The southern, and by far the longest section, of the frontier starts in the north on the Oman Gulf coast, just south of Kalba in the Emirate of Sharjah. It then proceeds inland roughly south-westwards via a series of irregular lines, arcing southwards so as to include Hatta within the UAE; the border then proceeds roughly south-westwards down to the Omani tripoint, save for a piece of Emirati territory south-east of Al-Ain that juts into Oman.
History
During the 19th century Britain had signed a number of protectorate treaties with seven emirates on what was then known as the 'Pirate Coast', giving rise to the so-called Trucial States. Britain also exercised protectorate control over Oman via its sultan. Boundaries in this part of Arabia remained indistinct; Britain and the Ottoman Empire theoretically divided their realms of influence in Arabia via the so-called 'Blue' and 'Violet lines' in 1913-14, however these agreements were rendered null and void following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after the First World War. The enclaves of Madha and Nahwa appear to have arisen in the 1930s-40, following a dispute over the ownership of the area between Oman and the local emirs, which was settled by a vote amongst the village elders. The boundaries of the enclaves were fixed in 1969. In the 1950s Britain appointed Julian Walker to survey more precise boundaries between the Trucial States and Oman. However by the time of independence of the Trucial States in 1971, much of the border remained undemarcated, resulting in several disputes. The Ras Al Khaimah section of the boundary was settled in 1979 after a dispute arose in 1977-78 following the discovery of oil in the area. Relations between the two states warmed in the 1980s-90s, resulting in a border agreement for the southern section of the frontier in 1999, followed by a complete border delimitation ratified in Abu Dhabi on 22 June 2002.
Barrier
In 2002, the UAE announced that it was installing a fence along the UAE-Oman border in an effort to curb the flow of illegal migrants, illicit drugs and terrorists into the country. The barrier constructed is 12 foot barbed wireborder fence. In 2003 Oman introduced an exit toll on crossing to the UAE border. In July 2004, Oman and the UAE jointly launched a three day coordinated crackdown in and around Al Buraimi and arrested approximately 1,000 illegal immigrants.
There are two border crossings on the Musandam section of the border and four on the main southern section. There are no border controls at the Madha-Nahwa enclaves.
