Emirates occupies a total area of about 83,600
square kilometers (32,400 square miles), along the
south-eastern tip of the Arabian
Peninsula between 22°50 and 26°N and between 51° and
56°25 E. Qatar lies to the
west and north-west, Saudi Arabia to the west and south
and Oman to the north, east and south-east.
Despite the fact that
four-fifths of its land area is arid desert, the UAE
is a country of contrasting landscapes. The UAE has 734 Km of
coastline, 644 Km along the Arabian Gulf and 90 Km
bordering the Gulf of Oman. Along the Arabian Gulf
coast are offshore islands, coral reefs and salt
marshes, whilst stretches of gravel plain and barren
desert characterize the inland region.
The western interior of the federation, most of
which is Abu Dhabi territory, consists mainly of
desert interspersed with oases. One of the largest
oases is Liwa, beyond which is the vast Rub
al-Khali desert, or Empty Quarter, which stretches
beyond the UAE’s southern border.
To the east
lie the Hajar Mountains chain which reach north into the Musandam peninsula at the mouth of the Arabian Gulf.
The rocky slopes rise to 1300 meters within UAE
territory, falling steeply to the UAE’s East Coast
on the Gulf of Oman where a fertile alluvial gravel
plain separates the precipitous mountains from the
ocean. To the north-east, a fertile gravel plain
also separates the mountains from the coast around
The UAE lies in the arid
tropical zone extending across Asia and North
Africa. Climatic conditions in the area are strongly
influenced by the Indian Ocean, since the country
borders both the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
This explains why high temperatures in summer are
always accompanied by high humidity along the coast.
There are noticeable variations in climate between
the coastal regions, the deserts of the interior,
and mountainous areas.
From November to March
daytime temperatures average a very pleasant 24° C
(75° F). Night-time temperatures are slightly
cooler, averaging 13° C (56° F) and less than 5° C
(40° F) in the depths of the desert or high in the
mountains. Summer temperatures are high, and can be
as high as 48° C (118° F) inland, but it is lower by
few degrees in coastal. Humidity in coastal areas
averages between 50 and 60 per cent, touching over
90 per cent in summer and autumn. Inland it is far
Local north-westerly winds (shamal)
frequently develop during the winter, bringing
cooler windy conditions. Prevailing winds, which are
influenced by the monsoons, vary between south or
south-east, to west or north to north-west,
depending upon the season and location.
Average rainfall is low at
less than 6.5 centimeters annually, more than half
of which falls in December and January.
Water temperatures in the
Gulf exceed 33°C in summer, falling in winter to
16°C in the north and 22–24°C in the south.