Lavan Island and its Economic Potentials in the Persian Gulf

Lavan Island is one of the historical and oil-rich islands of Iran near the northern coasts of the Persian Gulf. It has experienced several social and economic changes in the course of history. Once, its inhabitants provided for their livelihood through fishing and pearl hunting and, at another time, the economy of this island was directly and indirectly affected by the discovery of oil there. Various population changes, caused by, for example, frequent emigrations to and from this island, greatly influenced its social structure. Through library research and field studies, this paper explores the historical geography and economic history of Lavan with an emphasis on oil and oil refineries. The economic history of this island and, particularly, the development of oil industry there and the quality of the establishment of this industry in Lavan are among the other important topics discussed in this paper. Despite the rich economic resources, the population of Lavan Island is very small, and not all of them are employed in oil-related sectors and industries. Generally speaking, despite its numerous economic resources, this island lacks uniform development in different social and economic fields.