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About the UAE

 

The United Arab Emirates, in the Middle East, is a federation of the seven Persian Gulf States of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm-al-Qaiwain. The UAE is governed by the Supreme Council of Sheikhs.

The capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi, is one of the world's most modern cities. The State of Abu Dhabi produces most of the oil from the UAE and is the third largest oil producer in the Gulf. (1999)

Oil revenues supply much of the UAE's budget although efforts have been made to reduce the dependence on oil by developing the manufacturing and service sectors.

Since the country has benefited from oil revenues modern towns have been designed by international architects and the government has provided low-cost homes. There are many dramatic structures among the hotels, offices and public buildings constructed in recent years.

The UAE consists of deserts, oases, mountains and a long coastline including many islands. Little of the land in the UAE could be used for cultivation. Money from oil has enabled research into new methods of agriculture and investment in irrigation has produced successful developments. Ras al-Khaimah, in particular, has an economy mainly based on agriculture (vegetables and citrus fruit)

The population is just under two and a half million. Less than fifty percent of the people are Arabs. There are over one and a half million foreign workers including Indians, Iranians, Pakistanis and Westerners, all drawn by the oil industry, construction and commercial development.

The United Arab Emirates is Islamic. The majority of the people are Sunni Muslims with between fifteen and twenty percent Shi'ite Muslims.

National dress is worn by most citizens of the UAE: women wear the full length black abba and many wear the burqa; men wear the long white robe or dishdasha and the white or red chequered head-dress.

 

Economy -

The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus. Its wealth is based on oil and gas output (about 33% of GDP), and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of those commodities. 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. At present levels of production, oil and gas reserves should last for more than 100 years. The government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up its utilities to greater private sector involvement.

GDP:

purchasing power parity - billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2.4% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:

purchasing power parity - ,000 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3%
industry: 46%
services: 51% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.8% (2002 est.)

Labor force:

1.6 million (2000 est.)
note: 73.9% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 2002 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

services 78%, industry 15%, agriculture 7% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Budget:

revenues: billion
expenditures: billion, including capital expenditures of (2000 est.)

Industries:

petroleum, fishing, petrochemicals, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, pearling

Industrial production growth rate:

4% (2000)

Electricity - production:

37.74 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:

35.1 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:

2.566 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:

310,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:

NA (2001)

Oil - imports:

NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:

80.31 billion bbl (January 2002 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

5.892 trillion cu m (January 2002 est.)

Agriculture - products:

dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish

Exports:

.9 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:

crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates

Exports - partners:

Japan 29.1%, South Korea 10.2%, India 5.4%, Oman 3.7%, Singapore 3.1%, Iran 2.2% (chiefly re-exports) (2001)

Imports:

.8 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food

Imports - partners:

US 6.7%, Germany 6.6%, Japan 6.5%, France 6.3%, China 6.1%, UK 5.9%, South Korea 5.5% (2001)

Debt - external:

.5 billion (2002 est.)

Currency:

Emirati dirham (AED)

Currency code:

AED

Exchange rates:

Emirati dirhams per US dollar - 3.6725 (2002), 3.6725 (2001), 3.6725 (2000), 3.6725 (1999), 3.6725 (1998)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Geography

The United Arab Emirates is a federation of the seven Persian Gulf States of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm-al-Qaiwain. The Emirates are located in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula and bordered by Saudi Arabia, Oman and the Arabian Gulf. The capital city is Abu Dhabi.

The country consists of deserts, oases, mountains and a long coastline including many islands.

The climate is very hot in the desert and generally subtropical and arid. Rainfall is infrequent, though there are thunderstorms in the winter. Humidity can be high in the coastal area.

Environment

Because of the low rainfall, very little flora grew naturally in the area. Revenues from oil have paid for the cost of irrigation and now Ras Al-Khaimah is one of the greenest of the States of the UAE.

Among the wildlife there are goats, gazelles, ibex, oryx and leopards. Birds include kingfishers, plovers, terns, owls, falcons and eagles. Over four hundred species have been recorded in the UAE, which lies on major migration routes.

Off the Emirates' coast there are coral reefs, many types of fish and the protected turtles and dugongs.

There is little fresh water and digging wells has decreased the water table resulting in more salinity in the soil. The government is concerned with the environment and has embarked on a captive breeding programme for endangered species. A satellite tracking system is used to monitor the migration patterns of various species, including falcons and dugongs.

Architecture

Traditionally houses along the coastline were made from mud brick or coral. In the mountains homes were constructed from wood and stone: sometimes dwellings were hewn from the mountain rock.

Large houses were built in the Islamic style with inner courtyards and colonnades to provide ventilation and sunlight. Many houses had wind-towers designed to send cooling breeze into the home.

Since the country has benefited from oil revenues modern towns have been designed by international architects and the government has provided low-cost homes. There are many dramatic structures among the hotels, offices and public buildings constructed in recent years. For example, the Officers Club in Abu Dhabi was designed by French engineers with a roof that is shaped like the wings of a falcon.

Population

The population was estimated at 2,523,915 in 2004. Less than fifty percent of the people are Arabs. There are over one and a half million foreign workers including Indians, Iranians, Pakistanis and Westerners, all drawn by the oil industry, construction and commercial development.

Languages

The official language of the UAE is Arabic with English used as a second language in business. Farsi, Urdu and Hindi are also spoken.

Religion

The UAE is Islamic. The majority of the people are Sunni Muslims with between fifteen and twenty percent Shi'ite Muslims. There are some Christians and Hindus.

Food

Main meals usually start with houmous (chick peas), tahini (sesame seeds) or stuffed vine leaves. Bread, including pitta bread, is served and rice often accompanies the main course which may consist of chicken, lamb or fish. Dried lime and spice mixtures are used in food preparation. Other foods eaten are goats' cheese (feta), eggs, salad, olives, honey, fruit, almonds and dates. In the cities there are Indian and Pakistani restaurants, set up originally for the migrant workers.

Sweetened milk may be drunk and other drinks are tea and coffee which is often flavoured with cardamom.

UAE Map