Qeschm
| Qeschm | ||
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| Waters | Persian Gulf | |
| Geographical location | 26 ° 45 ′ N , 55 ° 49 ′ E | |
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| length | 136 km | |
| width | 40 km | |
| surface | 1 491 km² | |
| Highest elevation | Namakdan 397 m above sea level NHN |
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| Residents | 113,846 (2010) 76 inhabitants / km² |
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| main place | Qeschm | |
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Qeschm ( Persian قشم Gheschm , Middle Persian Abarkāvān ; Portuguese Quêixome , Arabic الجزيرة الطويلة, DMG al-ǧazīra aṭ-ṭawīla 'the long island') is the largest island in the Strait of Hormuz at the eastern end of the Persian Gulf and belongs to Iran .
geography
Qeschm is separated from mainland Iran by the Churan Strait . The island has a minimum width of 2.4 km at Cape Ra's-e Lāft . There are the places Bandar-e Lāft on the island and Pahel on the mainland opposite each other.
With an area of almost 1500 square kilometers and about 136 kilometers in length, Qeschm is both the largest island in the Persian Gulf and the state of Iran. The surface of the island is mostly rocky and barren.
Qeschm belongs to the province of Hormozgan and forms together with secondary islands such as Hengam , Larak and Hormus the 1730 km² large administrative district ( Schahrestan ) Qeschm, one of eight administrative districts of the province.
history
In ancient times the island was known as Alexandria . Due to their strategically important location, many empires later fought for control over Qeschm, such as the Elam Empire , the Umayyads , Abbasids , British and Portuguese . There they built the fortification Forte de Quêixome , the fort of Qeschm. The English explorer William Baffin was fatally wounded in 1622 on Qeschm in a battle against Portuguese forces.
In 1645 the Dutch occupied the island, but left it again after a short time. Today the island is a free trade area , which made it important for international trade.
See also
Web links
- Qeschm . In: Ehsan Yarshater (Ed.): Encyclopædia Iranica (English, including references)
supporting documents
- ↑ M. Kasheff: ABARKĀVĀN , in Encyclopaedia Iranica , online Ed., 1982 (Update: 2011)