Abu Musa

Infobox Islands
name = Abu Musa Island

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image caption = Abu Musa Island in Persian Gulf
image size = 200px
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location = Persian Gulf
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total islands = 1
major islands = Abu Musa
area = 12 km²
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country = Iran
country admin divisions title = Province
country admin divisions = Hormozgan, Iran
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population = 500
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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 (PerB| ابوموسی, Arabic: أبو موسى - "Abū Mūṣā") is a 12-km² island in the eastern Persian Gulf, part of a six-island archipelago near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz [ [http://www.iranian.ws/cgi-bin/iran_news/exec/view.cgi/2/2358 Iranian Islands of Tunbs and Abu Musa] ] . The island is administered by Iran as part of the Iranian province of Hormozgan, but is also claimed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). [http://www.american.edu/TED/abumusa.htm Article about Abu Musa in the Trade & Environment Database of the American University, Massachusetts] ] cite web| url=http://www.theestimate.com/public/072401.html | title="Abu Musa and The Tumbs: The Dispute That Won't Go Away, Part Two," July 28, 2001 | accessdate=2008-01-06 ] cite web| url=http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/article_23722.shtml | title="Iran, its territorial integrity in the Persian gulf region," 20 December 2007 | accessdate=2008-01-06 ] cite web| url=http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2691 | title="Unwanted Guest: The Gulf Summit and Iran," 7 December 2007 | accessdate=2008-01-06 ]

The island had been a part of Iran from antiquity until the early 20th century, [ [http://www.geocities.com/abu_musa_town/ Private website about Abu Musa] ] when Britain annexed the island, administering it along with the other British-controlled islands 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 the seven sheikdoms that would later form 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.

In 1980, the UAE took its claim to the United Nations. In same year, Saddam Hussein attempted to justify the Iraq-Iran war by claiming that one of the objectives was to "liberate" Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb. In 1992, Iran increased its control by expelling foreign workers who operated the UAE-sponsored school, medical clinic, and power-generating station. [ [http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iran/abu-musa.htm GlobalSecurity.org about Abu Musa] ]

Abu Musa's roughly 500 inhabitants call it "Gap-sabzu" (PerB| 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."

References

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/abu_musa_town/ History, description, map of Abu Musa and nearby islands]
* [http://www.thepersiangulf.org/abumusaandthetunbs.html History of Abu Musa and The Tunbs]
* [http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/iran/facility/abu-musa.htm Abu Musa's military garrison]
* [http://www.american.edu/ted/abumusa.htm Dispute between Iran and Sharjah]
* [http://www.parstimes.com/news/archive/2002/maritime_boundaries.html Maritime Boundaries in the Persian Gulf: the case of Tunb and Abu Musa Islands]
* [http://www.netnative.com/news/02/oct/1053.html Report of the International symposium on Modern Boundaries of Iran - Problems and practices of Iranian boundaries] , Pirouz Mojtahed-Zadeh, 10/15/02

Further reading

*cite book| author=Schofield, Richard| title=Unfinished Business: Iran, the Uae, Abu Musa and the Tunbs| location=London| publisher=Royal Institute of International Affairs| year=2003| id=ISBN 0-905031-90-3