Hawar Islands

The Hawar Islands (Template:Langx; transliterated: Juzur Ḥawār) are an archipelago of desert islands; all but one are owned by Bahrain, while the southern, small, and uninhabited Jinan Island (Arabic: جزيرة جينان; transliterated: Jazirat Jinan) is administered by Qatar as part of its Al-Shahaniya municipality. The archipelago is situated off the west coast of Qatar in the Gulf of Bahrain of the Persian Gulf.

Description

The islands used to be one of the settlements of the Bahraini branch of the Dawasir who settled there in the early 19th century.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The islands were first surveyed in 1820, when they were called the Warden's Islands, and two villages were recorded.<ref name=whs /> 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.<ref name=rambah11>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name=whs />

Geography

Despite their proximity to Qatar (they are only about Template:Convert from the Qatari mainland whilst being about Template:Convert from the main islands of Bahrain),<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> most of the islands belong to Bahrain, having been a part of a dispute between Bahrain and Qatar which was resolved in 2001.<ref name=icj81>Template:Cite web</ref> The islands were formerly coincident with the district or Minṭaqat Juzur Ḥawār (مِنْطَقَة جُزُر حَوَار) and are now administered as part of the Southern Governorate of Bahrain. The land area of the islands is approximately Template:Convert.<ref name=iucn>Template:Cite web</ref>

Although there are 36 islands in the group,<ref name=manplan /> 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 applicationTemplate:Clarify named 8 major islands, which conforms toTemplate:Clarify the description of the islands when first surveyed as consisting of 8 or 9 islands.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It has often been described as an archipelago of 16 islands.<ref name=icj28>Template:Cite web</ref> Janan Island, to the south of Hawar island, is not legally considered to be a part of the group and is owned by Qatar.<ref name=icj54>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Socotra Cormorant.jpg

Socotra cormorant

Flora and fauna

There are small herds of Arabian oryx and sand gazelle on Hawar island, and the seas around support sea turtles and a large population of dugongs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The islands are home to many bird species. The archipelago has been designated an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of western reef egrets, Socotra cormorants (with some 200,000–300,000 adults recorded in 1992, making it the largest known breeding concentration in the world), Saunders's and white-cheeked terns, and sooty falcons. Other breeding birds include Caspian and bridled terns, and ospreys. Wintering birds include great crested grebes and greater flamingos.<ref name=bli>Template:Cite web</ref>

Conservation

The islands were listed as a Ramsar site in 1997.<ref name=manplan>Template:Cite book</ref> In 2002, the Bahraini government applied to have the islands recognised as a World Heritage Site due to their unique environment and habitat for endangered species;<ref name=whs>Template:Cite web</ref> the application was ultimately unsuccessful.<ref name=iucn />

File:Northern Village - Hawar Islands 1938.png

North village of Hawar in 1938

File:Hawar Islands.jpg

Hawar Islands Resort

Administration

The islands were formerly coincident with the region or Minṭaqat of Juzur Ḥawār (مِنْطَقَة جُزُر حَوَار) and are now administered as part of the Southern Governorate of Bahrain.<ref name=iucn />

Jinan Island is administered as part of Al-Shahaniya Municipality of Qatar.

Access

The islands are home to numerous birds, oryx, gazelles, and Socotra cormorants. The islands are connected through a Template:Cvt ferry ride from Manama and are reported to have a potential to be developed as a beach tourism destination.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

List of islands

Hawar archipelago

By far the largest island is Hawar, which accounts for more than Template:Convert of the Template:Convert land area.<ref name=iucn /> Following in size are Suwād al Janūbīyah, Suwād ash Shamālīyah, Rubud Al Sharqiyah, Rubud Al Gharbiyah, and Muhazwarah (Umm Hazwarah).

