United Arab Emirates Travel Guide

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) occupy a triangle of land and sea on Arabia's eastern flank. It is closely situated to the entrance of the Persian Gulf with extensive coastlines on its west and north facing shores, together with easterly coastline bordering the Arabian Sea. The UAE has approx. 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 characterize 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 part 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.