The Emirates Trivia Quiz

Answer: Seven

The seven emirates are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. Each of them is an autonomous kingdom ruled by a hereditary emir, from which one is chosen to act as the national president to represent the UAE.

Answer: Abu Dhabi

As the capital city of the UAE, Abu Dhabi has developed quickly as the center of the country's political, industrial, economic, and cultural activities. Financially, the city is the home of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, as well as the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates. The city has also become thoroughly modernized, actively constructing many supertall skyscrapers of incredible and beautiful architectural design.

The Muslim religion is also prominently featured in Abu Dhabi with the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center, which began construction in 1996 and opened in 2007 and has a capacity to hold approximately 41,000 people at any given time.

Answer: God, the Homeland, the President

With Allah named as the primary focus of the country's motto, it is no surprise to learn that the large majority of the population of the UAE is Muslim, with the bulk of those being Sunni. Islam came to the region with the first envoys of the prophet Muhammad in the year 630 CE.

A major battle of the Ridda Wars (632-633) was fought at Dibba, with the defeat of the non-Muslims securing the establishment of Islam in the area.

Answer: The Pirate Coast

In the 16th century the United Arab Emirates were controlled by the British. In that period many pirates were operating from the harbours in the area, earning the country the nickname 'Pirate Coast.' The British patrolled the seas around the United Arab Emirates extensively, mostly to protect their trade interest from India.

In 1853 a peace treaty was signed with the local sheikhs, that called for a maritime truce.

Answer: Oil

Prior to the discovery of oil, one of the primary exports of the region had been pearls, an industry that had sustained the sheikhs for millennia. The advent of World War I and the development by the Japanese of cultured pearls all but destroyed the industry.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (1918-2004) became the ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966 and was the driving force behind the unification of the emirates. With oil interests being lost to U.S. companies, the answer to that problem lay in unifying their interests and protecting their own resources from foreign control. The new constitution was put in place in 1971, forming the UAE from the former 'Trucial States.'

Answer: Yemen

The UAE shares very definite borders with Oman (450 km) and Saudi Arabia (530 km), but its border with Qatar (19 km) is still a matter of some dispute. Suffice to say, of the four options given, Yemen is at the other end of the Arabian Peninsula, and not even close to being in the running as one of the answers.

Incidentally, the UAE also has approximately 1300 km of coastline, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

Answer: Ajman

By area, the seven emirates line up as follows:

1) Abu Dhabi (67,350 sq km)
2) Dubai (3,900 sq km)
3) Sharjah (2,600 sq km)
4) Ras al-Khaimah (1,700 sq km)
5) Fujairah (1,200 sq km)
6) Umm al-Quwain (800 sq km)
7) Ajman (250 sq km)

The emirate of Abu Dhabi is the only emirate that shares a border with neighbouring countries.
(information from statoids.com)

Answer: Dubai Metro

The Dubai Metro opened with two lines (Red and Green) servicing ten stations, with many more in the plans. The inauguration ceremony took place at 9:09:09 on September 9th, 2009. Fully automated and driverless, with over 70km of track, at the time of construction it was the largest automated rail system in the world.

The Dubai International Airport has existed since 1960 while the Autodrome was built in 2004. In 2009, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Commission announced plans to build four nuclear power plants in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Answer: There are no natural fresh-water lakes within the UAE

That is correct. There is no fresh-water lake within the Emirates. 'Al Ain' is the country's largest oasis, located within the Abu Dhabi emirate. 'Bu Tinah' is an archipelago and lagoon, also part of Abu Dhabi, and it has been designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 2001. 'Sabkhat Matti' is a dry lake located on the border with Saudi Arabia. 'Sabkhat' translates from Arabic as 'salt flat.'

Answer: Camel racing

Camel racing is a popular sport in a number of countries, including Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Mongolia and Australia. While there has been criticism over the use of children as jockeys in the races, the Emirates Camel Racing Federation (ECRF) established a rule in June of 2003 stating that any camel jockey must be aged 15 years or more and weigh at least 35kg.