Editing United Arab Emirates (section)

== Geography ==
{{Main|Geography of the United Arab Emirates}}
[[File:Satellite image of United Arab Emirates in October.jpg|thumb|left|Satellite image of United Arab Emirates]]
The United Arab Emirates is situated in the [[Middle East]], bordering the [[Gulf of Oman]] and the [[Persian Gulf]], between [[Oman]] and [[Saudi Arabia]]; it is in a strategic location slightly south of the [[Strait of Hormuz]], a vital transit point for world [[Petroleum|crude oil]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uae.gov.ae/Government/oil_gas.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705161411/http://www.uae.gov.ae/Government/oil_gas.htm|archive-date=5 July 2008 |title=UAE Oil and Gas |publisher=UAE Ministry of Finance and Industry | url-status=dead |date=19 June 1999 }}</ref>

The UAE lies between 22°30' and 26°10' north latitude and between 51° and 56°25′ east longitude. It shares a {{convert|530|km|mi|adj=on}} border with Saudi Arabia on the west, south, and southeast, and a {{convert|450|km|mi|adj=on}} border with Oman on the southeast and northeast. The land border with Qatar in the [[Khor Al Adaid]] area is about {{convert|19|km|mi|spell=in|abbr=off}} in the northwest; however, it is a source of [[Saudi Arabia – United Arab Emirates border dispute|ongoing dispute]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arabmediawatch.com/amw/CountryBackgrounds/SaudiArabia/SaudiUAEdisputes/tabid/174/Default.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100408121304/http://www.arabmediawatch.com/amw/CountryBackgrounds/SaudiArabia/SaudiUAEdisputes/tabid/174/Default.aspx |archive-date=8 April 2010 |title=Saudi-UAE Disputes |publisher=Arabmediawatch.com |date=21 August 1974 }}</ref> Following Britain's military departure from the UAE in 1971, and its establishment as a new state, the UAE laid claim to Iranian-occupied islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and the Lesser Tunbs, when Iran captured them during the British rule, resulting in disputes with Iran that remain unresolved.<ref>{{cite web|title=UAE official calls for international action to end "Iranian occupation" of disputed islands|url=https://www.mei.edu/publications/uae-official-calls-international-action-end-iranian-occupation-disputed-islands|access-date=27 July 2021|website=Middle East Institute|language=en|archive-date=27 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727100431/https://www.mei.edu/publications/uae-official-calls-international-action-end-iranian-occupation-disputed-islands|url-status=live}}</ref> The UAE also disputes claim on other islands against the neighboring state of Qatar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uaeprison.com/uae_disputes.htm|title=UAE Disputes, International UAE Disputes, UAE Boundary Dispute, UAE National Disputes, UAE Emirate Disputes, Claims Three Islands, Abu Musa Island, Greater & Lesser Tumb, The History of Islands, Human Resources UAE, Arab Emirates.|website=www.uaeprison.com|access-date=25 June 2018|archive-date=4 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804050555/http://www.uaeprison.com/uae_disputes.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The largest emirate, [[Abu Dhabi (emirate)|Abu Dhabi]], accounts for 87% of the UAE's total area,<ref>{{Cite book|author=((Oxford Business Group)) |title=The Report: Abu Dhabi 2015|publisher=Oxford Business Group|year=2016|isbn=978-1-910068-25-0|page=17}}</ref> {{convert|67340|km2|0|abbr=out}}.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Brinkmann|first1=Robert|title=The Palgrave Handbook of Sustainability: Case Studies and Practical Solutions|last2=Garren|first2=Sandra J.|publisher=Springer|year=2018|isbn=978-3-319-71389-2|page=806}}</ref> The smallest emirate, [[Emirate of Ajman|Ajman]], encompasses only {{convert|259|km2|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite book|last=D'Avanzo|first=Carolyn|title=Mosby's Pocket Guide to Cultural Health Assessment|publisher=Elsevier Health Sciences|year=2008|isbn=978-0-323-08604-2|page=751}}</ref>

