United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates Geography & Climate
Geography
The United Arab Emirates occupies the south-eastern corner of the Arabian peninsula, with around 650 kilometres of Gulf coastline, a short stretch on the Gulf of Oman, and land borders with Saudi Arabia and Oman.
Seven emirates, unequally sized
Abu Dhabi covers roughly seven eighths of the territory. Dubai is a distant second, and Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah are small. Fujairah is the only one facing the Gulf of Oman; Sharjah has territory on both coasts, and there are several enclaves and exclaves along the Omani border, including Madha and the counter-enclave of Nahwa.
Desert and dunes
Most of the country is sand and gravel desert, rising in the south into the Rub’ al Khali, the Empty Quarter, the largest continuous sand desert on earth. The dunes around Liwa reach three hundred metres, among the highest anywhere.
The Hajar mountains
The eastern border runs through the Hajar range, bare limestone and ophiolite rising to about 1,900 metres at Jebel Jais. The wadis cutting through it hold the only naturally flowing water in the country.
The coast
The Gulf shore is shallow, hot and highly saline, with sabkha salt flats, mangrove stands around Abu Dhabi and Umm Al Quwain, and offshore islands. Large-scale land reclamation — the Palm Jumeirah and the World islands among it — has reshaped the Dubai coastline within twenty-five years.
Water
There are no permanent rivers and rainfall averages under a hundred millimetres a year. Almost all drinking water is desalinated, which is the fundamental constraint on everything here.
Climate Patterns
The UAE has a hot desert climate with two effective seasons: a pleasant winter and a summer that governs how everything is built and scheduled.
Winter
From November to March, days run 24 to 30°C with low humidity and cool nights — genuinely cold in the desert interior, where it can fall below 10°C after dark. This is when the country lives outdoors, and when almost all visitors come.
Summer
From May to September, daytime highs of 42 to 48°C are normal and have exceeded 50°C. On the coast the humidity is the harder part: Dubai and Abu Dhabi can sit above 80 per cent, so the apparent temperature is worse than the reading. A midday work ban operates for outdoor labour through the hottest months, and daily life shifts indoors and into the evening.
Rain and fog
Rainfall averages well under a hundred millimetres a year and arrives in a few winter downpours, which the drainage is not built for — flooding after heavy rain is a recurring problem, most severely in April 2024. Winter mornings bring thick fog to the coast, which closes roads and delays flights.
The mountains and the east coast
The Hajar range is several degrees cooler and catches more rain, filling the wadis. The Fujairah coast, on the Gulf of Oman, is humid but less extreme than the Gulf side and has the better water for diving.
Dust
Shamal winds raise dust and sand through the spring and summer, reducing visibility for days and affecting anyone with a respiratory condition.