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The Greater Tumb
The Greater Tunb Island (called Tunb al Kubra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg in Persian by Iran) lies close to the Straits of Hormoz, at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. Only the Greater Tunb is inhabited with about 450 people.
Claims island in the Persian Gulf jointly administered with Iran over which Iran has taken steps to exert unilateral control since1992, including access restrictions and a military build-up on the island.
Greater Tunb enjoys a warm and humid climate. The highest point on the island is 53m above the sea. This island covers an area of 10.3 sq kms (3.75 x 3.9 km ).
This brown circular rocky isle was covered with grass in the late winter and early spring months and traditionally provided pasturage for the animals sent to the island from the Persian mainland.
In the nineteenth century, the British officers stationed in the Persian Gulf made regular use of the isle for picnics, during which they hunted and coursed antelopes, goats, and rabbits.
In the 1930s, the British naval officers considered, albeit briefly, expanding the island's recreational possibilities by adding a golf course, football (soccer) field, and cricket ground.
Fishing is the main occupation of the locals here. The Iranian fisheries organization operates a cold storage facility on the island. There is a modest pier, lighthouse, a power station, and even a small Air strip at the island.
The island has no strategic importance by itself. However, given Iran's strategic situation, it is considered an important link in the defensive line of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Lesser Tunb
The Lesser Tunb Island (called Tunb as Sughra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek in Persian by Iran) lies closer to the Persian Gulf's sea lane, neighboring the city of Lengeh in the north, Abu Musa Island in the south, the Greater Tunb Island in the east (at a distance12 km from the island) in the Persian Gulf.
Dark in color and almost triangular in shape, Lesser Tunb is about 2 kilometers from northwest to southeast, and 1.5 kilometers across in the south; it rises to a maximum height of 36 meters.
It is not known to have ever been inhabited, at least on a permanent basis.
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