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  United Arab Emirates  
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This page was last updated on 8 March, 2007


Map of United Arab Emirates



Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    United Arab Emirates Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971, six of these states - Abu Zaby, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah. The UAE's per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in the affairs of the region.
   Geography    United Arab Emirates Top of Page
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
24 00 N, 54 00 E
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Middle East
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 83,600 sq km
land: 83,600 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly smaller than Maine
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 867 km
border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
1,318 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
desert; cooler in eastern mountains
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
petroleum, natural gas
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 0.77%
permanent crops: 2.27%
other: 96.96% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
760 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
frequent sand and dust storms
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
lack of natural freshwater resources compensated by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
   People    United Arab Emirates Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2,602,713 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 24.9% (male 331,012/female 317,643)
15-64 years: 71.2% (male 1,125,286/female 726,689)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 74,700/female 27,383)
note: 73.9% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2006 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 28.1 years
male: 34.8 years
female: 23.3 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
1.52% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
18.96 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.4 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.55 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 2.73 male(s)/female
total population: 1.43 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 14.09 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 16.57 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 75.44 years
male: 72.92 years
female: 78.08 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.88 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0.18% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Emirati(s)
adjective: Emirati
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
Emirati 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982)
note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982)
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), other (includes Christian, Hindu) 4%
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 77.9%
male: 76.1%
female: 81.7% (2003 est.)
   Government    United Arab Emirates Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: United Arab Emirates
conventional short form: none
local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah
local short form: none
former: Trucial Oman, Trucial States
abbreviation: UAE
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
name: Abu Dhabi
geographic coordinates: 24 28 N, 54 22 E
time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn (Quwayn)
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
2 December 1971 (from UK)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Independence Day, 2 December (1971)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
2 December 1971; made permanent in 1996
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
federal court system introduced in 1971; applies to all emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah, which are not fully integrated into the federal judicial system; all emirates have secular courts to adjudicate criminal, civil, and commercial matters and Islamic courts to review family and religious disputes
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
none
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
chief of state: President KHALIFA bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 3 November 2004), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 4 November 2004); Vice President and Prime Minister MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister and Vice President MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers SULTAN bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990) and HAMDAN bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 October 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
note: there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC) composed of the seven emirate rulers; the FSC is the highest constitutional authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation; meets four times a year; Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power
elections: president and vice president elected by the FSC for five-year terms (no term limits); election last held 3 November 2004 upon the death of the UAE's Founding Father and first President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (next to be held in 2009); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president
election results: KHALIFA bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan elected president by a unanimous vote of the FSC; MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum unanimously affirmed vice president after the 2006 death of his brother Sheikh Maktum bin Rashid al-Maktum
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
unicameral Federal National Council (FNC) or Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; members appointed by the rulers of the constituent states to serve two-year terms)
elections: elections for one half of the FNC (the other half remains appointed) held in the UAE on 18-20 December 2006; the new electoral college - a body of 6,689 Emiratis (including 1,189 women) appointed by the rulers of the seven emirates - were the only eligible voters and candidates; there were 456 candidates including 65 women that ran for 20 contested FNC seats; one female from the Emirate of Abu Dhabi won a seat; eligible voter turnout was 77%
note: reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
none
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
NA
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Saqr Ghobash Said GHOBASH
chancery: 3522 International Court NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 243-2400
FAX: [1] (202) 243-2432
consulate(s): New York, Houston
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Michele J. SISON
embassy: Embassies District, Plot 38 Sector W59-02, Street No. 4, Abu Dhabi
mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi
telephone: [971] (2) 414-2200
FAX: [971] (2) 414-2603
consulate(s) general: Dubai
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a wider vertical red band on the hoist side
   Economy    United Arab Emirates Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus. Despite largely successful efforts at economic diversification, about 30% of GDP is still directly based on oil and gas output, and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of those commodities. Since the discovery of oil in the UAE more than 30 years ago, 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 government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up its utilities to greater private sector involvement. Higher oil revenue, strong liquidity, structural bottlenecks in the real estate sector, and cheap credit in 2005-06 led to a surge in asset prices (shares and real estate) and consumer inflation. In April 2004, the UAE signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with Washington and in November 2004 agreed to undertake negotiations toward a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US. Higher oil revenue, strong liquidity, and cheap credit in 2005-06 led to a surge in asset prices (shares and real estate) and consumer inflation. Rising prices are increasing the operating costs for businesses in the UAE and degrading the UAE's allure to foreign investors. Dependence on a large expatriate workforce and oil are significant long-term challenges to the UAE's economy.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$129.4 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing
