Country Guide

This territory consists of a union of seven small Arab sheikhdoms formerly under British protection and, at that time, called the Trucial Oman. They lie on the southern shore of The Gulf between Qatar on the west and Oman on the east. They have a land boundary with Saudi Arabia on the northern fringes of the Rub' al Khali.

Most of the country is flat and consists of a sandy or rocky desert. Annual rainfall is very low and mostly occurs between November and March. Temperatures are very high between May and September and warm to mild for the rest of the year. Winters are warmer than in Kuwait or the interior of Saudi Arabia.

Summer conditions are most unpleasant on the coast where humidity is high. Both inland and on the coast there is some danger of heat exhaustion and heatstroke during the hottest weather. The table for Sharjah is representative of conditions on the coast. For more details about the weather and climate of Arabia see the description for Saudi Arabia.