Geography and Environment of United Arab Emirates

On December 2, 1971, six of the seven small Arabian emirates formerly known because of their commercial and security alliances with Great Britain as the "Trucial States"- Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Fujairah, Um Al Qaiwain, and Ajman - joined to form the sovereign independent country of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). The seventh emirate, Ras al Khaimah, joined the federation in February 1972. The U.A.E. has an area of about 34,000 square miles, with a 386-mile coastline on the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. All the main towns, with the exception of the oasis of Al Ain, are on the coast. Apart from a mountain range in the north and scattered oases, much of the U.A.E.'s territory is sandy desert and salt marshes. A few offshore islands belong to or are claimed by the U.A.E.

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