Asia: All about United Arab Emirates Quiz

Answer: Ajman

With an area of around 100 square miles (260 square km) the Emirate of Ajman has been part of the United Arab Emirates since 1971. Ajman shares its name with its capital city, where the majority of the population of the emirate live.

Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi III became the sheikh of Ajman in 1981, with the Al Nuaimi tribe ruling the area since 1810.

The largest emirate of UAE is Abu Dhabi, accounting for 87% of the country's land with a total area of 26,000 square miles (67,340 square km).

Answer: Capital Gate Building

Also known as the "Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi," the Capital Gate Building was constructed fully by 2011. It is around 520 feet (160 m) tall and slants at an angle of 18° westward, leaning four times more inclined than the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The skyscraper cost around one billion dirhams to construct, and was planned and designed by the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company. The glass panels for the building's windows have to be specially made to fit its unusual shape.

The city of Abu Dhabi was largely designed in 1967 by Japanese architect, Katsuhiko Takahashi. The planned city was originally purported to house around 40,000 people, and the city's growth has since meant it can house many more.

Answer: Fujairah

Fujairah is the only emirate of UAE to be almost totally mountainous.

UAE's coastline stretches around 400 miles (650 km) along the south of the Persian Gulf. Just over 30 miles (50 km) of UAE's coastline is on the Gulf of Oman, all of which is located within the emirate of Fujairah.

Answer: Jabal ar Rahrah

Located in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, Jabal ar Rahrah is around 5,550 feet (1,690.m) high and is part of the Hajar Mountains, which stretch through UAE and neighbouring Oman.

Answer: Yas Island

Yas Island is under the jurisdiction of Abu Dhabi, UAE, and encompasses an area of around 9.7 square miles (25 square km). The island features the Yas Marina Circuit, which hosts the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It is one of the few of Abu Dhabi's islands that can be reached via car.

The Ferrari World Abu Dhabi theme park was opened to the public in 2010. Manufactured by Intamin Amusement Rides, Formula Rossa is capable of reaching speeds of just under 150 miles (240 km) per hour. Riders are made to wear safely goggles due to the damage that debris could cause to a person's eyes travelling at this speed.

Answer: Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa is just over 2,720 feet (830 m, around half a mile) high. Construction of the skyscraper began in 2004, with completion being in 2009. It is named for Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the second President of UAE. The building was designed by the same firm that designed Chicago's Sear's Tower, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP. On a day with clear visibility, the shores or Iran around 95 miles (153 km) away are visible from Burj Khalifa.

Dubai is the capital city of the Emirate of Dubai.

Answer: Umm Al Quwain

The coastal city of Umm Al Quwain is the capital of the Emirate of Umm Al Quwain, the second-smallest emirate by area, situated in northern UAE. The emirate has a small coastline along the Persian Gulf for around 15 miles (25 km).

Sheikh Majid Al Mualla established Umm Al Quwain in 1775 as an independent Sheikhdom.

Ed Dur encompasses an area of just under 2 square miles (5 square km) and was discovered in the early 1970s by an archaeologist team from Iraq. Subsequent excavations have produced artifacts from as early as the prehistoric Ubaid period of 5500 - 3700 BC.

Ed Dur was once a major port, being situated around 75 miles (120 km) from the Strait of Hormuz. There are thought to be around 20,000 tombs on the site, many of which have been excavated for their prehistoric items.

Ed Dur is said to be the remnants of the town of Omana, a once important port town mentioned by both Strabo and Pliny.

Answer: Rub' al Khali

Rub' al Khali, that is, "the Empty Quarter" is 620 miles (1,000 km) long and stretches over parts of four countries: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman. The desert covers an area of 250,000 square miles (650,000 square km), spanning the majority of a third of the Arabian peninsula in the south. Sir Wilfred Thesiger once described the desert as such: "It was very still, with the silence which we have driven from our world."

Although shallow lakes could be found in this area around 2,000-6,000 years ago, Rub' al Khali is one of the driest and least explored areas of the world today. Most of the desert lies in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, covering about a fourth of the country.

Rub' al Khali can be found in Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra region, a short drive from the emirate's busy capital. Al Dhafra is the largest region in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, covering around two-thirds of its territory.

Answer: Ras Al-Khaimah

The Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah has the city of Ras Al Khaimah as its capital. The name Ras Al Khaimah translates to "the headland of the tent."

Situated in Al Rams, a small fishing village of Ras-Al Khaimah which is the northernmost neighbourhood of the emirate, the Suwaidi Pearl Farm was established by Abdulla Al Suwaidi to honour his grandfather and his family's history of pearl diving. As new methods of pearl farming developed, Abdulla Al Suwaidi worked hard to keep his family's traditional pearl diving methods alive, fondly looking back on his grandfather and calling him "half man, half fish."

Answer: Ras Al Khaimah

Ras Al Khaimah is also known for the Seih Al Harf, an ancient archaeological site featuring remainder of Wadi Suq culture dating from 2,000 to 1,300 BCE.

RAK Ceramics is one of the most successful ceramic production and distribution companies in the world. Established in 1989 by H.H. Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, the company is now a leading producer of ceramic wall and floor tiles, bathroom sinks, tableware etc.

The estimated annual production of tiles from RAK Ceramics is 118 million square metres, as well as 2.6 million pieces of sinks and 26 million pieces of porcelain tableware annually.

