United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates lies on the Arabian Peninsula, between the desert and the warm Gulf. Six emirates joined on 2 December 1971, and a seventh, Ras Al Khaimah, joined a few months later. Its flag has green, white and black stripes, with a red band at the side.
“I'd share a row with a falcon.”
- On 5 October 1932 a British airliner called Hanno landed at Sharjah, and its airfield became a stop on the route between London and India.
- In the UAE, falcons can have their own passports, and some airlines let them fly in the cabin with their owners.
The land
The United Arab Emirates covers about 83,600 km², and Abu Dhabi, the largest of the seven emirates, takes up 87 percent of it. In the south, near the border with Saudi Arabia, the wide Liwa Oasis lies among dunes that run on into the Rub' al Khali, the Empty Quarter. In the east, the Hajar Mountains divide the country from its coast on the Gulf of Oman, then carry on for more than 500 km into Oman. The coastline is about 1,318 km long.
Getting around
The Dubai Metro opened at 9 minutes and 9 seconds past 9 pm on 9 September 2009. It was the first metro on the Arabian Peninsula, and its trains run without drivers. The Red Line alone is 67.1 km long. Dubai International Airport is the busiest in the world for international passengers. In 2025 it handled more than 95 million people.
Crafts and food
Al Sadu is the weaving of Bedouin women. Men shear the sheep, camels and goats. Women clean the wool, spin it on a drop spindle, dye it and weave it on a floor loom, in narrow bands of black, white, brown, beige and red. In 2011 UNESCO listed Al Sadu as heritage in urgent need of protection, because most of its weavers are now older women. In 2019 UNESCO also listed the skills and traditions of the date palm, shared by the UAE and thirteen other countries.
The capital
The capital is the city of Abu Dhabi, on a T-shaped island in the Gulf. Its name means "father of the gazelle". In Dubai, Al Fahidi Fort, built of coral rock and mortar in 1787, is the oldest building still standing. Since 1971 it has held the Dubai Museum.