The UAE coast stretches for nearly {{convert|650|km|0|abbr=on}} along the southern shore of the [[Persian Gulf]], briefly interrupted by an isolated outcrop of the Sultanate of Oman. Six of the emirates are situated along the Persian Gulf, and the seventh, Fujairah, is on the eastern coast of the peninsula with direct access to the Gulf of Oman.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Middle East and North Africa 2004|publisher=Taylor Francis: Psychology Press|year=2003|isbn=1-85743-184-7|page=1175}}</ref> Most of the coast consists of [[Salt pan (geology)|salt pans]] that extend {{convert|8|–|10|km|abbr=on}} inland.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Schulz|first1=Stephan|last2=Horovitz|first2=Marcel|last3=Rausch|first3=Randolf|last4=Michelsen|first4=Nils|last5=Mallast|first5=Ulf|last6=Köhne|first6=Maximilian|last7=Siebert|first7=Christian|last8=Schüth|first8=Christoph|last9=Al-Saud|first9=Mohammed|last10=Merz|first10=Ralf|date=1 December 2015|title=Groundwater evaporation from salt pans: Examples from the eastern Arabian Peninsula|journal=Journal of Hydrology|language=en|volume=531|pages=792–801|doi=10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.10.048|bibcode=2015JHyd..531..792S|issn=0022-1694|doi-access=free}}</ref> The largest [[harbor|natural harbor]] is at Dubai, although other ports have been dredged at Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and elsewhere.<ref>{{cite web|date=4 April 2020|title=Top 5 Ports in United Arab Emirates|url=https://www.icontainers.com/us/2020/03/30/top-five-ports-united-arab-emirates/|access-date=17 August 2021|website=iContainers|language=en|archive-date=17 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817053645/https://www.icontainers.com/us/2020/03/30/top-five-ports-united-arab-emirates/|url-status=live}}</ref> Numerous islands are found in the Persian Gulf, and the ownership of some of them has been the subject of international disputes with both [[Iran]] and [[Qatar]]. The smaller islands, as well as many [[coral reef]]s and shifting sandbars, are a menace to navigation. Strong tides and occasional windstorms further complicate ship movements near the shore. The UAE also has a stretch of the [[Al Batinah Region|Al Bāţinah]] coast of the Gulf of Oman. The [[Musandam Governorate|Musandam Peninsula]], the very tip of Arabia by the Strait of Hormuz, and [[Madha]] are [[enclave and exclave|exclaves]] of Oman separated by the UAE.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Lancaster|first1=William|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Le0Ryxzh7cQC&q=musandam|title=Honour is in Contentment: Life Before Oil in Ras Al-Khaimah (UAE) and Some Neighbouring Regions|last2=Lancaster|first2=Fidelity|date=2011|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-022339-2|language=en|access-date=28 March 2024|archive-date=6 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106051754/https://books.google.com/books?id=Le0Ryxzh7cQC&q=musandam#v=snippet&q=musandam&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:View from Jebel Jais - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Roads leading to [[Jebel Jais]], the highest mountain in the UAE (1,892&nbsp;m), in [[Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah|Ras Al Khaimah]]]]
South and west of Abu Dhabi, vast, rolling [[dune|sand dunes]] merge into the [[Rub al-Khali]] (Empty Quarter) of Saudi Arabia.<ref>{{cite web|date=31 August 2008|title=Empty Quarter|url=https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/9054/empty-quarter|access-date=6 September 2021|website=earthobservatory.nasa.gov|language=en|archive-date=6 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906080241/https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/9054/empty-quarter|url-status=live}}</ref> The desert area of Abu Dhabi includes two important oases with adequate underground water for permanent settlements and cultivation. The extensive [[Liwa Oasis]] is in the south near the undefined border with Saudi Arabia. About {{convert|100|km|0|abbr=on}} to the northeast of Liwa is the [[Al Buraimi Governorate|Al-Buraimi]] oasis, which extends on both sides of the Abu Dhabi-Oman border. [[Lake Zakher]] in Al Ain is a [[Man-made lake|human-made lake]] near the border with Oman that was created from treated waste water.<ref name="Man-made desert lake: Ecological paradise or disaster?">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/14/world/meast/desert-lake-zakher-emirates/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 |title=The accidental lake: Birdwatcher's oasis or ecological disaster? |work=CNN |date=14 March 2013 |access-date=6 August 2013 |archive-date=18 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518052304/http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/14/world/meast/desert-lake-zakher-emirates/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Prior to withdrawing from the area in 1971, Britain delineated the internal borders among the seven emirates in order to preempt territorial disputes that might hamper formation of the federation. In general, the rulers of the emirates accepted the British interventions, but in the case of boundary disputes between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and also between Dubai and Sharjah, conflicting claims were not resolved until after the UAE became independent. The most complicated borders were in the [[Western Hajar Mountains]], where five of the emirates contested jurisdiction over more than a dozen enclaves.

