emirates
n. countablen. territories or countries that are ruled by an emir. You most often hear this word when people talk about the United Arab Emirates.
n. territories or states under the jurisdiction of an emir. While used historically across the Middle East, the term is most frequently encountered today in the context of the seven constituent states of the UAE.
The traveler visited several different emirates during his trip.
Each of the seven emirates maintains a degree of local autonomy while following a unified federal policy.
The political structure of the region is defined by the federation of these individual emirates, which transitioned from traditional tribal leadership to a modern bureaucratic state.
Usually pluralized when referring to the political entities of the UAE; often capitalized when part of a proper name.