Name	Arabic	Coordinates	Max height	Comments
Hawar	جَزِيرَة حَوَار	Template:Coord	Template:Convert<ref name="bird">Template:Cite web</ref>	The island is Template:Convert long and varies in width from Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Continuous beach ridge complex west coast, sloping bedrock rising west to east. Complex bay and cliff formations east coast fronted in places by subqa, jebel and terminals of east lower headlands aeolian formations calcified reef structures and algal mats.<ref name="bird" />
Suwād al Janūbīyah	سُوَاد اَلْجَنُوبِيَّة	Template:Coord	Template:Convert<ref name="bird" />	South Suwad. Sand and shingle accumulations, subqa and salt-encrusted flats with areas of exposed surface rock, beach rock to the north. Mud, shoals and shallow to south, blown sand beaches.<ref name="bird" /> Host to a large Socotra cormorant colony, representing over 10% of the world population.<ref name="whs" />
Suwād ash Shamālīyah	سُوَاد اَلشَّمَالِيَّة	Template:Coord	Template:Convert<ref name="bird" />	North Suwad. Sand and shingle accumulations, subqa and salt-encrusted flats, areas of beach rock to north, shoals and shallow to south and southeast, wind blown sand, beaches.<ref name="bird" />
Rubud Al Sharqiyah	رَبَض اَلشَّرْقِيَّة	Template:Coord	Template:Convert<ref name="bird" />	East Rubud. Sand and shingle accumulations, subqa and salt-encrusted flats, storm beach north and northeast, mudflats, shoals and shallow lagoons south and east large areas of beach rock and reef. Islands off exposed beach rocks & vegetated islets.<ref name="bird" /> Significant western reef heron colony.<ref name="whs" />
Rubud Al Gharbiyah	رَبَض اَلْغَرْبِيَّة	Template:Coord	Template:Convert<ref name="bird" />	West Rubud. Sand and shingle accumulations, subqa and encrusted flats, storm beach north and west, mudflats, shoals and shallow lagoons south and east. Islands off exposed beach rocks & vegetated islets.<ref name="bird" /> Significant western reef heron colony.<ref name="whs" />
Muhazwarah (Umm Hazwarah)		Template:Coord	Template:Convert<ref name="bird" />	Rock (exposed strata), undercut cliffs, small sand or shingle beaches, raised marine terraces with sand spit southern aspect sand accumulations behind. Centre open wadi with rim rocks.<ref name="bird" />
Umm Jinni	أم جني	Template:Coord	Template:Convert<ref name="bird" />	Sand and shingle accumulations with areas of beach rock shoals and shallow lagoons surrounding.<ref name="bird" />
Ajirah	جَزِيرَة عَجِيرَة	Template:Coord	Template:Convert<ref name="bird" />	Rock (exposed strata), undercut cliffs and areas of beach rock and reefs. Single marine terrace with sand spit southwest sand and shingle accumulations behind.<ref name="bird" />
Bū Sadād (Bu Sa’adad) (group)	جُزُر بُو سَدَاد	Template:Coord	Template:Convert<ref name="bird" />	Sand and shingle accumulations with areas of beach rock, shoals and shallow lagoons surrounding. Storm beaches northern aspects. Islands off ‑ various with mud sand and exposed rocky vegetated islets.<ref name="bird" />
Al Hajiyat (group)	الحجيات	Template:Coord	Template:Convert<ref name="bird" />	Group of 3 islands.<ref name="manplan" /> Rock (exposed strata), undercut cliffs terraced, small sand or shingle beaches, reefs.<ref name="bird" />
Al Wukūr (Al Wakur) (group)	جُزُراَلْوُكُور	Template:Coord	Template:Convert<ref name="bird" />	Isolated sea stacks with shingle beaches with surrounding shallow lagoon.<ref name="bird" />
Bu Tammur (group)	بو تمور	Template:Coord	Template:Convert<ref name="bird" />	Isolated undercut heavily fossilized rock platforms.<ref name="bird" />

The following were not considered as part of the Hawar islands in the International Court of Justice (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 World Heritage Site application.<ref name=whs /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Name	Arabic	Coordinates	Max height	Comments
Jazīrat Mashtān (Mashtan)	جَزِيرَة مَشْتَان	Template:Coord		Northernmost island and the closest to Bahrain Island. Roughly equidistant between there and the northernmost of the Hawar islands, Rubud Al Gharbiyah. Although very small at high tide, at low tide Mashtan is considerably larger.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Al Mu`tariḑ	اَلْمُعْتَرِض	Template:Coord		A reef south-east of Mashtan.<ref name=whs /> Location of the largest sighting of dugong in the area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Fasht Bū Thawr (Bu Thur)	فَشْت بُو ثَوْر	Template:Coord		A low-tide elevation coral reef approximately Template:Convert long.<ref name=whs />

Janan Island

File:Hawar Pier 1938.png

Hawar Pier in 1938.

Janan (or Jinan) Island, a small island south of Hawar island, was also considered in the 2001 Template:Abbr judgment. Based on a previous agreement when both Qatar and Bahrain were under British occupation, it was judged to be separate from the Hawar islands and so considered by the court separately.<ref name=icj54 /> It was awarded to Qatar.<ref name=icj81 />

Name	Arabic	Coordinates	Max height (meters)	Comments
Jazīrat Jinān (Janan)	جَزِيرَة جَنَان	Template:Coord		A small island (or islands, if the low tide elevation of Hadd Janan is counted separately), Template:Convert south of Hawar Island. It measures approximately Template:Convert and with a total surface area of around Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• List of islands of Bahrain

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 Template:Webarchive
• Geological map
• Navigation chart, Bahrain & Hawar Template:Webarchive
• Aerial photograph

Media

• Bahrain Desert Birds, BBC Planet Earth. Taken from "Shallow Seas" (2006).