The Oman–United Arab Emirates border consists of three non-contiguous sections totalling 609 km (378 mi) in length. Tc-map

Description

Northern (Musandam) section

The northern section of border divides the Omani

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

of Musandam from the UAE

Emirates Emirates may refer to: * United Arab Emirates, a Middle Eastern country * Emirate, any territory ruled by an emir ** Gulf emirates, emirates located on the Persian Gulf ** Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, the individual emirates * The Emirat ...

Fujairah Fujairah City ( ar, الفجيرة) is the capital of the emirate of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. It is the seventh-largest city in UAE, located on the Gulf of Oman (part of the Indian Ocean). It is the only Emirati capital city on the ...

and Ras Al Khaimah. This

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on a ...

commands the strategic

Strait of Hormuz The Strait of Hormuz ( fa, تنگه هرمز ''Tangeh-ye Hormoz'' ar, مَضيق هُرمُز ''Maḍīq Hurmuz'') is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the o ...

, with the Oman-UAE border consisting of a series of irregular, though roughly horizontal, lines running through mountainous terrain, from the western

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bo ...

coast to the eastern

Gulf of Oman The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman ( ar, خليج عمان ''khalīj ʿumān''; fa, دریای عمان ''daryâ-ye omân''), also known as Gulf of Makran or Sea of Makran ( ar, خلیج مکران ''khalīj makrān''; fa, دریای مکرا� ...

coast.

Middle (enclaved) section

The middle section of the border consists of the Omani enclave of Madha, within which is the UAE

counter-enclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

of Nahwa, belonging to the

Emirate of Sharjah The Emirate of Sharjah (; ar, إِمَارَة ٱلشَّارِقَة ') is one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates, which covers and has a population of over 1,400,000 (2015). It comprises the capital city of Sharjah, after which i ...

. This territory is the only territory between UAE and Oman which is not lined with any barrier and there is no border crossing between Madha, Nahwa, or the rest of the UAE.

Southern section

The southern, and by far the longest section, of the frontier starts in the north on the Oman Gulf coast, just south of

Kalba Kalba () is a city in the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is an exclave of Sharjah lying on the Gulf of Oman coast north of Oman. Khor Kalba (Kalba Creek), an important nature reserve and mangrove swamp, is located south ...

in the Emirate of Sharjah. It then proceeds inland roughly south-westwards via a series of irregular lines, arcing southwards so as to include Hatta within the UAE; the border then proceeds roughly south-westwards down to the Omani tripoint, save for a piece of Emirati territory south-east of Al-Ain that juts into Oman.

History

During the 19th century Britain had signed a number of protectorate treaties with seven emirates on what was then known as the 'Pirate Coast', giving rise to the so-called

Trucial States The Trucial States ( '), also known as the Trucial Coast ( '), the Trucial Sheikhdoms ( '), Trucial Arabia or Trucial Oman, was the name the British government gave to a group of tribal confederations in southeastern Arabia whose leaders had ...

. Britain also exercised protectorate control over Oman via its

sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it c ...

. 2014. Boundaries in this part of Arabia remained indistinct; Britain and the Ottoman Empire theoretically divided their realms of influence in Arabia via the so-called '

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...

' and ' Violet lines' in 1913–14, however these agreements were rendered null and void following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. The enclaves of Madha and Nahwa appear to have arisen in the 1930s-40, following a dispute over the ownership of the area between Oman and the local emirs, which was settled by a vote amongst the village elders. The boundaries of the enclaves were fixed in 1969. In the 1950s Britain appointed Julian Walker to survey more precise boundaries between the Trucial States and Oman. However, by the time of independence of the Trucial States (as the United Arab Emirates) in 1971, much of the border remained undemarcated, resulting in several disputes. The Ras Al Khaimah section of the boundary was settled in 1979 after a dispute arose in 1977-78 following the discovery of oil in the area.Marc Valeri, ''Oman: Politics and Society in the Qaboos State'', C Hurst and Co, 2009, pgs. 76-7 Relations between the two states warmed in the 1980s-90s, resulting in a border agreement for the southern section of the frontier in 1999, followed by a complete border delimitation ratified in Abu Dhabi on 22 June 2002.

Barrier

In 2002, the UAE announced that it was installing a fence along the UAE-Oman border (minus the Madha-Nahwa enclaves) in an effort to curb the flow of illegal migrants, illicit drugs and

terrorists Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

into the country. The barrier constructed is a 4-meter barbed wire border fence. In 2003, Oman introduced an exit toll on crossing to the UAE border. In July 2004, Oman and the UAE jointly launched a three-day coordinated crackdown in and around

Al Buraimi AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

and arrested approximately 1,000 illegal immigrants.

Settlements near the border

Oman

* Tibat * Quroon as Said * Dibba Al-Baya * Al Wajajah * Aswad * A'Tuvayah * Hadf * Al-Buraimi *

Mahdah Mahdah ( ar, مَحْضَة, Maḥḍah, or '' Wilāyat Maḥḍah'' (), is an Omani territory north of the town of al Buraimi which borders the emirates of Sharjah, Ajman and Dubai. It was previously necessary to pass through Mahdah when travel ...

* Hamasa *

Al Qabil Al-Qābil ( ar, ٱلْقَابِل) is a village in Al Buraimi Governorate (formerly Ad Dhahirah Region), in northwestern Oman. A small agricultural village on the edge of the Wahibah Desert, Al Qabil lies about south along the Muscat- Sur Hi ...

* Sahl al Arba * Safah * Al Khuwayr

United Arab Emirates

* Sha'am * Al Jeer * Dibba Al-Fujairah * Dibba Al-Hisn *

Shis Shis ( ar, شيص) is the name of a settlement to the East of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is the westernmost district of Khor Fakkan Municipality. The village of Shis was previously accessed only by a track leading from the East Coast ...

* Qidfa * Sayh Mudayrah * Mirbah * Wahla * Al Nasla * Mosfuj * Al Qor * Fili * Al Madam * Shwaib *

Al Ain Al Ain ( ar, ٱلْعَيْن, , ) is a city in the western side of Tuwwam region and the seat of the administrative division of its namesake, Al Ain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is bordered to the east by the Omani ...

* Al Ghafan * Mezyad * Al Arad * Al Qua’a * Umm az Zamul

Border Crossings

There are two border crossings on the Musandam section of the border (Tibat and Dibba) and four on the main southern section (Hatta/Al Wajajah, Hilli, Jebel Hafeet and Khatmat Malaha). There are no border controls at the Madha-Nahwa enclaves.(2016) Tony Walsh and Diana Darke, ''Bradt Guide Book to Oman'', pg. 178

Gallery

File:UAE-Oman Border Barrier.jpg, Border barrier between UAE and Oman as seen from the Emirati side. File:UAE-Oman Border Barrier - Dibba.jpg, The barrier between Dibba Al-Hisn and Dibba Al-Baya as seen from the Emirati side.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oman-United Arab Emirates border Borders of Oman Borders of the United Arab Emirates International borders Border barriers