, Jabal Zuqar , native_name_link = , native_name_lang = Arabic language , sobriquet = , image_name = Zuqar.jpg , image_size = , image_caption = NASA Landsat image of the island , image_alt = , image_map = , map_alt = , map_size = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = , pushpin_label = , pushpin_label_position = , pushpin_map_alt = , pushpin_relief = , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , etymology = , location =

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 ...

, GridReference = , archipelago =

Hanish Islands The Hanish Islands ( ar, جزر حنيش, ) is an archipelago in the Red Sea consisting of a trio of major islands at the centre of an array of smaller islets and rocks. The three major islands are the northern Zuqar Island, the southern Great ...

, waterbody = , total_islands = , major_islands = , area_km2 = , area_footnotes = , rank = , length_km = , length_footnotes = , width_km = , width_footnotes = , coastline_km = , coastline_footnotes = , elevation_m = , elevation_footnotes = , highest_mount = , country = , country_admin_divisions_title = , country_admin_divisions = , country_admin_divisions_title_1 = , country_admin_divisions_1 = , country_admin_divisions_title_2 = , country_admin_divisions_2 = , country_capital_type = , country_capital = , country_largest_city_type = , country_largest_city = , country_capital_and_largest_city = , country_largest_city_population = , country_leader_title = , country_leader_name = , country_area_km2 = , country_1 = , country_1_admin_divisions_title = , country_1_admin_divisions = , country_1_admin_divisions_title_1 = , country_1_admin_divisions_1 = , country_1_capital_type = , country_1_capital = , country_1_largest_city_type = , country_1_largest_city = , country_1_capital_and_largest_city = , country_1_largest_city_population = , country_1_leader_title = , country_1_leader_name = , country_1_area_km2 = , demonym = , population = , population_as_of = , population_footnotes = , population_rank = , population_rank_max = , density_km2 = , density_rank = , density_footnotes = , languages = , ethnic_groups = , timezone1 = , utc_offset1 = , timezone1_DST = , utc_offset1_DST = , website = , additional_info = , footnotes = Zuqar Island ( ar, جزيرة زقر, Jabal Zuqar) is an island in the

that belongs to

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

. It lies between the coasts of mainland

and

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

, near the

Bab-el-Mandeb The Bab-el-Mandeb (Arabic: , , ) is a strait between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Name The strait derives its name from the dangers attendin ...

straits which connect the Red Sea to the

Gulf of Aden The Gulf of Aden ( ar, خليج عدن, so, Gacanka Cadmeed 𐒅𐒖𐒐𐒕𐒌 𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒗𐒒) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channe ...

. Despite its proximity to the African continent, Zuqar Island is considered a part of

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

because it sits on the Asian

continental shelf A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an island ...

. It is appropriately 130 km². The island consists of a

shield volcano A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a warrior's shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more v ...

overlain by

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

pyroclastic cone Volcanic cones are among the simplest volcanic landforms. They are built by ejecta from a volcanic vent, piling up around the vent in the shape of a cone with a central crater. Volcanic cones are of different types, depending upon the nature and s ...

s and

spatter cone Volcanic cones are among the simplest volcanic landforms. They are built by ejecta from a volcanic vent, piling up around the vent in the shape of a cone with a central crater. Volcanic cones are of different types, depending upon the nature and s ...

s which produced youthful-looking

pahoehoe Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or und ...

lava flows. Several small coastal cones and

islet An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanent ...

s surrounding Zuqar Island were formed by

phreatic eruption A phreatic eruption, also called a phreatic explosion, ultravulcanian eruption or steam-blast eruption, occurs when magma heats ground water or surface water. The extreme temperature of the magma (anywhere from ) causes near-instantaneous evapo ...

Ownership

Ownership of Zuqar Island was long disputed between Yemen and Eritrea, along with the

. In 1995 this led to active conflict in the

Hanish Islands conflict The Hanish Islands conflict was a dispute between Yemen and Eritrea over the island of Greater Hanish in the Red Sea, one of the largest in the then disputed Zukur-Hanish archipelago. Fighting took place over three days from 15 December to 17 D ...

. The

Permanent Court of Arbitration The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) is a non-UN intergovernmental organization located in The Hague, Netherlands. Unlike a judicial court in the traditional sense, the PCA provides services of arbitral tribunal to resolve disputes that arise ...

in The Hague settled the dispute in 1996, awarding the larger islands, including Zuqar, to Yemen.

References

Islands of the Red Sea Islands of Yemen Territorial disputes of Yemen Territorial disputes of Eritrea Disputed islands Eritrea–Yemen relations Polygenetic shield volcanoes Volcanoes of Yemen Volcanoes of Eritrea {{Yemen-geo-stub