This 87square kilometre desert island in the country's remote far west, with craggy interiors, swoops down to acacia-studded plains formerly the private retreat of UAE founding father Sheikh Zayed. His resolve and love of animals have inspired him to turn it into a wildlife reserve and bring together native species back from the brink of extinction. Today, over 60% of the island is home to 13,000 free-roaming indigenous and introduced animals, including the world's largest herd of the endangered Arabian oryx, sand gazelles, Barbary sheep, Indian blackbuck and even giraffes and cheetahs.