Oman–United Arab Emirates border
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The Oman–United Arab Emirates border consists of three non-contiguous sections totalling 609 km (378 mi) in length.


Description


Northern (Musandam) section

The northern section of border divides the Omani exclave of Musandam from the UAE
Emirates Emirates may refer to: * United Arab Emirates, a Middle Eastern country * Emirate, any territory ruled by an emir ** Gulf emirates, emirates located on the Persian Gulf ** Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, the individual emirates * The Emirat ...
of
Fujairah Fujairah City ( ar, الفجيرة) is the capital of the emirate of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. It is the seventh-largest city in UAE, located on the Gulf of Oman (part of the Indian Ocean). It is the only Emirati capital city on the ...
and
Ras Al Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) ( ar, رَأْس ٱلْخَيْمَة, historically Julfar) is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It is the sixth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain ...
. This peninsula commands the strategic
Strait of Hormuz The Strait of Hormuz ( fa, تنگه هرمز ''Tangeh-ye Hormoz'' ar, مَضيق هُرمُز ''Maḍīq Hurmuz'') is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the ...
, with the Oman-UAE border consisting of a series of irregular, though roughly horizontal, lines running through mountainous terrain, from the western
Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
coast to the eastern Gulf of Oman coast.


Middle (enclaved) section

The middle section of the border consists of the Omani enclave of
Madha The Omani territory of Madha ( ar, مَدْحَاء, madḥāʾ) or ''Wādī Madḥāʾ'' ( ar, وَادِي مَدْحَاء) is an exclave of the Musandam Governorate, enclaved by the United Arab Emirates (UAE); inside it, there is a second-or ...
, within which is the UAE
counter-enclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
of
Nahwa Nahwa is a territory that forms part of the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. It is a counter-enclave (or second-order enclave) within the Omani territory of Madha, which is itself an exclave of Oman and an enclave within the United ...
, belonging to the
Emirate of Sharjah The Emirate of Sharjah (; ar, إِمَارَة ٱلشَّارِقَة ') is one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates, which covers and has a population of over 1,400,000 (2015). It comprises the capital city of Sharjah, after which it ...
. This territory is the only territory between UAE and Oman which is not lined with any barrier and there is no border crossing between Madha, Nahwa, or the rest of the UAE.


Southern section

The southern, and by far the longest section, of the frontier starts in the north on the Oman Gulf coast, just south of
Kalba Kalba () is a city in the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is an exclave of Sharjah lying on the Gulf of Oman coast north of Oman. Khor Kalba (Kalba Creek), an important nature reserve and mangrove swamp, is located south ...
in the Emirate of Sharjah. It then proceeds inland roughly south-westwards via a series of irregular lines, arcing southwards so as to include Hatta within the UAE; the border then proceeds roughly south-westwards down to the Omani tripoint, save for a piece of Emirati territory south-east of
Al-Ain Al Ain ( ar, ٱلْعَيْن, , ) is a city in the western side of Tuwwam region and the seat of the administrative division of its namesake, Al Ain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is bordered to the east by the Omani ...
that juts into Oman.


History

During the 19th century Britain had signed a number of protectorate treaties with seven emirates on what was then known as the 'Pirate Coast', giving rise to the so-called
Trucial States The Trucial States ( '), also known as the Trucial Coast ( '), the Trucial Sheikhdoms ( '), Trucial Arabia or Trucial Oman, was the name the British government gave to a group of tribal confederations in southeastern Arabia whose leaders had s ...
. Britain also exercised protectorate control over Oman via its
sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
. 2014. Boundaries in this part of Arabia remained indistinct; Britain and the Ottoman Empire theoretically divided their realms of influence in Arabia via the so-called '
Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...
' and ' Violet lines' in 1913–14, however these agreements were rendered null and void following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The enclaves of Madha and Nahwa appear to have arisen in the 1930s-40, following a dispute over the ownership of the area between Oman and the local emirs, which was settled by a vote amongst the village elders. The boundaries of the enclaves were fixed in 1969. In the 1950s Britain appointed Julian Walker to survey more precise boundaries between the Trucial States and Oman. However, by the time of independence of the Trucial States (as the United Arab Emirates) in 1971, much of the border remained undemarcated, resulting in several disputes. The Ras Al Khaimah section of the boundary was settled in 1979 after a dispute arose in 1977-78 following the discovery of oil in the area.Marc Valeri, ''Oman: Politics and Society in the Qaboos State'', C Hurst and Co, 2009, pgs. 76-7 Relations between the two states warmed in the 1980s-90s, resulting in a border agreement for the southern section of the frontier in 1999, followed by a complete border delimitation ratified in Abu Dhabi on 22 June 2002.


Barrier

In 2002, the UAE announced that it was installing a fence along the UAE-Oman border (minus the Madha-Nahwa enclaves) in an effort to curb the flow of illegal migrants, illicit drugs and
terrorists Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
into the country. The barrier constructed is a 4-meter barbed wire border fence. In 2003, Oman introduced an exit toll on crossing to the UAE border. In July 2004, Oman and the UAE jointly launched a three-day coordinated crackdown in and around Al Buraimi and arrested approximately 1,000 illegal immigrants.


