The United Arab Emirates (UAE) sit on the Arabian Peninsula between The (Persian) Gulf and the Gulf of Oman with Iran to the north across the Straights of Hormuz, Oman to its east and Saudi Arabia to its south and west.

The UAE is a union of the seven sovereign sheikhdoms of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain (or Quwain), Ra's al-Khaimah and Fujairah. Boundaries have been disputed over a long time and several of the sheikdoms have enclaves in other territories, in fact all but Abu Dhabi and Umm al-Qaiwain do.

Originally both Bahrain and Qatar were to have joined the Emirates but negotiations fell through.

It was formed in 1971 when Great Britain withdrew from its bases in the Persian Gulf. The region was formerly known as the Trucial States and the coastline as the Trucial Coast or the Pirate Coast as a result of pirate activities in the 17th to 19th centuries.