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Archipelago

    Red SeaYemen

    13°45′N 42°45′E

    Hanish Islands

    جزر حنيش

    The Hanish Islands (Arabic: جزر حنيش, romanized: juzur ḥanīš, Tigrinya: ደሴታት ሓኒሽ, romanized: däsetat ḥaniš) form an archipelago in the Red Sea consisting of a trio of major islands at the centre of an array of smaller islets and rocks.

    View of Yemen taken during ISS Expedition 6.
    View of Yemen taken during ISS Expedition 6.

    Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center / Public domain

    Chart

    40 landforms

    Overview

    The Hanish Islands (Arabic: جزر حنيش, romanized: juzur ḥanīš, Tigrinya: ደሴታት ሓኒሽ, romanized: däsetat ḥaniš) form an archipelago in the Red Sea consisting of a trio of major islands at the centre of an array of smaller islets and rocks. The three major islands are the northern Zuqar Island, the southern Great Anish (Al-anīsh al-Kabīr), and the significantly smaller Little Anish (Al-anīsh al-Ṣaghīr) in between. The archipelago is largely under the control of Yemen, with only several small south-western rocks and islets granted to Eritrea by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 1998 following the Hanish Islands conflict in 1994–1995. The name may derive from a local word hanash meaning "snake" or "serpent". On 14 September 2026, the islands were captured by the Houthis (also known as Ansar Allah) during their ongoing conflict with the United Nations-recognized Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) of Yemen.

    From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Census, cataloged

    • Major islands2
    • Minor islands13
    • Islets15
    • Rocks & skerries10

    Major islands

    2

    • Zuqar Island

      Area
      116 km²
      High point
      625 m

      Zuqar Island (Arabic: جزيرة زقر, romanized: jazīra zuqar) is a Yemeni island located in the Red Sea. It lies between the coasts of mainland Yemen and Eritrea, near the Strait of Bab al-Mandab which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

    • Jazīrat al Ḩanīsh al Kabīr

      Area
      65 km²
      High point
      393 m

    Minor islands

    13

    Islets

    15
    • Unnamed island1 m · 0.04 km²
    • Unnamed island7 m · 0.02 km²
    • Rocky Islands2 m · 0.01 km²
    • Unnamed island1 m · 0.9 ha
    • Unnamed island1 m · 0.8 ha
    • Unnamed island0.6 ha
    • Unnamed island1 m · 0.5 ha
    • Chor Rock0.4 ha
    • Unnamed island6 m · 0.3 ha
    • Unnamed island0.3 ha
    • Unnamed island0.3 ha
    • Unnamed island2 m · 0.2 ha

    Rocks & skerries

    10
    • Quoin Island77 m · 0.09 km²
    • Unnamed island19 m · 0.07 km²
    • Round Island23 m · 0.05 km²
    • Peaky Island21 m · 0.03 km²
    • Unnamed island17 m · 0.03 km²
    • Unnamed island8 m · 0.03 km²
    • Unnamed island10 m · 0.01 km²
    • Unnamed island21 m · 0.01 km²
    • Unnamed island2 m · 0.6 ha
    • Unnamed island1 m · 0.2 ha

    Figures

    Comparative heights

    Sea level200 m400 m600 m800 m625 mZuqar393 mJazīrat al Ḩanīsh al Kabīr192 mJazirat al Hanish as Saghir154 mHaycock113 mNear111 mDouble Peak108 mJazirat Suyul Hanish105 mNorth Round77 mQuoin70 mQuoin59 mHigh51 mAbu `Ali44 mTongue38 mShark
    High points by island, metres above sea level.

    Islands by area

    0.0010.010.11101001,000Zuqar: 116 km²ZuqarJazīrat al Ḩanīsh al Kabīr: 65 km²Jazīrat al Ḩanīsh…Jazirat al Hanish as Saghir: 8.7 km²Jazirat al Hanish…Jazirat Suyul Hanish: 2.9 km²Jazirat Suyul Han…Double Peak: 0.86 km²Double PeakNorth Round: 0.57 km²North RoundHaycock: 0.56 km²HaycockNear: 0.52 km²NearQuoin: 0.52 km²QuoinLow: 0.48 km²LowHigh: 0.17 km²HighShark: 0.16 km²SharkTongue: 0.13 km²TongueMid: 0.11 km²MidAbu `Ali: 0.1 km²Abu `AliQuoin: 0.09 km²QuoinUnnamed island: 0.07 km²Unnamed islandRound: 0.05 km²RoundUnnamed island: 0.04 km²Unnamed islandPeaky: 0.03 km²PeakyUnnamed island: 0.03 km²Unnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.03 km²Unnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.02 km²Unnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.01 km²Unnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.01 km²Unnamed islandRocky Islands: 0.01 km²Rocky IslandsUnnamed island: 0.9 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.8 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.6 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.6 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.5 haUnnamed islandChor Rock: 0.4 haChor RockUnnamed island: 0.3 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.3 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.3 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.2 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.2 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.2 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.1 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.1 haUnnamed island
    km², log scale
    Zuqar Island116 km²
    Jazīrat al Ḩanīsh al Kabīr65 km²
    Jazirat al Hanish as Saghir8.7 km²
    Jazirat Suyul Hanish2.9 km²
    Double Peak Island0.86 km²
    North Round Island0.57 km²
    Haycock Island0.56 km²
    Near Island0.52 km²
    Quoin Island0.52 km²
    Low Island0.48 km²
    High Island0.17 km²
    Shark Island0.16 km²
    Tongue Island0.13 km²
    Mid Island0.11 km²
    Abu `Ali Island0.1 km²
    Quoin Island0.09 km²
    Unnamed island0.07 km²
    Round Island0.05 km²
    Unnamed island0.04 km²
    Peaky Island0.03 km²
    Unnamed island0.03 km²
    Unnamed island0.03 km²
    Unnamed island0.02 km²
    Unnamed island0.01 km²
    Unnamed island0.01 km²
    Rocky Islands0.01 km²
    Unnamed island0.9 ha
    Unnamed island0.8 ha
    Unnamed island0.6 ha
    Unnamed island0.6 ha
    Unnamed island0.5 ha
    Chor Rock0.4 ha
    Unnamed island0.3 ha
    Unnamed island0.3 ha
    Unnamed island0.3 ha
    Unnamed island0.2 ha
    Unnamed island0.2 ha
    Unnamed island0.2 ha
    Unnamed island0.1 ha
    Unnamed island0.1 ha

    Groups within

    2

    Sources

    Facts

    • Geometry, areas and high points: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Copernicus GLO-30, via Talus.
    • Wikidata
    • Talus
    • Wikipedia

    Photographs