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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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