UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Established on 2 December 1971, the UAE is a federation of seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah. Comprising an area of 83,600 square kilometers (including an archipelago which extends over approximately 5,900 square kilometers), the country lies between latitudes 22°-26.5°N and longitudes 51°-56.5°E. It is bordered to the north by the Arabian Gulf, to the east by the Gulf of Oman and the Sultanate of Oman, to the south by the Sultanate of Oman and Saudi Arabia and to the west by Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

The UAE has some 700 kilometers of coastline, including 100 kilometers on the Gulf of Oman. Along the Arabian Gulf coast are offshore islands, coral reefs and salt marshes. Stretches of gravel plain and barren desert characterise the inland region. To the east lie the Hajar mountains, close to the Gulf of Oman, which reach north into the Musandam peninsula, at the mouth of the Arabian Gulf. The western interior of the Federation, most of which is Abu Dhabi territory, consists mainly of desert interspersed with oases. One of the largest oases is Al Liwa, beyond which is the vast Rub al-Khali desert, or Empty Quarter.