Settlements near the border


Oman

* Tibat * Quroon as Said *
Dibba Al-Baya Dibbā Al-Bayʿah ( ar, دِبَّا ٱلْبَيْعَة) is geographically part of the Dibba region that faces the Arabian Sea, and is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the south. It is a '' Wilayat'' in the ''Muhafazah'' of Musandam, Sul ...
* Al Wajajah * Aswad * A'Tuvayah * Hadf *
Al-Buraimi Al-Buraimi ( ar, ٱلْبُرَيْمِي, Al-Buraymī) is an oasis city and a wilayah (province) in northern Oman, on the border between Oman and the United Arab Emirates. It is the capital of the Al Buraimi Governorate. An adjacent city on the U ...
*
Mahdah Mahdah ( ar, مَحْضَة, Maḥḍah, or '' Wilāyat Maḥḍah'' (), is an Omani territory north of the town of al Buraimi which borders the emirates of Sharjah, Ajman and Dubai. It was previously necessary to pass through Mahdah when travel ...
*
Hamasa Hamasa ( ar, حَمَاسَة, Ḥamāsah) is an area in the Buraimi area in Oman on the Oman–United Arab Emirates border. Hamasa, for the period of 200 years, was the capital of the Buraimi district. History Being part of the region of Tawa ...
* Al Qabil * Sahl al Arba * Safah * Al Khuwayr


United Arab Emirates

*
Sha'am Sha'am is the name of a village in Northern Ras Al Khaimah, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). History A coastal village which traded on the cultivation of its rich hinterland at the foot of the Hajar Mountains, Sha'am considered itself esse ...
* Al Jeer *
Dibba Al-Fujairah Dibba Al-Fujairah ( ar, دبا الفجيرة) is a city in the emirate of Fujairah, located on the northeast part of the United Arab Emirates. It is geographically part of the Dibba region. Dibba Al-Fujairah is considered to be the second large ...
*
Dibba Al-Hisn Dibba Al-Hisn ( ar, دبا الحصن, ''white Dibba'') is a pene-exclave of the emirate of Al-Sharjah, one of the seven United Arab Emirates. It is bordered by the Gulf of Oman from the East, Dibba Al-Baya (a province of Oman in Musandam) fro ...
*
Shis Shis ( ar, شيص) is the name of a settlement to the East of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is the westernmost district of Khor Fakkan Municipality. The village of Shis was previously accessed only by a track leading from the East Coast ...
*
Qidfa Qidfa is a settlement and oasis in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is the site of the Fujairah power and desalination plant, the largest in the UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِ ...
* Sayh Mudayrah * Mirbah * Wahla * Al Nasla * Mosfuj * Al Qor * Fili *
Al Madam Al Madam ( ar, ٱلْمَدَام) is an inland town of the Emirate of Sharjah, the UAE. Located at the intersection of the Dubai-Hatta ( E44) and Mleiha- Shwaib (E55) roads, its development has mainly centred around these road links and the road ...
* Shwaib *
Al Ain Al Ain ( ar, ٱلْعَيْن, , ) is a city in the western side of Tawam (region), Tuwwam region and the seat of the administrative division of its namesake, Al-Ain Region, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. ...
* Al Ghafan * Mezyad * Al Arad * Al Qua’a * Umm az Zamul


Border Crossings

There are two border crossings on the Musandam section of the border (Tibat and Dibba) and four on the main southern section (Hatta/Al Wajajah, Hilli,
Jebel Hafeet Jabal Hafeet ( ar, جَبَل حَفِيْت, Jabal Ḥafīt, "Mount Hafeet"; variously transcribed Jabal, Jabel or Jebal and Hafit or Hafeet – literally "empty mountain") is a mountain in the region of Tawam, on the border of the United Arab ...
and Khatmat Malaha). There are no border controls at the Madha-Nahwa enclaves.(2016) Tony Walsh and Diana Darke, ''Bradt Guide Book to Oman'', pg. 178


Gallery

File:UAE-Oman Border Barrier.jpg, Border barrier between UAE and Oman as seen from the Emirati side. File:UAE-Oman Border Barrier - Dibba.jpg, The barrier between
Dibba Al-Hisn Dibba Al-Hisn ( ar, دبا الحصن, ''white Dibba'') is a pene-exclave of the emirate of Al-Sharjah, one of the seven United Arab Emirates. It is bordered by the Gulf of Oman from the East, Dibba Al-Baya (a province of Oman in Musandam) fro ...
and
Dibba Al-Baya Dibbā Al-Bayʿah ( ar, دِبَّا ٱلْبَيْعَة) is geographically part of the Dibba region that faces the Arabian Sea, and is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the south. It is a '' Wilayat'' in the ''Muhafazah'' of Musandam, Sul ...
as seen from the Emirati side.


See also

* Oman-United Arab Emirates relations


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oman-United Arab Emirates border Borders of Oman Borders of the United Arab Emirates International borders Border barriers