, native_name_link = Arabic language , native_name_lang = , sobriquet = , location =

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

, coordinates = , archipelago =

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

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, total_islands = , major_islands = , area_km2 = 52 , highest_mount = , elevation_m = 22 , country =

, country_admin_divisions_title =

Governorate A governorate is an administrative division of a state. It is headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either State (administrative division), states or province, provinces, the term ''govern ...

, country_admin_divisions =

Southern Governorate The Southern Governorate () has the largest area of the four governorates of Bahrain, and the smallest population (91,450). It includes parts of Bahrain's old municipalities – Al Mintaqah al Gharbiyah, Ar Rifa' wa al Mintaqah al Janubiyah ...

, ISO Code BH-14 , country_admin_divisions_title_1 = Area , country_admin_divisions_1 = , country_admin_divisions_title_2 = Population , country_admin_divisions_2 = , country_admin_divisions_title_3 = Density , country_admin_divisions_3 = , country_admin_divisions_title_4 = , country_admin_divisions_4 = , timezone1 = AST , utc_offset1 = +3 The Hawar Islands ( ar, جزر حوار;

transliterated Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or ...

: ''Juzur Ḥawār'') are an

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...

of desert islands; all but one are owned by

, while the southern, small, and uninhabited Jinan Island (Arabic: جزيرة جينان;

: ''Jazirat Jinan'') is administered by

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

as part of its

Al-Shahaniya Al Shahaniya ( ar, الشحانية, Ash Shīḩānīyah) is a municipality (3299 km2) in Qatar, with its municipal seat has a city of the same name (39 km2). Formerly in the municipality of Al Rayyan, but now an independent municipali ...

municipality. The archipelago is situated off the west coast of Qatar in the

Gulf of Bahrain The Gulf of Bahrain is an inlet of the Persian Gulf on the east coast of Saudi Arabia, separated from the main body of water by the peninsula of Qatar. It surrounds the islands of Bahrain. The King Fahd Causeway crosses the western section of the ...

of the

Description

The islands used to be one of the settlements of the Bahraini branch of the

Dawasir Al-Dawasir Al-Dawasir (Arabic: الدواسر) i is an Arab tribe whose main base is in the south of Najd in the governorates of Wadi Al-Dawasir, Al-Sulail , Al-Aflaj, and Al-Kharj. The tribe is divided into two groups, namely Al Zayed (Azd) an ...

who settled there in the early 19th century. The islands were first surveyed in 1820, when they were called the Warden's Islands, and two villages were recorded. They are now uninhabited, other than a police garrison and a hotel on the main island; access to all but Hawar island itself is severely restricted. Local fishermen are allowed to fish in adjacent waters and there is some recreational fishing and tourism on and around the islands. Fresh water has always been scarce; historically it was obtained by surface collection and even today, with the desalination plant, additional supplies have to be brought in.

Geography

Despite their proximity to Qatar (they are only about from the Qatari mainland whilst being about from the main islands of Bahrain), most of the islands belong to

, having been a part of a dispute between Bahrain and Qatar which was resolved in 2001. The islands were formerly coincident with the district or ''Minṭaqat'' Juzur Ḥawār (مِنْطَقَة جُزُر حَوَار) and are now administered as part of the

of Bahrain. The land area of the islands is approximately 52 km² (20 sq. mi.). Although there are 36 islands in the group, many of the smaller islands are little more than sand or shingle accumulations on areas of exposed bedrock molded by the ongoing processes of sedimentation and accretion. The World Heritage Site application named 8 major islands (see table hereafter), which conforms to the description of the islands when first surveyed as consisting of 8 or 9 islands. It has often been described as an archipelago of 16 islands. Janan Island, to the south of Hawar island, is not legally considered to be a part of the group and is owned by Qatar.

Separatist movement

Hawari separatists have a representative in France, who advocates the creation of an independent Emirate of Hawar islands. The source, however, does not say what real support the separatist movement has in Hawar Islands. The flag of the separatist movement was seen in Paris on 1 May 2002. The flag is a dark red rectangle with a white triangle at hoist. The triangle is separated from the red field by a green border, and there are two thin green stripes in the upper and lower parts of the flag. A 14-ray yellow sun outlined in brown is placed inside the white triangle. Dark red stands for the national pride and the fatherland, green for spring, and white for purity.

Flora and fauna

The islands are home to many bird species, notably Socotra cormorants. There are small herds of

Arabian oryx The Arabian oryx (''Oryx leucoryx'') or white oryx is a medium-sized antelope with a distinct shoulder bump, long, straight horns, and a tufted tail. It is a bovid, and the smallest member of the genus ''Oryx'', native to desert and steppe areas o ...

and

sand gazelle The Arabian sand gazelle (''Gazella marica'') or reem () is a species of gazelle native to the Middle East, specifically the Arabian and Syrian Deserts. Distribution and conservation Today it survives in the wild in small, isolated populations ...

on Hawar island, and the seas around support a large population of

dugong The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest m ...

Conservation

The islands were listed as a

Ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

due to their unique environment and habitat for endangered species; the application was ultimately unsuccessful.

Administration

The islands were formerly coincident with the region or ''Minṭaqat'' Juzur Ḥawār (مِنْطَقَة جُزُر حَوَار) and are now administered as part of the

of Bahrain. Jinan Island is administered as part of Al-Shahaniya Municipality of Qatar. Kingdom of The Federal Democratic Republic of Eastern Arabia(Hawar island)

Kingdom of The Federal Democratic Republic of Eastern Arabia(Hawar island)

Tourism

The islands' ecology draws numerous birds, oryx, gazelles, and Socotra cormorants. The islands are connected through a short 25 km ferry ride from

Manama Manama ( ar, المنامة ', Bahrani Arabic, Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 200,000 people as of 2020. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is h ...

and are reported to have a potential to be developed as a beach tourism destination.

List of islands

Hawar archipelago

By far the largest island is Hawar, which accounts for more than 41 km² (15 sq. mi.) of the 54.5 km² (21 sq. mi.) land area. Following in size are Suwād al Janūbīyah, Suwād ash Shamālīyah, Rubud Al Sharqiyah, Rubud Al Gharbiyah, and Muhazwarah (Umm Hazwarah). The following were not considered as part of the Hawar islands in the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...

(ICJ) judgment, being located between Hawar and the Bahrain Islands and not disputed by Qatar, but have been included in the Hawar archipelago by the Bahrain government as part of the 2002

application.

Janan Island

Janan (or Jinan) Island, a small island south of Hawar island, was also considered in the 2001 judgment. Based on a previous agreement when both Qatar and Bahrain were under British protection, it was judged to be separate from the Hawar islands and so considered by the court separately. It was awarded to Qatar.

References

External links

Decision of the International Court of Justice on the Hawar dispute (2001)

Maps

Basic map with island names and features
p. 3
Topographical map

Navigation chart, Bahrain & Hawar

Media

''Bahrain Desert Birds''
''BBC Planet Earth''. Taken from '' "Shallow Seas"'' (2006). {{DEFAULTSORT:Hawar Islands Populated places in Bahrain Islands of Bahrain Islands of Qatar Former municipalities (regions) of Bahrain Foreign relations of Bahrain Disputed territories in the Persian Gulf Disputed islands Archipelagoes of Asia Archipelagoes of the Indian Ocean Territorial disputes of Bahrain Territorial disputes of Qatar Bahrain–Qatar border Ramsar sites in Bahrain