UAE Emirates

The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven emirates along the south-east shore of the Gulf, and the map is a lesson in how uneven a country can be. One emirate, Abu Dhabi, holds most of the land, while the other six share a strip of coast so narrow that three of them are broken into pieces, with bits of one sitting inside another.

The quiz: Name to place, on the map
Grouped by: Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and the Northern Emirates
In the game: 7 emirates

Start

What you are looking at

The seven emirates, which are the only tier below the federation that the country draws on a map. Abu Dhabi, the capital, spreads across the whole west and south, with a long coast and scattered islands. Dubai is the next largest and the best known, and a thin coastal strip shared among Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah runs north from it to the Musandam peninsula. Fujairah is the odd one out, with its coast on the Gulf of Oman side beyond the Hajar mountains.

The groups are not official. They follow how the country is talked about: Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the two large ones, and the five that go by the Northern Emirates, which is a good way to take the crowded north in one sitting.

How to place one

Start with the size. Abu Dhabi is the one that fills the map, and nothing else comes close to it.
Follow the coast north. Dubai comes first, then Sharjah, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain in a row, each a narrow band between the Gulf and the interior.
Find Ras Al Khaimah. It is the northernmost emirate on the Gulf side and runs up towards Musandam.
Cross to the east coast. Fujairah is the only emirate with its coast on the Gulf of Oman, and Sharjah also holds a stretch of that side.

Every emirate, by group

Abu Dhabi and Dubai2 emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai
Northern Emirates5 emirates: Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, Umm al-Quwain

Worked examples

Abu Dhabi

The giant

Abu Dhabi is by far the largest emirate, covering the whole west and south of the country and most of its desert, with the capital on an island off the coast.

Ajman

The smallest

Ajman is the smallest emirate, a thin strip of coast between Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain, with a couple of small enclaves further inland.

Fujairah

The east coast

Fujairah faces the Gulf of Oman, on the other side of the Hajar mountains from the rest of the federation, which makes it easy to place once you look east.

Frequently asked questions

How many emirates does the UAE have?

Seven: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. The federation formed in December 1971 with six, and Ras Al Khaimah joined in February 1972.

Why are some emirates drawn in several pieces?

Because they are. Sharjah, Dubai and Ajman each hold enclaves or exclaves inside the neighbouring emirates, and the map draws them as the boundaries run.