A hereditary monarchy is the most common style of

monarchy A monarchy is a government#Forms, form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The legitimacy (political)#monarchy, political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restric ...

and is the form that is used by almost all of the world's existing monarchies. Under a hereditary monarchy, all the monarchs come from the same family, and the crown is passed down from one member to another member of the family. The hereditary system has the advantages of stability, continuity and predictability, as well as the internal stabilizing factors of family affection and loyalty. The following list is a list of hereditary monarchies and their current () monarchs. NOTE: The table comprises some sovereign monarchs of the world today, but is incomplete.

Monarchies of sovereign states

Africa

* Kingdom of Eswatini –

Mswati III Mswati III (born Makhosetive; 19 April 1968) is the king ( Swazi: Ngwenyama, Ingwenyama yemaSwati) of Eswatini and head of the Swazi royal family. He was born in Manzini in the Protectorate of Swaziland to King Sobhuza II and one of his young ...

* Kingdom of Lesotho –

Letsie III Letsie III (born Seeiso Bereng; 17 July 1963) is King of Lesotho. He succeeded his father, Moshoeshoe II, who was forced into exile in 1990. His father was briefly restored in 1995 but died in a car crash in early 1996, and Letsie became king ag ...

Kingdom of Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

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Mohammed VI Muhammad VI may refer to: * Muhammad Imaaduddeen VI (1868–1932), sultan of the Maldives from 1893 to 1902 * Mehmed VI (1861–1926), sultan of Ottoman Empire, from 1918 to 1922 * Mohammed VI of Morocco Mohammed VI ( ar, محمد الساد ...

Americas

* Antigua and Barbuda –

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...

The Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the ar ...

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Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

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Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

* Grenada –

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

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Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis (), officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country and microstate consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain ...

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* Saint Lucia –

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea w ...

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Asia

* Kingdom of Bhutan – Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk * Sultanate of Brunei – Hassanal Bolkiah *

Kingdom of Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

– Norodom Sihamoni * Japan -

Naruhito is the current Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era, following the abdication of his father, Akihito. He is the 126th monarch according to Japan's traditional order of succession ...

Kingdom of Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

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Maha Vajiralongkorn Vajiralongkorn ( th, วชิราลงกรณ; , ; born 28 July 1952) is the King of Thailand. He is the only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. In 1972, at the age of 20, he was made crown prince by his father. After his ...

Europe

* Kingdom of Belgium – Philippe * Kingdom of Denmark –

Margrethe II Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is Queen of Denmark. Having reigned as Denmark's monarch for over 50 years, she is Europe's longest-serving current head of state and the world's only incumbent fema ...

Principality of Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...

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Hans-Adam II Hans-Adam II (Johannes Adam Ferdinand Alois Josef Maria Marco d'Aviano Pius; born 14 February 1945) is the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein, since 1989. He is the son of Prince Franz Joseph II and his wife, Countess Georgina von Wilczek. He a ...

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

– Henri *

Principality of Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Liguria ...

– Albert II *

Kingdom of the Netherlands , national_anthem = ) , image_map = Kingdom of the Netherlands (orthographic projection).svg , map_width = 250px , image_map2 = File:KonDerNed-10-10-10.png , map_caption2 = Map of the four constituent countries shown to scale , capital = ...

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Willem-Alexander Willem-Alexander (; Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; born ) is King of the Netherlands, having acceded to the throne following his mother's abdication in 2013. Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht as the oldest child of Princess Beat ...

Kingdom of Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

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Harald V Harald V ( no, Harald den femte, ; born 21 February 1937) is King of Norway. He acceded to the throne on 17 January 1991. Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was second in the li ...

Kingdom of Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

–

Felipe VI Felipe VI (;, * eu, Felipe VI.a, * ca, Felip VI, * gl, Filipe VI, . Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. He is the son of former King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía, and ...

Kingdom of Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

– Carl XVI *

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

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West Asia

Kingdom of Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ad ...

– Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah *

Kingdom of Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan River ...

– Abdullah II of Jordan * State of Kuwait –

Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah ( ar, نواف الأحمد الجابر الصباح, translit=Nawwāf al-Ahmad al-Jābir as-Sabāh; born 25 June 1937) is the emir of Kuwait and the commander of the Kuwait Military Forces. On 29 September 202 ...

Sultanate of Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

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Haitham bin Tariq Al Said Haitham bin Tariq Al Said ( ar, هيثم بن طارق آل سعيد, Heysem bin Târık Âl Saîd; born 13 October 1954) is the current Sultan of Oman, reigning since January 2020 following the death of his cousin, Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Pr ...

State of Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

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Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ( ar, تميم بن حمد بن خليفة آل ثاني; born 3 June 1980, Doha, Qatar) is the Emir of Qatar who succeeded his father, Sheikh Hamad, after Hamad abdicated in his favour. Tamim is the fourth son ...

* Kingdom of Saudi Arabia –

Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, سلمان بن عبد العزیز آل سعود, , ; born 31 December 1935) is King of Saudi Arabia, reigning since 2015, and served as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2022. The 25th son of Ki ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...

