Al Dhafra, Abu Dhabi
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Al Dhafra Region (), known until 2017 as Al Gharbia or the Western Region (), is one of three Municipal Regions in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Forming the western part of the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
, it is by far the largest region by area, occupying 71 % of the Abu Dhabi emirate's total area, yet the smallest by population and population density, and thus a rather remote region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, similar to the Eastern Region. The capital of Al Dhafra Region is Madinat Zayed (Bida Zayed). The new official name was already the historical name of the westernmost region of former Trucial Oman, which was ''Dhafrah''. It is significant for its natural resources, particularly gas and
petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...
. Its reserves of
hydrocarbon In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and Hydrophobe, hydrophobic; their odor is usually fain ...
s account for 90% of the Emirate's reserves, which in turn account for 90% of the country's reserves, and are important for the local economy.


Demographics

The Region had a population of 202,154 as of the Census of 2010 (including Islands Region with 17,646). With a given population density of 6, the area of the region could be calculated at . Other official sources, however, state an area of , or an 83 percent share of the emirate total of . This region comprises seven townships, with population figures of the 2005 census of population (109,000 for the region): # Madinat Zayed (Bida Zayed) (pop. 29,095) # Ruwais (pop. 15,511) # Ghayathi (pop. 14,022) # Liwa (pop. 20,192) # Al Mirfa (pop. 14,503) # Sila (pop. 7,900, includes Ghuwaifat) # Dalma (pop. 4,811) Also of note is Habshan. Al Gharbia's coastal communities are served with six
Western Region Ports The Western Region Ports () are five ports run by Abu Dhabi Ports in Al Dhafra Region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. These include ports in Mugharrag, Al Sila, Sir Bani Yas, Dalma and Marfa. The ports support local communitie ...
built, developed and managed by Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC). These include Mugharrag, Al Sila,
Sir Bani Yas Sir Bani Yas () is a natural island located southwest of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. It lies offshore from Jebel Dhanna, which serves as a crossing point to other islands such as Dalma. Sir Bani Yas is from north to s ...
, Dalma and Marfa Ports. The ports support local industries like fishing, tourism, logistics and leisure activities as well as facilitating the transport of people and goods to offshore islands.


Wildlife and prehistory

7 million-year-old fossilized footprints of
elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...
s have been discovered at a site named "Mleisa 1" in Al-Gharbia. Within the area of Baynunah, a
camel A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...
-slaughter site dating to about 6,000 years ago was discovered.


See also

* Abu Dhabi Region * Hazza bin Sultan Al Nahyan * List of cultural property of national significance in the United Arab Emirates * List of tourist attractions in the United Arab Emirates * Western Region Municipality


References


External links


Map of Al Gharbia Region
(PDF). .
Map with municipal boundaries
(archived)

(archived) {{Abu Dhabi Municipal regions in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi