Page 41 - UAE Truncal States_Neat

Chapter One

kilometres of Sharjah territory are not confined to the western coast
but include several enclaves in the mountainous hinterland and on
the east coast of the UAE. These are in particular the newly-improved
fishing port of Khaur Fakkan, the once independent territory of
Kalba on the border with Oman, and a share of the seaside oasis of
Dibah in the extreme north of the UAE’s eastern coast. The island of
Abu Musa in the Gulf, about 70 kilometres from Sharjah, has
deposits of red oxide and there is a recently-discovered oilfield
(Mubarak) nearby. At the December 1980 census the population of
Sharjah was 159,600.

The northern States and the east coast
The small Emirates of Umm al Qaiwain, of 770 square kilometres,
and 'Ajman, of 260 square kilometres, are very alike in their natural
conditions, both having their main population centres, about 12,300
and 36,100 respectively, on sand-spits formed parallel to the coast.
The lagoons on the landward side afford safe anchorage for local
fishing vessels. 'Ajman possesses a number of enclaves in the
hinterland; the most important is Masfut in the mountains. Umm al
Qaiwain is confined to its coastal possessions, extending about 30
kilometres inland to a small oasis at Falaj al Mu'alla.
The most northerly member State of the UAE, Ra’s al Khaimah,
borders on an enclave of the Sultanate of Oman which occupies the
tip of the Musandam Peninsula. The town of Ra’s al Khaimah is also
situated on an inlet which forms a natural port; it has about 50,000
inhabitants (the total population of the State is 73,900). The Emirate’s
territory extends over the most inaccessible parts of the Hajar range
in UAE territory, and a number of settlements are tucked away in
steep-sided valleys. Other villages occupy the narrowing coastal
strip between the mountains and the sea where the run-off water
from the mountains provides ample scope for agricultural activities.
Other natural resources of the Emirate are stone, which is quarried
for building, and the very rich fisheries of the Gulf.
The only Emirate which is confined entirely to the east coast of the
UAE is Fujairah. Its territory, with a total population of 32,100,
extends from the town of Dibah in the north, which is shared with
Sharjah and the Omani enclave, to Kalba in the south-east. The main
population centre is the town of Fujairah itself, which, as well as its
other dozen settlements, benefits from rain-water seeping under­
ground from the mountains along wadi beds and through the gently
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