubra and Tunb al-sughra) are two islands disputed over between Iran and the UAEand they are located in the eastern Persian Gulf, close to the Strait of Hormuz. They lie at 26°15′N 55°18′E / 26.250°N 55.300°E / 26.250; 55.300 and 26°14′N 55°08′E / 26.233°N 55.133°E / 26.233; 55.133 respectively, at a distance of some twelve kilometers from each other and some twenty kilometers south of the Iranian island of Qeshm.
Together with the Abu Musa island, Greater and Lesser Tunbs are administered as part of the Iranian province Hormozgan.
Greater Tunb has a surface of 10.3 km² and approximately 450 inhabitants. Lesser Tunb has a surface of 2 km² and is uninhabited. There is a red soil mine active on the Greater Tunb Island. One of unique characteristics of the Greater Tunb is that its soil is red.
Dispute
There is an ongoing dispute between the UAE and Iran over ownership of the islands, together with that of the neighbouring island of Abu Musa, all strategically located in the Strait of Hormuz. The three islands are controlled and administered by Iran, but the UAE claims the islands belong to Sharja, one of the UAE's Sheikdoms, and are occupied by Iran. Tehran says they always belonged to it, that they are situated within its territorial waters and are an integral part of Iranian territory. While Iran existed as a state long before 1971, the UAE as a state was formed in 1971 and had no history as independent state beforehand. Britain, who controlled the sheikdoms that later became the UAE, came to an agreement with Iran that if Iran stopped claiming Bahrain, Britain would in turn give up the islands to Iran.
See also
References
Richard Schofield (ed.), The Lower Gulf Islands (Arabian Geopolitics 2). 6 vols. Archive Editions, 1993 (ISBN: 1-85207-490-6). Online abstract
External links
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