Bahrain is a group of islands on the western side of the Persian Gulf, approximately halfway between Saudi Arabia, to the west and Qatar, to the east. Bahrain Island is the largest island and is long by wide. It consists of a low plain with a central hill, the Mountain of Smoke, the highest point of which is above sea level. There are five further small islands and many islets. To the north lies the Persian Gulf, and to the south and west lies the Gulf of Bahrain, which has two connections to the Persian Gulf, one either side of Bahrain. Also part of Bahrain are the Hawar Islands, which lie close to the coast of Qatar and are about southeast of the main islands. These were designated in 1997 as a Ramsar site, a wetland habitat of international importance for wildlife.