The Eastern Region (Arabic: ٱلْمِنْطَقَة ٱلشَّرْقِيَّة, romanized: Al-Minṭaqah Aš-Šarqiyyah), officially known as Al Ain Region (Arabic: مِنْطَقَة ٱلْعَيْن, romanized: Minṭaqat al-ʿAyn),[1][2][3] is one of three Municipal Regions in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. It forms the southeastern part of the United Arab Emirates.[4] Its main settlement is the eponymous city of Al Ain, located on the country's border with Oman, about 160 km (99 mi) from the city of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirate and country.[5] Compared to the Western Region, it is also a rather remote region of the Emirate,[6] but smaller by area, and is not known to hold reserves of gas or petroleum,[7] but is agriculturally important.[8]
A sign on the E66 highway between Al-Ain and Dubai near Al-Faqa', with the names of Al-Hayer, Al-Ain and Ash-Shwaib within the region, besides Al-Dhaid and Al-Fujairah outside the Emirate
As of 2009, the population of the region was estimated at 890,000.[15]
Aside from the main city, there are about 20 settlements which are governed by the region's municipal body, that is Al Ain Municipality. Most of them are estimated to have populations of no more than 10,000. They include:[7][3][16]
^El Reyes, Dr. Abdulla, ed. (December 2014). Liwa Journal of the National Archives(PDF). United Arab Emirates: Emirati National Archives. Archived from the original(PDF) on 6 February 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2017.