:''UAE redirects here; for other uses of that term, see
UAE (disambiguation)
The
United Arab Emirates is an
oil-rich Middle Eastern country situated in the south-east of the Arabian Peninsula in
Southwest Asia, comprising seven
emirates:
Abu Dhabi,
Ajman,
Dubai,
Fujairah,
Ras al-Khaimah,
Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain. Before 1971, they were known as
the Trucial States or
Trucial Oman, in reference of a nineteenth-century truce between the British and some Arab sheikhs. It borders
Oman and
Saudi Arabia.
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National motto: none
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Official language
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Arabic
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Capital and largest city
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Abu Dhabi
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Area
| 75,150 km²
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Population - Total (2001)
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Density
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Ranked 139th 3,480,000
46/km²
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President
| Sheik
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan
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Prime Minister
| Sheikh
Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum
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Independence declared
| 2 December, 1971
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Currency
|
UAE dirham
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Time zone
| UTC +4
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National anthem
| Arabic Emirati Tahiat Alalam
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Internet TLD
|
.ae
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Calling code
| 971
History
The 7 Trucial Sheikdom States of the
Persian Gulf coast granted the
United Kingdom control of their defense and foreign affairs in nineteenth-century treaties. In 1971, six of these states —
Abu Dhabi,
Ajman,
Fujairah,
Sharjah,
Dubai, and
Umm al-Qaiwain — merged to form the United Arab Emirates. They were joined in 1972 by
Ras al-Khaimah.
Politics
The Supreme Council consists of the individual rulers of the seven emirates. The President and Vice-President are elected by the Supreme Council every five years. Although unofficial, the Presidency is hereditary to the Al-Nahyan clan of Abu Dhabi, and the Premiership is hereditary to the Al-Maktoom clan of Dubai. The Supreme Council also elects the Council of Ministers, while an appointed 40-member Federal National Council, drawn from all the emirates, reviews proposed laws. There is a federal court system; all emirates except Dubai and Ras al-Khaimah have joined the federal system; all emirates have secular and Islamic law for civil, criminal, and high courts.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the union's president from the nation's founding until his death on 2 November 2004. His son,
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan was elected president the next day.
Economy
The UAE's wealth is largely based on
oil and
gas output, some 33% of
GDP. It is the third largest oil producer in the Persian Gulf after
Saudi Arabia and
Iran (
Iraqs oil output has fluctuated due to war). Since 1973, the UAE has undergone a profound transformation from an impoverished region of small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. The countrys per capita GDP is not far below the GDPs of the leading West European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed it to play a vital role in the affairs of the region. In recent years the government has sought to diversify its sources of income and lessen its dependence on finite oil reserves. One result of these efforts is a steadily developing tourism industry, centered on coastal, desert and sporting resorts and infrastructure. The success of these ventures, along with other factors like the relatively low price of commodities, the warm temperatures that prevail for most of the year, the engineering marvels such as
Burj Al Arab and The Palm Islands, and friendliness to the West have led many to call it the
Singapore or
Hong Kong of the Middle East.
Emirates
The UAE comprises the following seven emirates:
Geography
Map of the United Arab Emirates
The UAE lies in
Southwest Asia, bordering the
Gulf of Oman and the
Persian Gulf, between
Oman and
Saudi Arabia. It is a flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; with mountains in the east. Its strategic location along southern approaches to the
Strait of Hormuz makes it a vital transit point for world crude oil. The UAE is considered to be one of the fifteen states that comprise the so-called "
Cradle of Humanity".
The border demarcation treaties of 1974 and 1977 between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia were never made public. Therefore the exact border of the two countries is only known to their governments.
Demographics
The UAE's population of 4.041 million (2005) consists of over 3.23 million non nationals. Indeed, around 50% of the population is South Asian, with the remainder being Emirati, Arab, European and East Asian. Some of the natives are originally of Persian and
Indian subcontinent descent. The population growth rate is low compared to its neighbours. Religious beliefs are mostly
Muslim (Islam is the state religion). However, there are sizable minorities of Christians, Hindus and other faiths. Around 90% of the population can read and write (2005 estimate).
Technology and Telecommunications
Federal
Act No. 1
http://www.etisalat.co.ae./federalactlawe.pdf of 1976 establishes the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation as the sole
telephone and telecommunications provider in the country. The Emirates Telecommuncations Corporation ("
Etisalat") is also the only
Internet Service Provider (ISP) in the country. Etisalat runs a
monopoly in business and personal telecommunications services. Private providers are not legally allowed to provide long distance telephone services.
By law, Etisalat actively
censors internet sites that are deemed to be un-Islamic or present information on the UAE, its cities or its people in bad light. Censorship of Internet sites pertaining to other religions and
pornography is common.
Culture
Rooted in Islamic culture, the UAE has strong ties with the rest of the
Arab world. The government is committed to preserving traditional forms of art and culture, including via the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation. Change is apparent in social life however - attitudes towards women are shifting, and new sports are becoming popular alongside traditional
camel racing including the world's richest horse race, the
Dubai World Cup, held annually in March.
http://www.dubaiworldcup.com/
Holidays
Universities
Miscellaneous topics
External links
Category:Arab League
Category:Arabia
Category:Persian Gulf states
Category:Middle Eastern countries
ar:إمارات عربية متحدة
bg:Обединени арабски емирства
ca:Emirats Àrabs Units
da:Forenede Arabiske Emirater
de:Vereinigte Arabische Emirate
et:Araabia Ühendemiraadid
es:Emiratos Árabes Unidos
eo:Unuiĝintaj Arabaj Emirlandoj
fa:امارات متحده عربی
fr:Émirats arabes unis
ga:Aontas na hÉimíríochtaí Arabacha
gl:Emiratos Árabes Unidos - الإمارات العربيّة المتّحدة
ko:아랍에미리트
ia:Emiratos Arabe Unite
io:Unionita Araba Emirati
it:Emirati Arabi Uniti
he:איחוד האמירויות הערביות
lv:Apvienotie Arābu Emirāti
lt:Jungtiniai Arabų Emyratai
hu:Egyesült Arab Emírségek
ms:Amiriah Arab Bersatu
nl:Verenigde Arabische Emiraten
nds:Vereenigte Araabsche Emiraten
ja:アラブ首長国連邦
no:De forente arabiske emirater
nb:De forente arabiske emirater
nn:Dei sameinte arabiske emirata
oc:Emirats Arabs Units
pl:Zjednoczone Emiraty Arabskie
pt:Emiratos Árabes Unidos
ru:Объединённые Арабские Эмираты
sk:Spojené arabské emiráty
sl:Združeni arabski emirati
fi:Arabiemiirikunnat
sv:Förenade Arabemiraten
ta:ஐக்கிய அரபு அமீரகம்
th:สหรัฐอาหรับเอมิเรตส์
uk:Об'єднані Арабські Емірати
zh:阿拉伯联合酋长国