=== Biodiversity{{anchor|Flora_and_fauna}} ===
{{Main|Wildlife of the United Arab Emirates}}
[[File:1501200713074 Acacia tortilis.jpg|thumb|[[Acacia]] trees growing in desert suburbs near [[Fujairah]]]]

The UAE contains the following terrestrial ecoregions: [[Al Hajar montane woodlands]] and shrublands, [[Gulf of Oman desert and semi-desert]], and Al-Hajar foothill [[Deserts and xeric shrublands|xeric woodlands and shrublands]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|display-authors=1|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287|doi-access=free}}</ref>

The oases grow [[Phoenix dactylifera|date palms]], [[acacia]], and [[eucalyptus]] trees. In the desert, the flora is very sparse and consists of [[grasses]] and thorn bushes. The indigenous fauna had come close to extinction because of intensive hunting, which has led to a conservation program on [[Sir Bani Yas]] Island initiated by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in the 1970s, resulting in the survival of, for example, [[Arabian Oryx]], [[Arabian camel]], and [[leopard]]s. [[Coastal fish]] and [[mammals]] consist mainly of [[mackerel]], [[Estuary perch|perch]], and [[tuna]], as well as [[shark]]s and whales.

=== Climate ===
The climate of the UAE is subtropical-arid with hot summers and warm winters. The climate is categorized as desert climate. The hottest months are July and August, when average maximum temperatures reach above {{convert|45|°C|°F|0}} on the [[coastal plain]]. In the Hajar Mountains, temperatures are considerably lower, a result of increased elevation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.manmm.net/eng/?page_id=35 |title= UAE Climate |publisher=Manmm.net |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112072308/http://www.manmm.net/eng/?page_id=35 |archive-date=12 January 2016 }}</ref> Average minimum temperatures in January and February are between {{convert|10|and|14|°C|°F|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abudhabi.ms/weather.html |title=Weather in Abu Dhabi |publisher=Abudhabi.ms |date=8 March 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429193142/http://www.abudhabi.ms/weather.html |archive-date=29 April 2009 }}</ref> During the late summer months, a humid southeastern wind known as Sharqi (i.e. "Easterner") makes the coastal region especially unpleasant. The average annual rainfall in the coastal area is less than {{convert|120|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}, but in some mountainous areas annual rainfall often reaches {{convert|350|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}. Rain in the coastal region falls in short, torrential bursts during the winter months, sometimes resulting in floods in ordinarily dry [[wadi]] beds.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7189929.stm |title=In Pictures &#124; Flooding in the UAE |work=BBC News |date=15 January 2008 |access-date=24 June 2009 |archive-date=29 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090929223446/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7189929.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The region is prone to occasional, violent [[dust storm]]s, which can severely reduce visibility.

On 28 December 2004, snow was recorded in the UAE for the first time, in the [[Jebel Jais]] mountain cluster in Ras al-Khaimah.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4135857.stm Middle East | Cold snap brings Gulf rare snow] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207190533/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4135857.stm |date=7 February 2015 }}. BBC News (30 December 2004). Retrieved 10 October 2015.</ref> A few years later, there were more sightings of snow and hail.<ref>[http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/abu-dhabi-snow-hail-dubai/1/414185.html Global warming or wonder! Hail the snow in Abu Dhabi : World, News – India Today] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207225051/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/abu-dhabi-snow-hail-dubai/1/414185.html |date=7 February 2015 }}. Indiatoday.intoday.in. Retrieved 10 October 2015.</ref><ref>[http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/middle-east-snow-extreme-heatwaves-and-uae-fog-whats-going-on-with-the-weather Middle East snow, extreme heatwaves and UAE fog: what's going on with the weather? | The National] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207183933/http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/middle-east-snow-extreme-heatwaves-and-uae-fog-whats-going-on-with-the-weather |date=7 February 2015 }}. Thenational.ae (29 January 2013). Retrieved 10 October 2015.</ref> The Jebel Jais mountain cluster has experienced snow only twice since records began.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/heavy-snowfall-on-ras-al-khaimah-s-jebel-jais-mountain-cluster-1.46663|title=Heavy snowfall on Ras Al Khaimah's Jebel Jais mountain cluster|author=Nazzal, Gando|work=[[Gulf News]]|date=24 January 2009|access-date=1 January 2012|archive-date=24 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120124041115/http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/heavy-snowfall-on-ras-al-khaimah-s-jebel-jais-mountain-cluster-1.46663|url-status=live}}</ref>