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The seven cities of the emirates are all on the coast- Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, centres on an island, Dubai, Sharjah and Ras al Khaiman on the creeks; Ajman, Umm al Qaiwain and Ras al Khaimah on sand spits curling around a lagoon.. Abu Dhabi's terrtory is the largest (around 85 percent of the total area) and driest, a vast stretch of desert relieved only by the oases of Liwa and Al Ain. Ajman, by contrast, is so small that it is not much more than the city itself.

AJMAN
One of the smallest of the seven emirates., it is 259 square kilometers (100 square miles). Its main territory, surrounded by Sharjah, basks along the sun-scorched . The town is known for its dhow-building heritage. Pearling dhows sailed from its shores from the 3rd century BC until the 1930's, when the stiff easterly winds of competition, from Japanese cultured pearls, swept them- and the men who worked on them into the history books. Fishing dhows are still made on Ajman's creek. Apart from Ajman's dhow buildign yards, the biggest draw for visitors is its excellent fortess museum.

ABU DHABI
Means "Father of the Gazelle", takes its name from legend . In the early 1770's, the story goes, a party of hunters from Liwa followed the tracks of a gazelle to one of the numerous coastal islands they knew in the Arabian Gulf. To their good fortune they found a freshwatrer spring where the animal had stopped to drink and began a settlement there in the 1790's

AL AIN
(The spring) is a popular destination during the hot summer months as it offers an escape from the humidity experienced on the coast. This lush oasis has been settled since 3000 BC.

THE EMPTY QUARTER
The Western Region fo Abu Dhabi encompasses the great red sand massif of the Rub al Khali(The Empty Quarter), the oil fields of the Bu Hasa, Shah and Mazruq, and the fertile Liwa oasis. In 1948 Wilfred Thesiger was the first European to explore the Liwa's 80 km (50 mile) palm grove and scattered settlements in 60-90 metre dunes. Thesiger described what he saw in "Arabian Sands".

DUBAI
Dubai is the commercial centre of the Middle East. It is know for it duty free shopping and its towering glass biuildings that rose out of the desert sands in the 1980's and 90's, but for centuries it was know to traders of spices, gold, slaves sandlewood and other precious cargoes as a safe haven. The major sight which is a must is the Dubai Museum, which is housed in the Al Fahidi Fort (built in 1787) located in the heart of Bur Dubai. The museum has exhibition halls that bring to life the atmosphere of the souk, traditional architecture and the local community as it was.

RAS AL KHAIMAH
Is the northermost emirate, and a popular getaway with the people in the region. The emirate has been inhabited since the third millennium BC and historical texts, reveal that the main town, Julfar, existed for hundreds of years just north of the modern city This emirate has a rich archaeological heritage, and almost all sites are open to the public. Among the oldest is the village of Shimal, a few kilometers to the north.

FUJAIRAH
Hemmed in by the Hajar mountains, Fujairah is a beautiful emirate with deserted beaches and dramatic wadis. The ancient sports of falconry and camel racing can be seed here. Snorkeling and diving are great in this area.