Emirate

An emirate is a political territory that is ruled by a dynastic Arab Monarch styled emir.

Etymology

Etymologically emirate or amirate ( _ar. إمارة, "Imaarah" ; plural: إمارات, "Imaraat") is the quality, dignity, office or territorial competence of any Emir (prince, governor etc.).

As 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 (Arabic for King) or Sultan, such true emirate-states have become rare.

As 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 (usually styled emir) of the royal family, as in Saudi Arabian governorates.

List of independent Emirates

*Kuwait
*Qatar
*United Arab Emirates

List of former and integrated emirates

*Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
*The Emirate of Armenia
*Islamic Emirate of Waziristan
*Az Zubayr
*Bahrain, became a kingdom in 2002
*Emirate of Trarza, modern southwest Mauritania 1640s-1910s
*The Emirate of Granada, Spain 1228-1492