Larak Island (also Lark Island) is an island off the coast of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Tu ...

, which has been one of Iran's major oil export points since 1987. The narrowest part of the

Strait of Hormuz The Strait of Hormuz ( fa, تنگه هرمز ''Tangeh-ye Hormoz'' ar, مَضيق هُرمُز ''Maḍīq Hurmuz'') is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the ...

at distance of lies between the island and the Omani-owned Quoin Island.

History

During their occupation in the 16th century, the Portuguese built fortresses here, as well as on the nearby Qeshm and

Hormuz Island Hormuz Island (; fa, جزیره هرمز ''Jazireh-ye Hormoz''), also spelled Hormoz, is an Iranian island in the Persian Gulf. Located in the Strait of Hormuz, off the Iranian coast, the island is part of Hormozgan Province. It is sparsely i ...

s. The island contains an Iranian military base which maintains several Chinese-made

Silkworm The domestic silk moth (''Bombyx mori''), is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of ''Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically ...

HY-2 surface-to-surface missiles placed there in 1987. A floating terminal was established on Larak Island in June 1986. The island was bombed by

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

in November and December 1986, as part of the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Counci ...

. As part of

Operation Praying Mantis Operation Praying Mantis was an attack on 18 April 1988, by the United States Armed Forces within Iranian territorial waters in retaliation for the Iranian naval mining of the Persian Gulf during the Iran–Iraq War and the subsequent damage t ...

, the Iranian frigate ''Sahand'' was sunk by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, 200 meters southwest of Larak Island. On 14 May 1988, the largest ship at the time, the Liberian

supertanker An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined c ...

, ''

Seawise Giant TT ''Seawise Giant''—earlier ''Oppama''; later ''Happy Giant'', ''Jahre Viking'', ''Knock Nevis'', and ''Mont''—was a ULCC supertanker that was the longest self-propelled ship in history, built in 1974–1979 by Sumitomo Heavy Industries in ...

'', whilst carrying crude Iranian oil, was sunk by Iraqi

anti-ship missile An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A good nu ...

s off the coast of Larak Island. The ship was later refloated and repaired.

Demographics

Larak Island is located in the Larak Rural District, which is within the Shahab District. Two settlements are on the island: Larak Shahri and Larak Kuhi. Larak Shahri is the largest of the two villages, with a population of 466 people and 98 families.

Nature

The waters around Larak Island are one of the most diverse

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. ...

areas in the environment of the Persian Gulf. There are 37 species of scleractinian corals identified around Larak Island.

References

External links

Language of Larak

Picture of Jazīreh-ye Lārak North Lighthouse
{{Lighthouse identifiers , qid2=Q106097403 Islands of Iran Qeshm County Landforms of Hormozgan Province Lighthouses in Iran Strait of Hormuz

History

Demographics

Nature

See also

References

External links