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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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