Qeshm

Qeshm, Iran

Qeshm, also spelled Qishm, Persian Jazīreh-ye qeshm, Arabic Jazīrat al-Ṭawīlah, largest island in the Persian Gulf, belonging to Iran. The Arabic name means “long island.” It lies parallel to the Iranian coast, from which it is separated by the Clarence Strait (Torʿeh-ye Khvorān). With an area of 460 square miles (1,200 square km), it has an irregular outline and a generally rocky coast except for sandy bays and mud flats fringing the northwest. Irregular table-topped hills almost cover Qeshm; several are over 900 feet (270 metres) high and one, Kīsh Kūh, reaches 1,331 feet (406 metres). Salt is mined on the southeastern coast, and there are naphtha springs. The island is mostly barren, but cereals, vegetables, melons, and dates are grown, and there is fishing and weaving. A sheikh of the Banū Maʿīn tribe administers the island for the Iranian government.