- Perim
Perim ( _ar. بريم ["Barīm"] ) is a
volcanic island strategically located in the Strait of Mandeb at the southern entrance into theRed Sea , off the southwestern coast ofYemen , at coord|12.6566667|N|43.415|E. It has a surface area of 13 square kilometers and rises to an altitude of 65 meters. The island has a natural harbor on its southwestern coast, but there is only scarce vegetation. The absence of fresh water on the island has always been one of the major difficulties impeding permanent settlement.Sometimes in the geological past, its eruptions have blocked the
Bab el Mandeb and thus theRed Sea evaporated to an empty hot dry salt-floored sink.The Portuguese came to the island in 1513 but did not stay in the face of Ottoman opposition.
France occupied it in 1738. In 1799, the island was briefly occupied by theBritish East India Company in preparation for the invasion ofEgypt . It was reoccupied by the British in 1857 and attached to the colony ofAden , whereafter alighthouse was built on it. From 1869 onward, the island was used as acoaling station for ships using theSuez Canal . In 1916, Turkish forces attempted to seize the island but were pushed back. British occupation continued until 1967, when the island was handed over to theDemocratic People's Republic of Yemen .References
* "The Times", London, 1799, 1857, 1858, 1963
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