=======(( United Arab Emirates ))========

The majority of the land is arid desert and semi-desert, reaching the edge of the great sand desert of Rub Khali, in the south west, and gradually becoming gravel plains further north. A scatter of small oases and wells permits desert agriculture, which also thrives on the sub-montane plains of the western side of the Hajar Montains, which form a central spine running roughly north the country. On the East Coast, a narrow coastal plain divides the mountains from the Indian Ocean.

The UAE also has over 100 islands, some large, like Abu Dhabi itself, Abu al Abyadh and Zirku, and other little more than sandbanks and small rocky outcrops. Sir Banyas, in Abu Dhabi's western region, is a wildlife reserve, with over 10,000 gazelles and other animals, planted with more than two million trees.

The total area of the federation is around 80,000 squrare kilometres.

The climate is hot and humid from May to October, with temperatures rising to 45 degrees Centigrade, but it is not more temperate in winter, during whish period there is limited rainfall.

Situated near the junction of three of the world's great bio-geographical zones, the palaearctic, the Indo-Malyan and the afro-Tropial, the United Arab Emirates is home to a widely diverse fauna and flora, with over 400 bird species having been recored in the country. The resident wildlife, both flora and fauna, displays considerable evidence of natural adaptation to the generally harsh surroundings, although the lush parks and gardens now established in the main population centres, tegether with the extensive agriculture and afforestation in desert regions, has successfully made the country more attractive for migrant, and resident,birdlife.