BANDAR ABBAS

'Bandar Abbas' or 'Bandar-e 'Abbas' (in Persian: بندر عباس) is a port city and capital of Hormozgan province on the southern coast of Iran (Persia), on the Persian Gulf. The city occupies a strategic position on the narrow Straits of Hormuz, and it is the location of the main base of the Iranian Navy. It had an estimated population of 352,173 in 2005.
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Contents

Geography

Climate

Language

Roads

Transportation

Products

Exports

Universities

History

See also

External links

Geography

Bandar Abbas is situated on a flat ground with average altitude of 9m above sea level. The nearest elevated areas are ''mount Geno'' 17km to the north and ''mount Pooladi'' 16km to the north-west of the city. Closest river to Bandar Abbas is ''river Shoor'' rooted from mount Geno and pours to Persian gulf, 10km east of the city.

Climate

Bandar Abbas has a hot and humid climate. Maximum temperature in summers can reach up to 49°C while in winters the minimum temperature drops to ~5°C. The annual rainfall is around 251mm and the relative humidity is 66%.

Language

Original people from Bandar Abbas speak ''Bandari'' (بندری), which is a dialect of the Farsi language, might be of a close similarity to the Middle Persian language and Balochi. Interestingly, Bandari has Loanwords from European languages (e.g. ''tawāl'', meaning ''towel''), and also Arabic (e.g. ''atā'' (اتا), meaning the verb ''come'').

Roads

Bandar Abbas is accessible via following highways:

★ Bandar Abbas-Sirjan 300km to the north-east

★ Bandar Abbas-Kerman 484km to the north-east

★ Bandar Abbas-Shiraz 650km to the north

★ Bandar Abbas-Zahedan 722km to the east

Transportation

Bandar Abbas International Airport has capacity and facilities for landing large transport airplanes .

Products

★ Date, citrus, tobacco and factory goods (e.g. canned Tuna fish).

Exports

★ Transit goods, Dates, citrus, tobacco, fishery.

Universities

★ # Bandar Abbas University of Medical Sciences

★ # University of Hormozgan

★ # Islamic Azad University of Bandar Abbas

History

The earliest historical record of Bandar Abbas is during the reign of Darius the Great between 586 and 522 BC where his army commander, ''Silakos'' embarked from Bandar Abbas to India and The Red Sea. During Alexander the Great's conquests of the Persian Empire, there is a mention of Bandar Abbas under the name ''Hormirzad''.
In the 16th century, the Portuguese established a presence in the region. They fortified the town and called it 'Gamru', employing it as a mainland port. The city received its name after Abbas I "the Great" (shah of Persia from 1588 to 1629) took it in 1615. After he defeated the Portuguese in a naval battle off Hormuz with help from the British navy, he developed the town into a major port — "Bandar" means "port". From 1740, control of the town was sold to Arab rulers, and from around 1780 it was controlled by the leaders of Muscat. In 1868, during Muscat and Oman's decline, the town reverted to Persian rule.
Bandar Abbas serves as a major shipping point for mostly imports, and has a long history of trade with India. Thousands of tourists visit the city and nearby islands including Qeshm and Hormuz every year.

See also

★ Bushehr

★ History of Iran

★ Iran Air Flight 655

★ Zār

External links