Abu Musa

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This is a geographical article. For the Palestinian leader, see Said al-Muragha, for the Sahaba, see Abu-Musa al-Asha'ari.

Abu Musa (Persian: ابوموسی‎ ) or Gap-Sabzu (Persian: گپ‌سبزو‎ ) is a 12-km² Iranian island as part of the province Hormozgan. It is located on the eastern side of the Persian Gulf, part of a six-island archipelago near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.

The island had been a part of Iran from antiquity until the early 20th century,^[1] when Britain asserted control and administered it along with its other lands in the Persian Gulf, including what is today the UAE. In the late 1960s, Britain transferred administration of the island to the British-appointed Sharjah, one of five sheikdoms that would join to become the UAE. After Britain announced in 1968 that it would relinquish its hegemony in the Persian Gulf, Iran moved to reattach the island politically to the mainland. In November 1971, UAE and Iran agreed to give sovereignty to the former but allowed the latter to station troops on the island.^[2]

Abu Musa is claimed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).^[2] In 1980, the UAE took its claim to the United Nations.^[2] In 1992, Iran increased its control by expelling foreign workers who operated the UAE-sponsored school, medical clinic, and power-generating station.^[3]

Abu Musa's roughly 500 inhabitants call it "Gap-sabzu" (Persian: گپ‌سبزو‎ ), which means "the great green place." On old maps, the island is called Bumuf or Bum-i Musa, Persian for "the land of Musa/Moses."

[edit] References

1. ^ Private website about Abu Musa
2. ^ ^{a b c} Article about Abu Musa in the Trade & Environment Database of the American University, Massachusetts
3. ^ GlobalSecurity.org about Abu Musa

[edit] External links

• History, description, map of Abu Musa and nearby islands
• History of Abu Musa and The Tunbs
• Abu Musa's military garrison
• Dispute between Iran and Sharjah
• Maritime Boundaries in the Persian Gulf: the case of Tunb and Abu Musa Islands

[edit] Further reading

• Schofield, Richard (2003). Unfinished Business: Iran, the Uae, Abu Musa and the Tunbs. London: Royal Institute of International Affairs. ISBN 0-905031-90-3. 

Coordinates: 25°52′N, 55°02′E