Along the Arabian Gulf coast there are offshore islands, coral reefs and sabkha, or salt-marshes. Stretches of gravel, plain and barren desert characterise the inland region. To the east, a range of mountains lies close to the Gulf of Oman and forms a backbone through the Mussandam Peninsula. The western interior of the country, most of it in Abu Dhabi, consists mainly of desert interspersed with oasis. Climate The UAE has a sub-tropical, arid climate.
Rainfall is infrequent and irregular.
Falling mainly in winter, it amounts to some 13 centimeters a year. Temperatures range from a low of about 10 degrees celsius to a high of 48 degrees celsius. The mean daily maximum is 24 degrees in January rising to 41 degrees in July. According to the Ministry of Planning, the population of the UAE expanded from 2,083,100 in 1993 to 2,230,000 in 1994. The workforce grew from 856,100 to 906,000.