Land reclamation in the United Arab Emirates Land reclamation in the United Arab Emirates Major land reclamation in the United Arab Emirates, though a relatively recent phenomenon, has significantly changed the geography of many parts of the country. Some of the largest and most innovative land reclamation projects have occurred in the UAE. Countless land reclamation projects, both completed, under construction, and planned, have changed the appearance of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and other emirates and helped to make them world-famous. Abu Dhabi One reclamation method used in Abu Dhabi is filling in low-lying coastal salt flats. Several industrial areas have been built in these areas. Yas Island,
United Arab Emirates present day emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, as a major regional trading and maritime hub in the area. The maritime dominance of the Persian Gulf by Emirati traders led to conflicts with European powers, including the Portugese and British. Following decades of maritime conflict, the coastal emirates became known as the Trucial States with the signing of a Perpetual Treaty of Maritime Peace with the British in 1819 (ratified in 1853 and again in 1892), which established the Trucial States as a British Protectorate. This arrangement ended with independence and the establishment of the United Arab Emirates on 2 December