$164 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
10.2% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$49,700 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 2.3%
industry: 61.9%
services: 35.8% (2006 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.968 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 7%
industry: 15%
services: 78% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.4% (2001)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
10% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
24.3% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $60.3 billion
expenditures: $35.2 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.9 billion (2006 est.)
Public debt:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
9% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
petroleum and petrochemicals; fishing, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, commercial ship repair, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, textiles
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4% (2000)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
49.52 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
46.05 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.54 million bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
400,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.5 million bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
97.8 billion bbl (2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
46.29 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
40.31 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7.18 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.2 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6.006 trillion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$26.89 billion (2006 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$137.1 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Japan 24.5%, South Korea 9.8%, Thailand 5.6%, India 4.3% (2005)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$88.89 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
UK 10%, China 9.7%, US 9.4%, India 9.2%, Germany 5.9%, Japan 5.4%, France 4.7%, Singapore 4.1% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$25.51 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$39.1 billion (2006 est.)
Economic aid - donor:
Definition Field Listing
since its founding in 1971, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development has given about $5.2 billion in aid to 56 countries (2004)
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
Emirati dirham (AED)
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
Emirati dirhams per US dollar - 3.673 (2006), 3.6725 (2005), 3.6725 (2004), 3.6725 (2003), 3.6725 (2002)
note: officially pegged to the US dollar since February 2002
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
calendar year
   Communications    United Arab Emirates Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.237 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.535 million (2005)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
general assessment: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai
domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber optic and coaxial cable
international: country code - 971; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 13, FM 8, shortwave 2 (2004)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
15 (2004)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.ae
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
337,092 (2006)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.397 million (2005)
   Transportation    United Arab Emirates Top of Page
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
37 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 23
over 3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 3 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 14
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 4 (2006)
Heliports:
Definition Field Listing
4 (2006)
Pipelines:
Definition Field Listing
condensate 520 km; gas 2,580 km; liquid petroleum gas 300 km; oil 2,950 km; oil/gas/water 5 km; refined products 156 km (2006)
Roadways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 1,088 km
paved: 1,088 km (including 253 km of expressways) (1999)
Merchant marine:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 58 ships (1000 GRT or over) 656,003 GRT/891,837 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 7, chemical tanker 5, container 6, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 20, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 10 (Greece 2, Kuwait 8)
registered in other countries: 259 (Bahamas 16, Barbados 1, Belize 5, Cambodia 1, Comoros 6, Cyprus 11, Dominica 2, Georgia 1, Hong Kong 2, India 6, Iran 1, Jordan 11, Kiribati 1, North Korea 6, Liberia 18, Malta 5, Marshall Islands 3, Mexico 1, Mongolia 5, Norway 1, Panama 105, Philippines 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 19, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 11, Saudi Arabia 1, Sierra Leone 3, Singapore 7, Somalia 1, Sri Lanka 2, Syria 1, unknown 5) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Definition Field Listing
Al Fujayrah, Khawr Fakkan, Mina' Jabal 'Ali, Mina' Rashid, Mina' Saqr, Mina' Zayid, Sharjan
   Military    United Arab Emirates Top of Page
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Army, Navy (includes Marines and Coast Guard), Air and Air Defense Force, paramilitary forces (includes Federal Police Force)
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 653,181
females age 18-49: 497,394 (includes non-nationals; 2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 526,671
females age 18-49: 419,975 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
Definition Field Listing
males: 30,706
females age 18-49: 29,617 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.1% (2005 est.)
   Transnational Issues    United Arab Emirates Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
boundary agreement was signed and ratified with Oman in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah enclaves, but contents of the agreement and detailed maps showing the alignment have not been published; Iran and UAE dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which Iran occupies
Trafficking in persons:
Definition Field Listing
current situation: the United Arab Emirates is a destination country for men, women, and children trafficked from South and East Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East for involuntary servitude and for sexual exploitation; an estimated 10,000 women from sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, South and East Asia, Iraq, Iran, and Morocco may be victims of sex trafficking in the UAE; women also migrate from Africa, and South and Southeast Asia to work as domestic servants, but may have their passports confiscated, be denied permission to leave the place of employment in the home, or face sexual or physical abuse by their employers; men from South Asia come to the UAE to work in the construction industry, but may be subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude as they are coerced to pay off recruitment and travel costs, sometimes having their wages denied for months at a time; victims of child camel jockey trafficking may still remain in the UAE, despite a July 2005 law banning the practice; while all identified victims were repatriated at the government's expense to their home countries, questions persist as to the effectiveness of the ban and the true number of victims
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - UAE is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show increased efforts to combat trafficking in 2005, particularly in its efforts to address the large-scale trafficking of foreign girls and women for commercial sexual exploitation
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
the UAE is a drug transshipment point for traffickers given its proximity to Southwest Asian drug producing countries; the UAE's position as a major financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering; anti-money-laundering controls improving, but informal banking remains unregulated

This page was last updated on 8 March, 2007


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