Sitra

Sitra

Native name: سترة
Sitra Location of Al Dar Islands in Bahrain
Geography
Location	Persian Gulf
Coordinates	26°07′N 50°39′E / 26.12°N 50.65°E / 26.12; 50.65Coordinates: 26°07′N 50°39′E / 26.12°N 50.65°E / 26.12; 50.65
Archipelago	Bahrain
Adjacent bodies of water	Persian Gulf
Total islands	1
Major islands	Sitra
Area	22.45 km2 (8.67 sq mi)
Length	8.3 km (5.16 mi)
Width	5 km (3.1 mi)
Coastline	36 km (22.4 mi)
Highest elevation	6 m (20 ft)
Administration
Bahrain
Governorate	split between Capital Governorate and Southern Governorate
Largest settlement	Marquban (population 20000)
Demographics
Demonym
Population	81000 (2016)
Pop. density	3,600 /km2 (9,300 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Bahraini, non-Bahraini
Additional information
Time zone	AST (UTC+3)
Official website	www.bahrain.com
ISO Code = BH-14

Sitra (Arabic: سترة‎‎ or سِتْرَة,As-Sitra), also known as Sitrah (Arabic: Jazīrat Sitrah‎‎) or Sitra Island (Arabic: Jazīrat as-Sitra‎‎), is an island in Bahrain. It has a distance of 5 km (3.1 mi) south of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain Island.

In 1782, a conflict occurred between locals and a number of Al Khalifa who came from Zubara to buy supplies. The clashes resulted in deaths from both sides.

Sitra Island had mixed Shia and Sunni Arab population. The Sunni inhabitants (including the Al Buainain tribe which inhabited the now deserted village of Salba, west of Sitra) eradicated during the early 1920s when most of them died as a result of smallpox or migrated back to their homelands. Masjid al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba, the island's last remaining Sunni mosque, shut down in 2011 amid reports of vandalism of the mosque by Shia protesters.

The Island is located just east of Bahrain Island in Persian Gulf. It lies south of Manama and Nabih Saleh. The island's western coast forms the boundary of Tubli Bay. The island used to be covered in date palm groves and farms, watered by several freshwater springs. Mangroves used to line the western coast, however they have almost disappeared due to development.