Umm al-Quwain
is one of the seven sovereign emirates
in the United Arab Emirates,
located in the north of the country. The emirate was ruled until his death by
Rashid bin Ahmad Al Mu'alla, who was a member of the UAE's Supreme Council
since 1981. The emirate had 62,000 inhabitants in 2003 (making it the least
populous emirate in the federation) and has an area of 750 square kilometers.
Accepted alternative spellings include Umm al Qiwain (used on its former
postage stamps) as well as Umm al-Qawain, Umm al-Qaywayn, Umm el-Qiwain, Umm
al-Qiwain and Umm al-Qaiwain.