In the south and west of the country, the land is mainly sand dunes and salt flats with the occasional traditional desert oasis. The largest oases are at Al Ain, 160km east of Abu Dhabi, and the Liwa in the southwest.
In the northern part of the country, the sand dunes yield to gravel plains formed by the Hajar Mountain range, dating back about 200 million years. The mountains themselves rise to a height of over 3000 m and run from the UAE south into Oman.
The east coast is essentially a fertile plain where rainfall and subterranean water have allowed agriculture to be practiced for thousands of years. Along the coast, there are long, unspoiled beaches stretching for kilometres. On the Arabian Gulf, over 100 islands and numerous shallow inlets add to the scenery; mangrove trees are common as are spawning fish and birds.

Climate

The climate is hot and dry. The mean January temperature is 18°C (65°F.) and the mean temperature in July is 33°C (92°F). The average annual rainfall is 152mm (6in). The major natural resource is petroleum.
Temperatures from May to September are frequently in the low 40s C with high humidity common in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In the cities of Fujairah and Khor Fakkan the climate is more pleasant and also in the mountains above Ras al-Khaimah.
During the winter, the entire country generally experiences very good weather though it is often quite windy. Cold weather is not unknown and in the desert around Al-Ain, temperatures sometimes drop as low as 10°C. Winter in the inland desert is usually pleasantly brisk.

The UAE has grown at an extremely rapid pace since its foundation.
The population has increased from about 180,000 to its present 2,407,460 million while the revenues from oil have enabled the government to undertake a massive construction programmes including housing, schools, hospitals, roads, seaports, airports and telecommunications facilities.
The UAE had an estimated population of 2,407,460 in 2001, with a density of 29 persons per sq. km (75 per sq. m). Some 85% of the country's population is urban with Abu Dhabi as the largest city and the capital of the UAE. It also serves as the financial, transportation, and communications center of an area considered to be a major petroleum-producing one. Abu Dhabi is also a significant port and is home to a majority of the federal government ministries; the emirate of Abu Dhabi constitutes nearly 40 % of the total UAE population.
Dubai is the major trading center of the entire Persian Gulf and has the principal port facilities of the UAE as well as its busiest airport. It has also several federal ministries. Ash-Shariqah is an important port and industrial center.
Several aspects of the UAE's population are unusual. The population in 1995 was 15 times larger than it was in thirty years ago, mainly due to the immigration of oil workers. 80% of the UAE's inhabitants are foreign workers and their dependents. Due to the influx of young foreign workers, cultural preference for large families and improved medical care, the UAE also has a very young population,. The poverty of the past has been swept away but not the customs and traditions of the people.