The Qatari-Bahraini dispute over the Hawar Islands 1971-1981

Abstract

The Hawar Islands is an archipelago consisting of 16 small islands, the largest of which is the Bahraini Hawar Island. These islands were the subject of a dispute between Bahrain and Qatar and the territorial waters adjacent to the islands, as the islands are only two kilometers away from Qatar. The court's deliberation of the case continued for nine years in what is the longest territorial dispute received by it. The dispute has strained relations between the two Gulf neighbors for several decades. The dispute centered on the group of "Hawar" islands, which are rich in oil and gas, which are under the control of Bahrain and which Qatar considers its territory. Bahrain, for its part, claims sovereignty over the coastal strip of Zubarah in northwestern Qatar.

Keywords

• qatar
• bahrain
• hawar islands