Situation, Area and Population. The United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven Emirates, which came into being in December, 1971, lies roughly between 22° 40' to 26° 10' N. latitudes and 51° 35' to 56° 25' E. longitudes. The Arabian Gulf lies to the northwest and the Gulf of Oman stretches along the east coast of the Emirates. The land surface of the mainland excluding the islands is about 77,700 square kilometers.