Greater and Lesser Tunbs

Common card · No. 351910

Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb (Persian: تنب بزرگ, romanized: Tonb-e Bozorg; Arabic: طنب الكبرى, romanized: Tunb el-Kubra) are two small islands in the eastern Persian Gulf, close to the Strait of Hormuz. They lie at 26°15′N 55°16′E and 26°14′N 55°08′E, some 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from each other and 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of the Iranian Qeshm Island. The islands are administered by Iran as part of its Hormozgan province, however their sovereignty is disputed by the United Arab Emirates, which claims them as part of the Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah. Greater Tunb has a surface area of 10.3 km2 (4.0 sq mi). It is known for its red soil. There are conflicting descriptions about its population: While some sources state there are between a few dozen and a few hundred inhabitants, others describe the island as having no native civilian population. There is reported to be an Iranian garrison and naval station, an aircraft runway, a fish storage facility and a red-soil mine. Lesser Tunb has a...

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