Abu Musa

Abu Musa is situated in Iran, between the Persian Gulf. Its coordinates are 25°52′N 55°02′E.

Abu Musa is a 12-km² island in the eastern Persian Gulf, part of a six-island archipelago near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. The island is administered by Iran, but is also claimed by the United Arab Emirates.

Historical ownership of Abu Musa is disputed between Iran and the UAE. The UK administered the island 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.

Abu Musa's roughly 2,000 inhabitants call it "Gap-sabzu", 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."

The island has some 2,038 inhabitants making it Iran's smallest county.

Capital:

The city of Abu Musa has a population of 1,868.

No coat of arms

You can get here from London by taking a plane from London-Heathrow Airport to Dubai International Airport then to Bandar Abbas International Airport and then take a ferry to Abu Musa.