Hawar Islands

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. The islands were first surveyed in 1820, when they were called the Warden's Islands, and two villages were recorded. 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.

Geography

Despite their proximity to Qatar (they are only about 1 nmi from the Qatari mainland whilst being about 10 nmi from the main islands of Bahrain), most of the islands belong to Bahrain, having been a part of a dispute between Bahrain and Qatar which was resolved in 2001. 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 52 km2.

Although there are 36 islands in the group, It has often been described as an archipelago of 16 islands. Janan Island, to the south of Hawar island, is not legally considered to be a part of the group and is owned by Qatar.

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.

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.

Conservation

The islands were listed as a Ramsar site in 1997. 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; the application was ultimately unsuccessful.

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.

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

Access

The islands are connected through a 25 km ferry ride from Manama and are reported to have a potential to be developed as a beach tourism destination.

List of islands

Hawar archipelago

By far the largest island is Hawar, which accounts for more than 41 km2 of the 54.5 km2 land area. Following in size are Suwād al Janūbīyah, Suwād ash Shamālīyah, Rubud Al Sharqiyah, Rubud Al Gharbiyah, and Muhazwarah (Umm Hazwarah).

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.

Janan Island

Janan (or Jinan) Island, a small island south of Hawar island, was also considered in the 2001 ICJ 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. It was awarded to Qatar.

References

References

1. "Hawar Islands".
2. (16 March 2001). "Case concerning Maritime Delimitation and Territorial Questions between Qatar and Bahrain". ICJ.
3. "Bahrain". [[Ramsar Convention]].
4. (2002). "International Maritime Boundaries : vol. IV". Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.
5. (16 March 2001). "Case concerning Maritime Delimitation and Territorial Questions between Qatar and Bahrain". [[International Court of Justice.
6. (2004). "IUCN Evaluation of Nominations of Natural and Mixed Properties to the World Heritage List". Hawar-Islands.com.
7. (July 2020}} named 8 major islands, which conforms to{{clarify). "Case concerning Maritime Delimitation and Territorial Questions between Qatar and Bahrain". ICJ.
8. (9 June 2000). "Case concerning Maritime Delimitation and Territorial Questions between Qatar and Bahrain". ICJ.
9. (16 March 2001). "Case concerning Maritime Delimitation and Territorial Questions between Qatar and Bahrain". ICJ.
10. "Bahrain". Ramsar Convention.
11. . (2024). ["Hawar Islands"](https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/hawar-islands-iba-bahrain). *BirdLife International*.
12. (January 2003). "Hawar Islands Protected Area: Management Plan".
13. (11 June 2002). "Nomination file: The Hawar Archipelago". Government of Bahrain.
14. (2015). "Oxford Business Group - The Report, 2015". Oxford Business Group.
15. "Bahrain Bird Report". Hawar-Islands.com.
16. (November 2001). "An archaeological survey of Hawar Island". Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy.
17. (16 March 2001). "Case concerning Maritime Delimitation and Territorial Questions between Qatar and Bahrain". ICJ.
18. (16 March 2001). "Case concerning Maritime Delimitation and Territorial Questions between Qatar and Bahrain". ICJ.