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Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan ( ar, مُحَمّد بِن زَايد آل نَهيَان, Moḥamed bin Zāyed Āl Nahyān; born 11 March 1961), colloquially known by his initials as MBZ, is the third president of the United Arab Emirates ...

President of the UAE The president of the United Arab Emirates, or the Raʾīs ( ar, رَئِيْس), is the head of state of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The president and vice-president are elected every five years by the Federal Supreme Council. Though the ...

Emir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...

of Abu Dhabi

Oceania

Commonwealth of Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

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Realm of New Zealand The Realm of New Zealand consists of the entire area in which the monarch of New Zealand functions as head of state. The realm is not a federation; it is a collection of states and territories united under its monarch. New Zealand is an indep ...

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Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

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Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

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Kingdom of Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

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Tupou VI Tupou VI (; born 12 July 1959) is the King of Tonga. He is the younger brother and successor of the late King George Tupou V. He was officially confirmed by his brother on 27 September 2006 as the heir presumptive to the Throne of Tonga, as his ...

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-nor ...

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Sub-national monarchies

Africa

Côte d'Ivoire

* King of the Agni Sanwi – Okatamaisu Nana Amon N'duffu V

Ghana

* King of the Ashanti – Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II

Nigeria

Kingdom of Benin The Kingdom of Benin, also known as the Edo Kingdom, or the Benin Empire ( Bini: ') was a kingdom within what is now southern Nigeria. It has no historical relation to the modern republic of Benin, which was known as Dahomey from the 17th ce ...

– Ewuare II * Kingdom of Ile-Ife –

Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; (''Ọjájá II'') (born 17 October 1974) is the 51st and current Ooni of Ife. He is the traditional ruler/monarch of the Yoruba kingdom of Ile-Ife. He ascended to the throne of his forebearers in 2015 succee ...

Kano Emirate The Kano Emirate was a Muslim state in Northern Nigeria formed in 1349 during the reign of Sarkin Kano Ali Yaji when Wangarawa brought Islam into Kano and Sarki Ali made Islam as State religion (www.rumburilmi.com.ng). Sarki Muhammadu Rumfa ( ...

– Muhammadu Sanusi II * Kingdom of Onitsha –

Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe '' CFR'', '' mni'' (born 14 May 1941) is a traditional ruler and the 21st Obi of Onitsha, in Anambra State, South-Eastern Nigeria. He is chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University since 2015, and was earlier chancellor of Kogi ...

* Kingdom of Oyo –

Lamidi Adeyemi III Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III (15 October 1938 – 22 April 2022) was the Alaafin, or traditional ruler, of the Yoruba town of Oyo and rightful heir to the throne of its historic empire. Early life and ancestry Alaafin Adeyemi III was born ...

* Sultanate of Sokoto –

Sa'adu Abubakar Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar ( ar, محمد سعد أبو بكر), CFR (born 24 August 1956) is the 20th Sultan of Sokoto. As Sultan of Sokoto, he is considered the spiritual leader of Northern Nigeria's Muslims, the majority of the nation's popul ...

South Africa

* King of the Zulus –

Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu (27 July 1948 – 12 March 2021) was the reigning King of the Zulu nation from 1968 to his death in 2021. He became King on the death on of his father, King Cyprian Bhekuzulu, in 1968 aged 20 years. ...

Uganda

Kingdom of Buganda Buganda is a Bantu kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Baganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day East Africa, consisting of Buganda's Central Region, including the Ugandan capital Kampala. The 14 m ...

– Muwenda Mutebi II, Kabaka of Buganda * Kingdom of Bunyoro – Solomon Iguru I, Omukama of Bunyoro * Kingdom of Busoga – William Kadhumbula Gabula Nadiope IV, Kyabazinga of Busoga *

Kingdom of Rwenzururu Rwenzururu is a subnational kingdom in western Uganda, located in the Rwenzori Mountains on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The kingdom includes the districts of Bundibugyo, Kasese and Ntoroko. Rwenzururu is also the name ...

– Irema-Ngoma I, Omusinga of Rwenzururu * Kingdom of Toro – Rukidi IV, Omukama of Toro

Asia

Indonesia

Sunanate of Surakarta Surakarta Sunanate ( id, Kasunanan Surakarta; jv, ꦟꦒꦫꦶꦑꦱꦸꦤꦤ꧀ꦤꦤ꧀ꦯꦸꦫꦏꦂꦠꦲꦢꦶꦤꦶꦁꦫꦠ꧀, ''Kasunanan/Karaton Surakarta Hadiningrat''; nl, Soerakarta) was a Javanese monarchy centred in the city of ...

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Susuhunan Susuhunan, or in short version Sunan, is a title used by the monarchs of Mataram and then by the hereditary rulers of Surakarta, Indonesia. Additionally in Bali and Yogyakarta, so-called " Kings of kings" reigned with this title, while their k ...

