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Burj Al Arab hotel, Dubai

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United Arab Emirates weather, climate and geography

Weather & climate

Best time to visit: 

The UAE is blessed with year-round sunshine and blue skies with very little rain. The best time to visit is between October and April when temperatures hover at a pleasant 25-28°C (77-82°F) and the Gulf is perfect for swimming. The hottest time of year is during the sweltering summer months of June to September, when humidity can seem unbearable and temperatures can skyrocket to 45°C (113°F). The country is well prepared for hot weather however, with temperature controlled swimming pools and permanently air-conditioned hotels, malls and taxis. Rain and wind can occur in the months of January.

Required clothing: 

Lightweights, with mediumweights from November to March; warmer clothes for evening.

Geography

The Emirates are bordered to the north by the Gulf and the Musandam Peninsula, to the east by Oman, to the south and west by Saudi Arabia and to the northwest by Qatar. They comprise a federation of seven small former sheikhdoms. Abu Dhabi is the largest emirate, and the remainder (Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Qaiwain) are known collectively as the Northern States. The land is mountainous and mostly desert.

Abu Dhabi is flat and sandy, and within its boundaries is the Buraimi Oasis. Dubai has a 16km (10-mile) deep-water creek, giving it the popular name of 'Pearl of the Gulf'. Sharjah has a deep-water port on the Batinah coast at Khor Fakkan, facing the Indian Ocean. Ras al-Khaimah is the fourth emirate in size. Fujairah, one of the three smaller sheikhdoms on the Batinah coast, has agricultural potential, while Ajman and Umm al-Qaiwain were once small coastal fishing villages.

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