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 A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the gov ...

. 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 Al Dhannah () is a city located west of Abu Dhabi City, in the Western Region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The city’s former name, "Al Ruwais", is largely dropped in relation to the Ruwais Refinery and other industrial development. The Al D ...

(pop. 15,511) # Ghayathi (pop. 14,022) # Liwa (pop. 20,192) # Al Mirfa (pop. 14,503) # Sila (pop. 7,900, includes

Ghuwaifat Ghuwaifat () is a small town in the far Al Gharbia, Abu Dhabi, west of the emirate of Abu Dhabi. The place forms a border crossing to Saudi Arabia on the transit road to Qatar. Ghuwaifat belongs to the urban area of Sila, Abu Dhabi, Sila, which e ...

) # 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) AD Ports Group (; formerly Abu Dhabi Ports Company and ADPC) is the exclusive developer and regulator of ports and related infrastructure in Abu Dhabi. History Abu Dhabi Ports PJSC was established by Emiri Decree in 2006. Through organic gro ...

. 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.

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

Demographics

Wildlife and prehistory

See also

References

External links