The country is under the direct rule of the Supreme Council of rulers, where there are 7 members, one from each emirate. Dubai United Arab Emirates is not a country, but a federation made out of 7 countries. I addition, areas of the desert inland from the emirates are a part of the federation, but ruled by the central government. United Arab Emirates is in the northeastern corner of the Arabian peninsula , where most of the settlements are along the Persian Gulf , while some settlements are found on the coast of the Gulf of Oman. The landscape of the Emirates is very dry, with little rain, vegetation and animal life.
Mountains only take up some few percent of the total territory.
Connected to the federation are several islands outside the coast along the Persian Gulf. Abu Dhabi is therefore the largest and most populated emirate among the seven. Shaykh Zayed Bin Sultan al-Nahyan has been the ruler of Abu Dhabi since 1966, and the ruler of the UAE since 1971. Shaykh Maktum Bin Rashid al-Maktum has been the ruler of Dubai since 1990. The ruler of Sharjah, Shaykh Sultan Bin Muhammad al-Qasimi since 1972.