An emirate is a political territory that is ruled by an emir, a dynastic Arab Monarch. The word emirate or amirate comes from , "Imaarah" ; plural: ������, "Imaraat". The United Arab Emirates is a federal state of seven federal emirates, each administered by a hereditary emir, these seven elect the federation's President and Prime Minister. Most emirates have either disappeared or become part of a larger modern state, some changed their rulers' title, e.g. to Malik (Arabic for King) or Sultan. Therefore true emirate-states have become rare. 