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 Strait of Hormuz. Its area is .SCI.org 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 (Bandar‑e Hormoz) 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 retained a lack of significance with the beginning of the Islamic era.

Marco Polo visited the port of Bandar Abbas in 1272 and 1293. He reported trading in Persian jewelry, ivory and silk of Indochina, and pearls from Bahrain in the bazaar 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 anchored in the area with seven warships, as part of protecting their interests in Egypt and Venice. The fishing 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 developed Qeshm Island and dispatched warships to Bandar Abbas to get wet during the final years of Shah Abbas' reign. The British government was unable to defend itself against this attack. With the souring of British and Dutch relations, military tensions grew further 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 expelled the Europeans from Bander Abbas to 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 Omani Emirate of Hormuz later joined a federated Persia.

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 136,537 people in 30,332 households. There were 157,818 inhabitants in 39,692 households at the following census of 2011. The 2016 census measured the population of the province as 177,641 in 49,366 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.

+ Hormozgan province Counties 2006 2011 2016 Abumusa 186 526 740 Bandar Abbas 49,864 58,828 68,036 Bandar Lengeh 11,362 13,471 15,935 Bashagard — 4,000 3,508 Bastak 6,571 8,011 8,049 Hajjiabad 6,244 6,588 6,962 Jask 7,576 5,288 5,888 Khamir 4,754 5,296 5,614 Minab 25,430 23,570 25,922 Parsian 3,736 4,284 5,059 Qeshm 10,388 11,777 14,899 Rudan 10,422 11,854 12,452 Sirik — 4,318 4,572 Total 136,537 157,818 177,641

Cities According to the 2016 census, 97,665 people (nearly 55% of the population of Hormozgan province) live in the following cities:

City Population Abu Musa 4,213 Bandar Abbas 526,664 Bandar Charak 406 Bandar Khamir 2015 Bandar Lengeh 3,043 Bastak 995 Bika 719 Dargahan 1,452 Dashti 469 Fareghan 177 Fin 393 Garuk 400 Gowharan 117 Hajjiabad 2,897 Hasht Bandi 671 Hormuz 589 Jask 1,686 Jenah 691 Kish 39,853 Kong 1,921 Kuhestak 306 Kushk-e Nar 326 Lamazan 274 Minab 7,317 Parsian 1,804 Qaleh Qazi 528 Qeshm 40,678 Rudan 3,612 Ruydar 655 Sardasht 172 Sar-e Gaz-e Ahmadi 115 Senderk 191 Sirik 513 Suza 570 Takht 308 Tazian-e Pain 426 Tirur 487 Ziarat-e Ali 267

Most populous cities The following table lists the most populous cities in Hormozgan: RankCityCountyPopulation1Bandar AbbasBandar Abbas 52,6642MinabMinab 7,3173QeshmQeshm 4,0674KishBandar Lengeh 3,9855RudanRudan 3,6126Bandar LengehBandar Lengeh 3,0437HajjiabadHajjiabad 2,8978KongBandar Lengeh 1,9219ParsianParsian 1,80410JaskJask 1,686

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 (49 °C) in summers. There is very little precipitation year-round.

Hormozgan today Hormozgan today has 11 ports, five air strips, and three national 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 (i.e., Minab Dam, which supplies major part of consuming water of the Bandar Abbas), 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 (one of five exchanges of its kind in the world, and the only one explicitly not trading oil and derivatives in U.S. dollars).

On July 18, 2026, a United States airstrike struck a water desalination plant in the village of Bunji, Hormozgan province. The attack disabled the facility, cutting off the drinking water supply to twenty nearby villages and leaving an estimated 10,000 residents without access to potable water, according to Iranian provincial officials.

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: Emarat-e Kolah Farangi (built by and during the Dutch occupation) Berkeh haye Baran (six traditional water reservoirs) Gele-dari traditional bath A Hindu temple Latidan Bridge, built during the era of Shah Abbas I Fekri House Sa'di House Fort of Our Lady of the Conception in Hormoz island Qeshm Island Hara marine forests Kish Island, the most popular tourist resort in southern Iran in the Persian Gulf Geno UNESCO natural biosphere reserve Hara UNESCO natural biosphere reserve Various hot springs

Colleges and universities Bandar Abbas University of Medical Sciences University of Hormozgan Qeshm Institute of Higher Education Islamic Azad University of Bandar Abbas Payame Noor University of Hormozgan Islamic Azad University of Roudan Kish University

See also Bandar Abbas Bastak Khayyam gas field Kookherd Maghoh Mir-Mahna (video game) Morbagh Ormus Ifra Hormizd The Historic Bath of Siba – An ancient bath house that is believed dated back to the Sassanid dynasty.

Notes

References

Further reading Afshar Sistani, Iraj, Shenakht-e ostan-e Hormozgan, Tehran 2000 Barbera, Gerardo, "Hormozgan: Situação linguística e aspectos culturais", Âyiné. International Journal of Islamic Societies and Cultures, 1, 2013, pp. 130–147

External links Official website of Hormozgan Governorship Hormozgan Cultural Heritage Organization Hara UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Geno UNESCO Biosphere Reserve