Sanafr Island
Sign in to saveA Saudi island under Egyptian administration
Key facts
- Location
- Red Sea
- Area
- 33 km (13 sq mi)
- Highest elevation
- 49 m (161 ft)
- Population
- Uninhabited
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- island
- Country
- Saudi Arabia
- Population
- 0
- Area
- 33
- Elevation
- 9
- Body of water
- Red Sea
- Image
- Sanafir.png
- Width
- 5.9
- Length
- 8.7
Show 3 more facts
- territory claimed by
- Saudi Arabia
- native label
- صنافير
- Commons category
- Sanafir island
Sources (1)
via Wikidata · CC0
~5 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Sanafir Island (Arabic: جزيرة صنافر, romanized: Jazīrat Ṣanafir, pronounced [ɡeˈziːret sˤɑnɑˈfiːɾ]) is a Saudi island in the Red Sea. It was previously administered by Egypt. Its area is about 33 km (13 sq mi) and it is located at the entrance to the Straits of Tiran, which separates the Gulf of Aqaba from the Red Sea. The island is about 2.5 km from Tiran Island. The island is characterized by floating coral reefs.
The island was under Egyptian control in the past but reverted to Saudi Arabian sovereignty on 8 April 2016, after the completion of transfer procedures (Pending). On 17 June 2017, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ratified the maritime demarcation agreement between the two countries. It was adopted on maps and official documents on 17 August 2017 and approved by the Egyptian House of Representatives on 14 June 2017, which approved the transfer of the island and its neighbor to Saudi Arabia. The United Nations was notified in accordance with the Charter of Article 102 of the provisions of subsidiarity and sovereignty relating to islands and maritime territory.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Sanafr Island” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.