The Siyal Islands are a group of islands off the coast of northeastern Africa, located in the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...

. The islands are located in the

Halaib Triangle The Halaib Triangle ( ar, مُثَلَّث حَلَايِب, Muthallath Ḥalāyib; Egyptian Arabic, Egyptian and Sudanese Arabic, Sudanese ' ), is an area of land measuring located on the Northeast African coast of the Red Sea. The area, whic ...

, which is claimed by both

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, as part of an ongoing border dispute. Since the 1990s, the islands have been occupied by Egypt, and so the islands are ''de facto'' administered by Egypt. They remain, however, to be claimed by Sudan. Siyal

The islands are part of the

Elba Protected Area Gabal Elba ( ar, جَبَل علْبَة ' , ), or Elba Mountain, is a peak and, in general, includes the associated mountainous area in the Halaib Triangle of Northeast Africa. Despite being claimed by both Egypt and Sudan, the area is currentl ...

of Egypt, and are home to the

white-eyed gull The white-eyed gull (''Ichthyaetus leucophthalmus'') is a small gull that is endemic to the Red Sea. Its closest relative is the sooty gull. It is one of the world's rarest gulls, with a population of 4,000 – 6,500 pairs. The species is c ...

, with an estimated seventy individuals at the maximum, as well as several ospreys. The islands are surrounded by rocks and coral, and have a sandy surface with scant marine vegetation. The local fishermen, descendants of the Huteimi peoples identified by J. R. Wellsted, harvest turtle and bird eggs from the surrounding area.

References

Islands of Egypt Islands of the Red Sea Islands of Africa {{Sudan-geo-stub