The Musandam Peninsula ( ar, جَزِيْرَة مُسَنْدَم \ رَأْس مُسَنْدَم, Jazīrat Musandam / Raʾs Musandam), locally known as Ruus Al Jibal ( ar, رُؤُوْس ٱلْجِبَال, ''Ruʾūs al-Jibāl'' Heads of the Mountains),
is a
peninsula
A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...
that forms the northeastern point of the
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...
. It is located to the south of the
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 ...
between the
Persian Gulf and
Gulf of Oman
The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman ( ar, خليج عمان ''khalīj ʿumān''; fa, دریای عمان ''daryâ-ye omân''), also known as Gulf of Makran or Sea of Makran ( ar, خلیج مکران ''khalīj makrān''; fa, دریای مکرا ...
.
It is inhabited by the
Shihuh
The Shihuh ( ar, الشحوح, ') is an Arab tribe living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman. In the singular, the name is Al Shehhi, a common family name in the UAE and Oman today. Inhabiting the northern part of the Hajar Mountain rang ...
tribe and is mainly governed by
Oman as the
Musandam Governorate with certain parts governed by the
United Arab Emirates, including
Ras Al Khaimah and parts of
Dibba.
Climate, geology and geography
Land features include the
Western Hajar Mountains. Since these are the northernmost of
the Hajar range, they and the peninsula are referred to as
Ruʾūs al-Jibāl ( ar, رُؤُوْس ٱلْجِبَال, Heads of the Mountains).
The largest
Wadi in Mussandam is
Wadi Bih
Wadi Bih, alternatively Wādī Al-Bayḥ ( ar, وَادِي ٱلْبَيْح), is a river/wadi that crosses the North-Western Hajar Mountains from the United Arab Emirates, and traversing Oman before returning to the UAE. From the West to the East ...
, which forms the central
drainage basin.
The highest Mountain in Mussandam, and Ru'us al Jibal, i
Jebel Harim which measures from sea level.
The highest point in Mussandam and the UAE, and the highest point in UAE generally, is
Jebel Jais, in
Ras Al Khaimah, which measures from sea level,
however since the parent peak,
Jebel Bil Ays, is located in Oman,
Jebel Al Mebrah
Jabal Al-Mebraḥ (), also commonly mistakenly referred to by the name of the nearby peak ''Jabal Yibir'' ( ar, جَبَل يِبِر, links=no), is a tall mountain in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Description
Located in the Western Hajar Moun ...
at is the highest mountain in the UAE with a prominence of or greater.
During winter, the region can be fairly cool, particularly the mountains of Jais, Yanas ( ar, يَنَس; ) and Mebrah.
Khasab
Khasab ( ar, خَصَب, Ḫaṣab) is a city and local capital of the Musandam Governorate which is an exclave of Oman bordering the United Arab Emirates at the tip of the Musandam Peninsula by the Strait of Hormuz. It has been dubbed the "Norw ...
in Musandam Governorate, Oman
File:Jebel Jais, Tallest Mountain of UAE 02.jpg, Jebel Jais, the UAE's highest point, near Ras Al Khaimah
Fauna and flora
Fauna include the
Ruus al Jibal fan-footed gecko
The Ruus al Jibal fan-footed gecko (''Ptyodactylus ruusaljibalicus'') is a species of gecko. It is endemic to the ''Ru'us al-Jibal'', the northernmost of the Hajar Mountains in the Musandam Peninsula shared by Oman and United Arab Emirates.
Se ...
,
and
caracal. It is unknown if the
Arabian leopard is still present.
Urothemis edwardsii
''Urothemis edwardsii'', the blue basker, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found in Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Gambi ...
'')
File:Common mynah acridotheres tristis 2 (12801242063).jpg, Common mynah (''Acridotheres tristis'')
File:House sparrow (passer domesticus).JPG, House sparrow
The house sparrow (''Passer domesticus'') is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a small bird that has a typical length of and a mass of . Females and young birds are coloured pale brown and grey, a ...
(''Passer domesticus'')
File:Rock semaphore gecko (pristurus rupestris) (12801641984).jpg, Rock semaphore gecko (''Pristurus rupestris'')
See also
*
List of tourist attractions in the United Arab Emirates
References
{{reflist
External links
Hiking: The Highest Points in the UAE