Geographical Location

     The United Arab Emirates occupies a strategic location in the heart of the Arabian Gulf. It is surrounded by the Gulf waters in the north and northwest, by Qatar and Saudi Arabia in the west, the Sultanate of Oman and Saudi Arabia in the south, and the Sultanate of Oman and the Gulf of Oman in the east.

     The coastline of the United Arab Emirates, overlooking the south coast of the Arabian Gulf, extends over an area of 644 km, from the base of the Qatar peninsular in the west to Ras Musandum in the east. Six emirates spread over this area: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah. Fujairah is geographically separate, extending 90 km along the coast of Oman. Thus the United Arab Emirates occupies the area extending between latitudes 22o and 26.5o North, and longitudes 51o and 56.5o east.

     As the history and archaeology of the region attest, this strategic location has attracted the attention of many explorers, researchers, politicians and economists. The United Arab Emirates has been the hub of trade and the junction of trade routes between the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent for over 4500 years.

     In addition, archaeological discoveries reveal that the United Arab Emirates had links with the land of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and the Sindh valley, and that it was on a trade route to these areas since ancient times. If the nature of trade has changed, the United Arab Emirates' geographical relevance hasn't. The country is still a unique and vibrant trade center.

Area and Topography

     The total area of the country is around 83,600 sq km. This makes the UAE the third largest Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country, after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman.

     Most of the UAE land is desert, specially the western interior which has a number of oases where ground water is found in abundance, thanks to the Hafeet Mountain in Al Ain and a natural irrigation network known as Aflaj (brooks). Geographically, the urban areas of Liwa, which are located 200 km west of Al Ain, are similar and consist, at present, of more than sixty villages as well as the green pastures of the Al Dhafra area.

     The Hafeet Mountain is actually the southern edge of the Al Buraimi Oasis, near Al Ain city. It is 1220m high, and two mountain ranges extend from it, which converge at Al Ain city.

     A series of mountains, known as "Hajar Mountains" divides the Musandum peninsula from north to south, and is 80km long and 32km wide. These mountains run deep into Oman and reach the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula. At its highest, in Oman, the range reaches about 2438m.

     Most of the country's coasts are sandy with the exception of the northern area in Ras Al Khaimah, which forms the tip of the Hajar Mountains.

     The UAE territorial waters are generally shallow with an average depth of 35 m. The maximum depth is 90m, except for the Hermes Strait where the depth reaches 145m. The total water surface of the Arabian Gulf is estimated at some 600,000 square kilometers.

     The territorial waters are rich in coral reefs and pearl oysters. The temperature of the Gulf water during the summer season reaches 45oC, the highest sea temperature in the world. The salinity of the Gulf seawater is as high as forty parts in a thousand in deep waters, and a hundred parts in a thousand in the shallow water, while the salinity rate of most of the world's seas is constantly thirty-five parts in a thousand. Yet all this has not affected the abundance of fish, for which the UAE is famous. The fish constitutes an important source of food, and provides food security.

     Hundreds of islands scattered all over the Gulf belong to the UAE. Of these, 200 islands belong to Abu Dhabi. The most important island is Seer Bani Yas. Thanks to the efforts and valued directions of H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Seer Bani Yas has been converted into a lush oasis with fruit trees and date palms. Seer Bani Yas is also a nature reserve for rare animals and birds. In addition, there are the well known Das Island and Dalma Island with a glorious past of pearl diving, and Umm Al Nar Island, which is famous for its remarkable antiquities and location as a strategic oil facility. There are other important islands in the UAE such as Abu Musa, the Greater and Lesser Tunb islands, the Al Hamra islands, and others.

Climate

     The United Arab Emirates lies within the dry tropical zone that extends across Asia and North Africa. As it is located on the way to Bab al Mandab, this zone is subject to oceanic influences, which make its climate different from that of other countries located in the same zone.

     Temperature rises as relative humidity increases in the summer, and the climate differs between the coastal areas, the desert interior and the mountains that constitute the UAE topography.

     Both the monsoon and non-seasonal winds blow through the UAE. The monsoon, which has greater influence, grows stronger in spring and towards the end of the summer season. It has two distinct forms: northern winds which are dry and refreshing and help to make the weather very pleasant when not accompanied by dust and sand; and southeastern winds which are distinguished by their short duration and high humidity. Winds range mostly between southern, southeastern, southwestern or northern and northwestern.

     Naturally, rain is scarce in the UAE as in all other countries located in the dry tropical zone. Therefore, rainfall rates differ from one year to the next. Due to their geographical location near the mountains, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah enjoy substantial rainfall; the rainy season in these two Emirates is between the months of November and April. The most important period of rainfall there is in December and January, when rains are usually accompanied by strong thunderstorms.

Population

     The population of the United Arab Emirates, according to the latest census conducted by the Ministry of Planning toward the end of 1995, is 2,377,453 (two million three hundred and seventy-seven thousand four hundred and fifty-three). The number of males is 1,575,743 (one million five hundred and seventy-five thousand seven hundred and forty-three), while the number of females is 797,710 (seven hundred and ninety-seven thousand seven hundred and ten).

 The Population in the United Arab Emirates is distributed as follows:

1. Abu Dhabi Emirate Population = 928,360 Number of males = 638,562 Number of females = 289,834

2. Dubai Emirate Population = 674,101 Number of males = 467,432 Number of females = 206,669

3. Sharjah Emirate Population = 400,339 Number of males = 251,949 Number of females = 148,390

4. Ras Al Khaimah Emirate Population = 144,430 Number of males = 84,518 Number of females = 59,912

5. Umm Al Quwain Emirate Population = 35,157 Number of males = 20,822 Number of females = 14,225

6. Ajman Emirate Population = 118,812 Number of males = 70,656 Number of females = 48,156

7. Fujairah Emirate Population = 76,254 Number of males = 45,830 Number of females = 30,424

     It should be noted that the development process in the UAE has significantly increased the population, which has almost doubled in five years. Hence, the UAE is considered as one of the countries with the highest population growth over the past twenty years.