Fujayra
FUJAYRA
One of the seven emirates making up the United Arab Emirates; also the city of the same name.
Occupying a slender strip of land along the Gulf of Oman side of the Musandam Peninsula, Fujayra was under the sovereignty of the al-Qawasim rulers of Sharjah and Raʾs al-Khayma for most of the modern era. Lingering ill feelings between Fujayra and its former overlords have manifested themselves in minor border disputes. Fujayra was only recognized as a distinct emirate by the British in 1952. It is ruled by Hamad ibn Muhammad al-Sharqi, and because it has no oil reserves or other significant resources, it must rely financially on Abu Dhabi. Some extractive industries exploit materials from the Hajar Mountains, including cement and asbestos. Like Dubai, Fujayra has a port and free zone for industry and trade, but on a much smaller scale. However, the port's petrochemicals storage and loading facilities are among the region's most heavily used. In 1997 the emirate's population was estimated to be 83,000, on an area of 715 square miles.
See also Sharqi Family, al-; Umm al-Qaywayn; United Arab Emirates.
Bibliography
Hoogland, Eric, and Toth, Anthony B. "United Arab Emirates." In Persian Gulf States: Country Studies, edited by Helen Chapin Metz. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1994.
Vine, Peter, and Casey, Paula. United Arab Emirates: A Profile of a Country's Heritage and Modern Development. London: Immel Publishing, 1992.
Malcolm C. Peck
Updated by Anthony B. Toth