Answer: Wadi Wurayah

Wadi Wurayah National Park, or simply Wadi Wurayah, is home to 100 species of reptiles, mammals, birds, etc, including Gordon's wildcat, the Arabian leopard, the Indian crested porcupine, the carcal, the Blandford fox and the Arabian tah, which is a type of mountain goat. It is located in the north of the Emirate of Fujairah. The reserve is surrounded by the Hajar Mountains.

The word "wadi" is Arabic and describes a dry valley or riverbed that fills up with water once rainy season is upon the region.

Special permission is required from the government to tour Wadi Wurayah to preserve the reserve's wildlife from becoming too affected by tourism.

Answer: Al Ain

Al Ain is situated in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, on the east of the Al-Buraimi Oasis.

Also known as the Al Ain Palace Museum, the former residence of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (1918 - 2004), who is hailed as Waalid al-Ummahin (that is, "Father of the Nation") in UAE.

Constructed in 1937, the Palace lies just west of the city's largest oasis, the Al-Ain Oasis. It was Sheikh Zayed's home until 1966. It was not until 1998 that the plans were set in motion to turn the palace into the museum it is today, which opened to the public in 2001.

The palace gate is inscribed with verses of the Quran, and inside features beautiful rooms including one that Sheikh Zayed's sons would use for their studies, complete with original desk and blackboard.

Answer: Dubai

Designed by the creators of the Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas, the Dubai Fountain shoots water 500 feet (152 m) into the air, with simultaneous music and light shows to complete the resulting beautiful spectacle. When in use, the fountain shoots 22,000 gallons of water through the air on average. The fountain is situated on the Burj Lake in downtown Dubai.

Daily shows from the fountain typically begin around 6pm, giving a 5 minute performance every half an hour until 11pm.

The Dubai Mall, one of the largest shopping malls in the world, is close to the Dubai Fountain. It boasts over 1,200 shops. The mall is so large it has room for an aquarium: the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo is home to a number of sharks, fish and rays.

Answer: Jebel Hafeet

Jebel Hafeet is just under 4,100 feet (1,250 m) high and provides beautiful views of the cityscape of Al Ain, UAE. Within the mountain is an extensive maze of caves with well preserved stalactites. The front of the mountain features a lake and a hot spring, which has proved popular with tourists. The mountain features some endangered species of plants, such as the Wadi Tarabat.

Answer: Snoopy

Situated off Al Aqah beach, Jazirat al-'Aqqa is nicknamed "Snoopy Island" due to its appearance resembling Snoopy lying on his back, as typically seen when the cartoon dog is atop his kennel. This English nickname is sometimes also used by Arabic speakers of the area, referring to the island as "Jazirat Snubi."

Snorkeling is popular around the island's clean waters.

Answer: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Located in the city of Abu Dhabi, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque covers an area of 12 hectares (30 acres) not including the surrounding gardens and car park.

Construction of the Mosque began in 1996 under the orders of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who was buried in the courtyard upon his death in 2004.

The exterior of the mosque is white, with 100,000 tonnes of Macedonian and Greek marble being required to construct the building. It has a mixture of classical Fatimid, Ottoman and Mamluk architectural style.

The main prayer hall's carpet was woven together by 1,300 Iranian artists. Gold-plated Swarovski chandeliers and marble walls feature inside the beautiful building, and the courtyard is home to reflective pools with mosaic artwork and jasper, lapis lazuli and amethyst bejeweled columns. The mosque can hold 40,000 people, and has 82 domes in total.

There is a mosque of the same name in the Emirate of Fujairah, which is the second-largest mosque in UAE.

Answer: Dubai

The Dubai Miracle Garden is home to 250 million species of plants and over 50 million species of flowers, and encompasses an area of around 780,000 square feet (72,000 square metres).

From 2015, a butterfly garden has been in operation at the park, housing 26 species of butterfly, numbering around 15,000 in total.

In 2018, the Miracle Garden and Walt Disney Company came to an agreement that Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, etc, could be represented in flower arrangements throughout the park.

Answer: Sharjah

Mleiha is a town of the Emirate of Sharjah, located around 15 miles (25 km) south of the town Al Dhaid.

The Emirate of Sharjah covers an area of 1,000 square miles (2,590 square km), and is the only emirate to have land covering both the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. It is the third-largest Emirate of UAE by area.

The Mleiha Archaeological Centre is located in the centre of the Emirate of Sharjah, and is open to the public where ancient artefacts can be observed.

Built around the Bronze era Umm an-Nar tomb, tourists can embark on tours around the tomb and other archaeological sites around the area. There are sites that date as far back as the Palaeolithic period.

Answer: Umm Al Quwain Fort

Umm Al Quwain Fort is located in the middle of Umm Al Quwain city, capital of the emirate of the same name.

Sheikh Rashid bin Majid Al Mualla would use Umm Al Quwain Fort as both his personal residence and his seat of government. The building also served as protection of the harbour and town of Umm Al Quwain.

The fort was the site of an assassination in 1929. Sheikh Hamad bin Ibrahim Al Mu'alla was shot in Umm Al Quwain Fort's western watch tower by two of his cousins who wanted to steal power from him. The fort remained the seat of government for Umm Al Quwain's sheikh until 1969, and was then used as a police station. The building was reopened as a museum in 2000 by Rashid bin Ahmad Al Mualla, the Sheikh of Umm Al Quwain from 1981 until his death in 2009.

Answer: Saadiyat Island

Saadiyat Island, that is the "Island of Happiness" in Arabic, is around a 20 minute drive from Abu Dhabi International Airport.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi is of the same architectural design as the Louvre in France. UAE have signed a contract with France that allows the building to operate under the name "the Louvre" until 2037.