Pakubuwono XIII Sri Susuhunan Pakubuwono XIII (Javanese script: ꦯꦩ꧀ꦥꦺꦪꦤ꧀ꦢꦊꦩ꧀ꦲꦶꦁꦏꦁꦯꦶꦤꦸꦲꦸꦤ꧀ꦑꦁꦗꦼꦁꦯꦸꦱꦸꦲꦸꦤꦤ꧀ꦦꦏꦸꦧꦸꦮꦤ XIII; born in Surakarta, June 28, 1948) has been the king o ...

* Sultanate of Yogyakarta – Hamengkubuwono X of Yogyakarta

Malaysia

Sultanate of Johor The Johor Sultanate ( ms, Kesultanan Johor or ; also called the Sultanate of Johor, Johor-Pahang, or the Johor Empire) was founded by Malaccan Sultan Mahmud Shah's son, Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah II in 1528. Johor was part of the Malaccan ...

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Ibrahim Ismail of Johor Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar ( Jawi: ; born 22 November 1958) is the 25th Sultan of Johor and the 5th Sultan of modern Johor, since January 2010. He is the son of Sultan Iskandar. A motorcycle enthusiast, Sultan Ibrahim is the f ...

* Sultanate of Kedah –

Sallehuddin of Kedah Al-Aminul Karim Sultan Sallehuddin ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah ( Jawi: ;born 30 April 1942) is the 29th Sultan of Kedah, Malaysia. He was proclaimed Sultan on 12 September 2017, upon the death of his elder half brother, Sultan Abdul Hali ...

* Sultanate of Kelantan –

Muhammad V of Kelantan Sultan Muhammad V ( Jawi: ; born 6 October 1969) has reigned as the 29th Sultan of Kelantan since September 2010 and served as the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia from December 2016 until his abdication in January 2019. He was proclaimed ...

* Sultanate of Pahang –

Abdullah of Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta'in Billah ( ms, السلطان عبدﷲ رعاية الدين المصطفى بالله شاه الحاج ابن المرحوم سلط� ...

Sultanate of Perak The Sultan of Perak (سلطان ڤيراق) is one of the oldest hereditary seats among the Malay states. When the Sultanate of Malacca empire fell to Portugal in 1511, Sultan Mahmud Syah I retreated to Kampar, Sumatra, and died there in ...

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Nazrin Shah of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Al-Maghfur-LahAnbalagan, V. (29 May 2014Raja Nazrin proclaimed as the 75th Sultan of Perak The Malaysian Insider. ( Jawi: ; born 27 November 1956) is the 35th and curren ...

* Kingdom of Perlis –

Sirajuddin of Perlis Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin ibni Almarhum Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail ( Jawi: توانكو سيد سراج الدين ابن المرحوم توانكو سيد ڤوترا جمال الليل; born 17 May 1943) is the 7th and current Raja of Perl ...

* Sultanate of Selangor –

Sharafuddin of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Al-Haj Ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Al-Haj ( Jawi: ; born 24 December 1945) is the ninth and current Sultan of the Malaysian state of Selangor. He ascended the throne on 22 November 2001, succeedi ...

Sultanate of Terengganu Sultan of Terengganu () is the title of the constitutional head of Terengganu state in Malaysia. The current Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu, is the 18th sultan and 13th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia from 2006 to 2011. He is the head ...

– Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu

United Arab Emirates

Emirate of Abu Dhabi The Emirate of Abu Dhabi (, , or ; ar, إِمَارَةْ أَبُوظَبِي , ) is one of seven emirates that constitute the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is by far the largest emirate, accounting for 87% of the nation's total land area o ...

– His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Emir of Abu Dhabi *

Emirate of Ajman The Emirate of Ajman ( ar, إمارة عجمان; ) (Gulf Arabic: إمارة عيمان emāratʿymān) is one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates. It joined the United Arab Emirates federation on December 2, 1971. It has an ar ...

– His Highness Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Emir of Ajman *

Emirate of Dubai The Emirate of Dubai ( ar, إمارة دبيّ; pr. ) is one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates. It is the most populous emirate of the UAE. The capital of the emirate is the eponymous city, Dubai. Geography The city of Dubai i ...

– His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Emir of Dubai *

Emirate of Fujairah The Emirate of Fujairah ( ar, إِمَـارَة ٱلْفُجَيْرَة ' ) is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. The only of the seven with a coastline solely on the Gulf of Oman and none on the Persian Gulf, ...

– His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Emir of Fujairah *

Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah An emirate is a territory ruled by an emir, a title used by monarchs or high officeholders in the Muslim world. From a historical point of view, an emirate is a political-religious unit smaller than a caliphate. It can be considered equivalen ...

– His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi, Emir of Ras al-Khaimah *

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 it ...

– His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, Emir of Sharjah * Emirate of Umm al-Quwain – His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mu'alla

Monarchies of sovereign states

Africa

Americas

Asia

Europe

West Asia

Oceania

Sub-national monarchies

Africa

Côte d'Ivoire

Ghana

Nigeria

South Africa

Uganda

Asia

Indonesia

Malaysia

United Arab Emirates

See also