Sharjah is the third largest, geographically, of the seven Emirates and is the only one which has land on both the Persian Gulf and the gulf of Oman. The other Emirates which comprise the United Arab Emirates are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Ajman and Umm al Quaim. The Emirate’s Ruler is His Highness Sheik Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qassimi. Sharjah is close to its neighbour Dubai and the city has a population of almost 1,000,000 people.

The city has developed dramatically over the past few decades and is now a modern, vibrant and extremely pleasant and safe place to live, work and bring up a family. It has a hugely impressive range of cultural and traditional projects, museums, historical sites and has made great efforts to not only preserve traditional buildings but has used traditional Islamic and Arabic designs when constructing new buildings. Many of the mosques are great examples of such classical architecture. This is a feature unique to Sharjah and adds hugely to the pleasant aspect of the city. This led to UNESCO recognising Sharjah as Cultural Capital of the Arab World in 1998. Some of the major landmarks such as the Main Souk are recognised throughout the world.

There are many parks and play areas, international brand hotels, restaurants catering for almost every cuisine  a modern road network and an international airport which is the home base of the local, low cost carrier, Air Arabia, which flies to an increasing number of international as well as regional destinations. There are shopping malls as well as excellent, international standard sporting facilities with beaches and mountains also on the doorstep. Sharjah also hosts many international events and exhibitions. One of the best known of these is the Sharjah International Book fair in which His Highness The Ruler, who has himself written many books on a wide variety of matters, takes a great personal interest. These events are held at the impressive Sharjah World Trade and Expo Centre.

Sharjah has also become a centre of excellence in the academic world. There are numerous Universities with some having international links with institutions in Europe and North America. Without doubt, the University City complex on the periphery of the city and near the international airport is one of the most outstanding campuses anywhere in the world. This is where the University of Sharjah, The American University of Sharjah, the Skyline College, the Medical and Dental Colleges as well as the Sharjah Teaching Hospital are located.