United Arab Emirates - Political Divisions

Political Divisions

See also: List of cities in the United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates is divided into seven emirates. Abu Dhabi is the most populated Emirate with 38% of the UAE population. The city of Dubai has a further 30%, so over two-thirds of the UAE population live in either Abu Dhabi or Dubai.

Abu Dhabi has an area of 67,340 square kilometres, which is 86.7% of the country’s total area, excluding the islands. It has a coastline extending for more than 400 kilometres and is divided for administrative purposes into three major regions. The Emirate of Dubai extends along the Persian Gulf coast of the UAE for approximately 72 kilometres. Dubai has an area of 3,885 square kilometers, which is equivalent to 5% of the country’s total area, excluding the islands. The Emirate of Sharjah extends along approximately 16 kilometers of the UAE’s Persian Gulf coastline and for more than 80 kilometers into the interior. The northern emirates which include Fujairah, Ajman, Ras al-Khaimah, and Umm al-Qaiwain all have a total area of 3,881 square kilometres. There are two areas under joint control. One is jointly controlled by Oman and Ajman, the other by Fujairah and Sharjah.

There is an Omani exclave surrounded by UAE territory, known as Wadi Madha. It is located halfway between the Musandam peninsula and the rest of Oman in the Emirate of Sharjah. It covers approximately 75 square kilometres (29 sq mi) and the boundary was settled in 1589. The north-east corner of Madha is closest to the Khor Fakkan-Fujairah road, barely 10 metres (33 ft) away. Within the Omani exclave of Madha, is a UAE exclave called Nahwa, also belonging to the Emirate of Sharjah. It is about 8 kilometres (5 mi) on a dirt track west of the town of New Madha. It consists of about forty houses with its own clinic and telephone exchange.


Flag Emirate Arabic
name
Capital Population % of total population Area (km²) Area (mi²) % of total area Density
Abu Dhabi أبو ظبي Abu Dhabi 1,548,655 31.2% 67,340 26,000 86.7% 25
Ajman عجمان Ajman 372,923 7.5% 259 100 0.3% 996
Dubai دبي Dubai 1,770,533 35.6% 3,885 1,500 5.0% 336
Fujairah الفجيرة Fujairah 137,940 2.9% 1,165 450 1.5% 109
Ras al-Khaimah رأس الخيمة Ras al-Khaimah 171,903 3.4% 1,684 650 2.2% 122
Sharjah الشارقة Sharjah 895,252 18.0% 2,590 1,000 3.3% 262
Umm al-Quwain 0أم القيوين Umm al-Qaiwain 69,936 1.4% 777 300 0.9% 88
UAE الإمارات
العربية المتحدة
Abu Dhabi 4,967,142 100% 77,700 30,000 100% 56

Read more about this topic:  United Arab Emirates

Famous quotes containing the words political and/or divisions:

    [The political mind] is a strange mixture of vanity and timidity, of an obsequious attitude at one time and a delusion of grandeur at another time. The political mind is the product of men in public life who have been twice spoiled. They have been spoiled with praise and they have been spoiled with abuse.
    Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)

    Nothing does more to activate Christian divisions than talk about Christian unity.
    Conor Cruise O’Brien (b. 1917)