Emirate


An emirate is a territory ruled by an emir, a title used by monarchs or high officeholders in the Muslim world. From a historical point of view, an emirate is a political-religious unit smaller than a caliphate. It can be considered equivalent to a principality in non-Muslim contexts.
Currently in the world, there are three emirates that are independent states and one state that consists of a federation of seven emirates. A great number of previously independent emirates around the world are now part of larger states.

Etymology

Etymologically, emirate or amirate is the quality, dignity, office, or territorial competence of any emir. In English, the term is pronounced or in British English and or in American English.

Types

Monarchies

The United Arab Emirates is a federal state that comprises seven federal emirates, each administered by a hereditary emir, these seven forming the electoral college for the federation's president and prime minister.
As most emirates have either disappeared, been integrated in a larger modern state, or changed their rulers' styles, e.g. to malik or sultan, such true emirate-states have become rare.

Provinces

Furthermore, in Arabic the term can be generalized to mean any province of a country that is administered by a member of the ruling class, especially of a member of the royal family, as in Saudi Arabian governorates.

List of present emirates

Current emirates with political autonomy are listed below:
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *

List of former and integrated emirates

These are the emirates that have either ceased to exist, are not recognized and hold no real power, or were integrated into another country and preserved as "traditional states". They are arranged by location and in order of the date of the first leader styled "emir."

Africa

North Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa

Ethiopia

Asia

Arabia

Central Asia

South Asia

Near East

Europe

Caucasus

Iberia

Mediterranean region