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Sharjah
is the only Emirate to have land on both
the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.
The Emirate covers approximately 2,600
square kilometers.
In
addition to Sharjah City which is located
on the three mile deep subkhat (salt)
strip along the coast, the Emirate has
three provinces on the Batinah (the East
Coast), Hisn Dibba, Khor Fakkan and Kalba,
plus the Islands of Abu Mousa and Sir
Abu Nu'air.
The
Batinah consists of the spectacular, rugged
Hajar mountains rising in places to 2,500
feet, intersected by sheer sided wadis,
with gravel beds and rich soil.
Beautiful
sandy beaches and the clear blue Indian
Ocean have made this coast a haven for
diving, fishing and relaxing.
The
towns of Dibba and Khor Fakkan have grown
steadily with modernization gently nudging
out the traditional ways, fortunately
not completely.
Khor
Kalba, the southern most tip of the UAE's
Indian Ocean coastline ends in an extensive
mangrove marsh which has recently been
designated as a Nature Reserve for several
endangered species.
The
hinterland is a red sand desert with impressive
dunes, becoming a gravel plain along the
eastern border which runs along the line
of the foothills. This fertile, well watered
area, rich in gardens and natural shrub
is interspersed by innumerable wadis (steep
sided dry valleys) running East to West.
There are many small villages in this
area where people still live in the traditional
manner. An excellent area for 'wadi bashing'
but beware of flash floods in times of
heavy rainfall!
Al
Dhaid, the peaceful falaj based palm oasis
in the center of the Emirate is the third
largest town and producer of the renowned
Al Dhaid strawberries, in addition to
many other fruits and vegetables.
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