|
The Emirates are bordered to the north by the Gulf and the Musandam Peninsula, to the east by Oman, to the south and west
by Saudi Arabia and to the northwest by Qatar. They comprise a federation of seven small former sheikhdoms. Abu Dhabi is the
largest Emirate, and the remainder (Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al Qaiwain) are known collectively
as the Northern States. The land is mountainous and mostly desert. Abu Dhabi is flat and sandy, and within its boundaries
is the Buraimi Oasis. Dubai has a 16km (10 mile) deep-water creek, giving it the popular name of ‘Pearl of the Gulf’. Sharjah
has a deep-water port on the Batinah coast at Khor Fakkan, facing the Indian Ocean. Ras al-Khaimah is the fourth emirate in
size. Fujairah, one of the three smaller sheikhdoms located on the Batinah coast, has agricultural potential, while Ajman
and Umm al Qaiwain were once small coastal fishing villages.
|
Overview 
