Hormozgan province


Hormozgan province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Bandar Abbas.
The province is in the south of the country, in Iran's Region 2 facing Oman, the United Arab Emirates and the Hormuz Straits. Its area is, The province has 14 islands in the Persian Gulf and of coastline.

History

Although Hormozgan is known to have been settled during the Achaemenid era when Nearchus passed through the region, recorded history of the main port of Hormozgan begins with Ardashir I of Persia of the Sassanid empire.
The province is said to have been particularly prosperous between 241 BC and 211 BC, but grew even further in trade and commercial significance with the beginning of the Islamic era.
Marco Polo visited the port of Bandar Abbas in 1272 and 1293. He reported widespread trading in Persian jewelry, ivory and silk of Indochina, and pearls from Bahrain in the bazaars of the port of Hormuz.
In 1497 Europeans landed in the region for the first time, headed by Vasco da Gama. In 1508 the Portuguese, led by Afonso de Albuquerque invaded the area with seven warships, under the pretext of protecting their interests from Egypt and Venice. The port of Hormuz at the time was considered strategically positioned for commercial interests in the Persian Gulf.
Ismail I who was trying to counter the Ottoman Empire to the west, was unable to save the port from the Portuguese, until Shah Abbas I was finally able to drive them out of the Persian Gulf with the aid of the British. The name of Bandar Abbas comes directly from the name of Shah Abbas I.
The British, meanwhile, were competing for influence in the region with Dutch colonialists, who invaded Qeshm Island and dispatched warships to Bandar Abbas during the final years of Shah Abbas' reign. The Persian government was unable to defend itself against this attack. However, with the souring of British and Dutch relations, military tensions grew in the region. The Dutch finally resorted to moving their base up to Kharg Island.
The Amir of Kharg, Mir Mahna Baloch and Mir Hammal Kalmati with Baloch army defeated the Europeans from Bander Abbas till Karachi, so with the Dutch and other forces at Kharg, the British were firmly in charge of the entire region. Soon Britain took control over the entire Persian Gulf via the British East India Company. The British adopted policy encouraging local autonomy throughout the Persian Gulf to in order to prevent a formidable unified force from threatening their establishments in the gulf.
The strategic importance of the Persian Gulf further increased after World War I with the discovery of oil in the region.

Demographics

Languages

Hormozgan is dominated by a variety of Persian language. Northwest Iranian Balochi is present as well. Arabic, a Semitic language, and Kholosi, an Indic language, are also found among a minority of speakers within the province.

Population

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the province's population was 1,365,377 people in 303,323 households. There were 1,578,183 inhabitants in 396,927 households at the following census of 2011. The 2016 census measured the population of the province as 1,776,415 in 493,660 households.

Administrative divisions

The population history and structural changes of Hormozgan province's administrative divisions over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table.
Counties200620112016
Abumusa1,8605,2637,402
Bandar Abbas498,644588,288680,366
Bandar Lengeh113,625134,713159,358
Bashagard—40,00735,085
Bastak65,71680,11980,492
Hajjiabad62,44265,88969,625
Jask75,76952,88258,884
Khamir47,54552,96856,148
Minab254,304235,705259,221
Parsian37,36942,84350,596
Qeshm103,881117,774148,993
Rudan104,222118,547124,522
Sirik—43,18545,723
Total1,365,3771,578,1831,776,415

Cities

According to the 2016 census, 976,652 people live in the following cities:
CityPopulation
Abu Musa4,213
Bandar Abbas526,648
Bandar Charak4,066
Bandar Khamir20,150
Bandar Lengeh30,435
Bastak9,959
Bika7,190
Dargahan14,525
Dashti4,695
Fareghan1,773
Fin3,939
Garuk4,008
Gowharan1,170
Hajjiabad28,977
Hasht Bandi6,718
Hormuz5,891
Jask16,860
Jenah6,910
Kish39,853
Kong19,213
Kuhestak3,060
Kushk-e Nar3,260
Lamazan2,745
Minab73,170
Parsian18,045
Qaleh Qazi5,286
Qeshm40,678
Rudan36,121
Ruydar6,558
Sardasht1,725
Sar-e Gaz-e Ahmadi1,157
Senderk1,915
Sirik5,137
Suza5,707
Takht3,082
Tazian-e Pain4,263
Tirur4,871
Ziarat-e Ali2,679

Most populous cities

The following table lists the most populous cities in Hormozgan:
RankCityCountyPopulation
1Bandar AbbasBandar Abbas526,648
2MinabMinab73,170
3QeshmQeshm40,678
4KishBandar Lengeh39,853
5RudanRudan36,121
6Bandar LengehBandar Lengeh30,435
7HajjiabadHajjiabad28,977
8KongBandar Lengeh19,213
9ParsianParsian18,045
10JaskJask16,860

Geography and climate

The province is primarily mountainous, consisting of the southern tip of the Zagros Range. The province experiences a very hot and humid climate, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 120 °F in summers. There is very little precipitation year-round.

Hormozgan today

Hormozgan today has 11 ports, five national airports, and three international airports. The province has an active agriculture sector, ranking first in Iran in lime production and second in date production. 30% of Iran's fishery produce comes from this province. Three major hydro dams serve the water needs of the province – Esteghlal Dam, Jegin Dam, and Shemil Dam.
Germany has recently offered to build a bridge that would connect Qeshm island to the mainland.
Hormozgan has two free trade zones, one in Kish, the other on Qeshm island. Kish Island, situated in a free-trade zone, is home of the Iranian oil bourse.

Attractions

The Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran lists 212 sites of historical and cultural significance in the province. Some of the more popular attractions are: