The smallest of the seven emirates is Ajman with only 260 square kilometers. Most of this is located on the Arabian Gulf coast immediately north of Sharjah, however, it also include two tiny enclaves inland in the Hajar Mountains, Masfut and Manama. 

Archeological find show that ajman was once an important Bronze Age settlement but had been a mere fishing village in recent centuries. With unification as the United Arab Emirates, Ajman has benefited from development in Sharjah and Dubai, which has pushed towards this tiny emirate. Many people working in these cities have found Ajman to be a quieter and less expensive place to live. 

Ajman has not yet been successful in the search for oil and natural gas resources. This has limited its ability to develop on a grandiose scale but it has been working towards development of light industry and houses an important dockyard. 

But the charm of Ajman is its slow, quiet pace. It is home to the Ajman Museum, a local history and heritage museum, housed in a 200 residence of the ruler. It is best known for being the largest ocean-going dhow construction centre. Here dhows are still built by time-honoured methods along the shore, providing insight vistors into a bygone era.