BANDAR-E 'ABBAS

port city on the Strait of Hormuz, the main maritime outlet for much of southern Iran. It lies on the northern shore of Hormuz Bay opposite the islands of Qeshm, Larak, and Hormuz. The inhabitants are mainly Arabs and African blacks. The summer climate is oppressively hot and humid, and many inhabitants move then to cooler places; however, winter is pleasant. Bandar-e 'Abbas (Port of 'Abbas) was established in 1623 by Shah 'Abbas I to replace the city of Hormuz, which had been captured by the Portuguese in about 1514. During the 17th century it was the main port of Persia, but it lost this status in the 18th century to the rival port of Bushehr (Bandar-e Bushehr). From about 1793 Bandar-e 'Abbas was under lease to the rulers of Muscat, but in 1868 Iran canceled the contract and resumed direct control. The port's imports consist mainly of manufactured goods; its exports include Kerman rugs, petroleum products, and agricultural produce. The town has a cotton mill, a fish cannery, and an oil refinery (opened in 1991). A natural gas refinery was under construction in the mid-1990s. The roadstead is shallow and badly sheltered, and vessels must sometimes lie 4 miles (6.5 km) out. Despite the poor quality of its port facilities, the town boomed during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s when Iran's more westerly ports were threatened. A new harbour and shipbuilding yard were under construction in the late 20th century west of the existing port, and a major rail link was completed in 1995. Pop. (1986) 201,642; (1991) 249,504.