Abu Musa ( , , ) is a island in the eastern Persian Gulf near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. Due to the depth of sea, oil tankers and big ships have to pass between Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs; this makes these islands some of the most strategic points in the Persian Gulf. The island is administered by Iran as part of its province of Hormozgan, but is also claimed by the United Arab Emirates as a territory of the emirate of Sharjah. Name Iranian Abu Musa's inhabitants call it "Gap-sabzu" (), which in Persian means "the great green place." On old Persian maps, the island is called: "Boum-Ouw" () or "Boum-Ouf" () which in Persian means "Waterland". "Boum-Souz" () or "Boum-Sou"/"Boum-Souw" () or "Gap-Sabzou" () which in Persian means "Green Land". However, in recent centuries it has also been called Bum Musa, Persian for "the land of Musa/Moses," instead of "Boum-Sou". In Arabic sources, "Abu Musa" () comes from Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, a companion of Prophet Muhammad, who stayed on the island in 643 A.D before battling the Persians. Geography Abu Musa island is located south of Bandar-e Shenas and north-northwest of Sharjah. Out of 14 islands of Hormozgan it is the island farthest from the Iranian coast. Its highest point is the Mount Halva. Abu Musa city is the center of the island. The weather in Abu Musa is warm and humid, although, compared to the place in the Persian Gulf, Abu Musa has a better climate and the most diverse ecosystem, but it lacks suitable soil and water for farming leaving fishing as the main industry for locals. It is served by the regional Abu Musa Airport. History The sovereignty of Iran on Abu Musa has been disputed by UAE, which inherited the dispute in 1971. By common consent, the island had been under the control of the Al-Qasimi ruler of Sharjah. In 1906 Salim bin Sultan, the uncle of Sharjah's ruler Saqr bin Khalid, awarded a concession for the iron oxide deposits of Abu Musa to three Arabs, whose workers extracted the mineral and agreed to sell it to Wonckhaus, a German enterprise. However, when Saqr bin Khalid discovered this, he cancelled the concession and the workers were removed from the island with assistance from the British, resulting in an international incident. After 1908, the UK controlled the island along with