Qeshm Island is located a few kilometers off the southern coast of Iran (Persian Gulf), opposite the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Bandar Khamir.
The island, which hosts a 300-square-kilometre (116-square-mile) free zone jurisdiction, is 135 km long and lies strategically in the Strait of Hormuz, just 60 kilometres (37 miles) from the Omani port of Khasab and about 180 kilometres (112 miles) from the UAE Port Rashid.
At its widest point,the island, located near the center of the island, spans 40 kilometres (25 miles).
Similarly, at its narrowest point, the island spans 9.4 kilometres (5.8 miles). The island has a surface area of 1,491 square kilometres (576 square miles) and is almost twice the size of Bahrain.
Qeshm, located at the easternmost point of the island, is 22 kilometres (14 miles) from Bandar Abbas, while the closest point of the island is but two kilometres (1 mile) from the mainland.
The island comprises 59 towns and villages and the population was 117,774 at the 2011 Census. The local population is involved in fishing, dhow construction, trade and services. An additional 30,000 are administrative or industrial workers or students. Plans have also been made to build a bridge to connect Qeshm with the rest of Iran.
