Question: What Is Ajman of the United Arab Emirates?

Answer:

Ajman is the smallest of the seven federated emirates that form the United Arab Emirates. Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Fujayrah, Sharjah, Ras al Khaymah, and Quwayn are the others.

Ajman joined the other Emirates in 1971.

Ajman's area sprawls over 260 square kilometers. The emirate's population has beene xploding since the 1980s. It is now around 235,000.


For all intents and purposes, the Emirate is essentially the city of Ajman, where some 95% of the emirate's population lives. The city thrives on commercial and tourist developments, with attractive beaches and historical, architectural attractions. The Ajman souk and downtown Ajman are of particular interest to travelers.

While the UAE's oil reserves, at 98 billion barrels, rank it as the fifth-richest oil nation in the world, almost all of that oil is concentrated beneath territories that belong to Abu Dhabi. Ajman has leased concessions to oil companies, but no oil has been found there. The emirate has higher hopes for natural gas fields, but those have yet to produce also.

According to the Oxford Business Group, "Ajman was formed by the Al Nuaim tribe, who migrated to the region from Oman around 1775. Ajman’s first recognition as an autonomous state was the General Treaty of Peace with Britain (1820). It also subscribed to the Maritime Truce of 1835 and to the Perpetual Maritime Truce in 1853.

An exclusive agreement was signed in 1892, placing Ajman and the other Trucial States’ foreign relations in the hands of the British government. In 1968, Britain announced its intention to withdraw from its Gulf treaty obligations by 1971. In December 1971, the British left the area permanently, leaving a path for the formation of the UAE, of which Ajman was a founding member."

Ajman has been ruled by Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi since 1981, when he succeeded his father, Shaikh Rashid.

Ajman should not be confused with the formerly camel-breeding Ajman Tribe, which used to be centered in the al-Hasa region of Saudi Arabia, near Kuwait. The Ajman tribe is now sedentary, and many of its descendants are part of the Saudi Arabian National Guard.