|
|
Background: |
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. |
|
Location: |
Middle East, bordering the Gulf
of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia |
|
Geographic coordinates: |
24 00 N, 54 00 E |
|
Map references: |
Middle East |
|
Area: |
total: 83,600 sq km
land: 83,600 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
|
Area - comparative: |
slightly smaller than Maine
|
|
Land boundaries: |
total: 867 km
border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km |
|
Coastline: |
1,318 km |
|
Maritime claims: |
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: |
desert; cooler in eastern
mountains |
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Terrain: |
flat, barren coastal plain
merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in
east |
|
Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Persian
Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m |
|
Natural resources: |
petroleum, natural gas |
|
Land use: |
arable land: 0.77%
permanent crops: 2.27%
other: 96.96% (2005) |
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Irrigated land: |
760 sq km (2003) |
|
Total renewable water resources: |
0.2 cu km (1997) |
|
Freshwater withdrawal
(domestic/industrial/agricultural): |
Total: 2.3 cu km/yr
(23%/9%/68%)
Per capita: 511 cu m/yr (2000) |
|
Natural hazards: |
frequent sand and dust storms
|
|
Environment - current issues: |
lack of natural freshwater
resources compensated by desalination plants; desertification; beach
pollution from oil spills |
|
Environment - international agreements: |
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: |
strategic location along
southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world
crude oil |
|
Population: |
4,444,011
note:
estimate is based on the results of the 2005 census that included a
significantly higher estimate of net inmigration of non-citizens than
previous estimates (July 2007 est.) |
|
Age structure: |
0-14 years: 20.6% (male
467,931/female 447,045)
15-64 years: 78.5% (male
2,558,029/female 932,617)
65 years and over: 0.9% (male
24,914/female 13,475)
note: 73.9% of the population in the
15-64 age group is non-national (2007 est.) |
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Median age: |
total: 30.1 years
male: 32 years
female: 24.5 years (2007 est.) |
|
Population growth rate: |
3.997% (2007 est.) |
|
Birth rate: |
16.09 births/1,000 population
(2007 est.) |
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Death rate: |
2.16 deaths/1,000 population
(2007 est.) |
|
Net migration rate: |
26.04 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2007 est.) |
|
Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.05
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.047 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 2.743 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
1.849 male(s)/female
total population: 2.19 male(s)/female
(2007 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate: |
total: 13.52
deaths/1,000 live births
male: 15.77 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
|
Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 75.69
years
male: 73.16 years
female: 78.35 years (2007
est.) |
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Total fertility rate: |
2.43 children born/woman (2007
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: |
0.18% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
NA |
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Nationality: |
noun: Emirati(s)
adjective: Emirati |
|
Ethnic groups: |
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) |
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Religions: |
Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), other
(includes Christian, Hindu) 4% |
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Languages: |
Arabic (official), Persian,
English, Hindi, Urdu |
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Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and
over can read and write
total population: 77.9%
male: 76.1%
female: 81.7% (2003 est.)
|
|
Country name: |
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: |
federation with specified
powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved
to member emirates |
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Capital: |
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: |
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: |
2 December 1971 (from UK)
|
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National holiday: |
Independence Day, 2 December
(1971) |
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Constitution: |
2 December 1971; made permanent
in 1996 |
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Legal system: |
based on a dual system of
Shari'a and civil courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
|
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Suffrage: |
none |
|
Executive branch: |
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: |
unicameral Federal National
Council (FNC) or Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; 20 members
appointed by the rulers of the constituent states, 20 members elected 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; 456 candidates including 65 women ran for
20 contested FNC seats; one female from the Emirate of Abu Dhabi won a
seat
note: reviews legislation but cannot change or veto |
|
Judicial branch: |
Union Supreme Court (judges are
appointed by the president) |
|
Political parties and leaders: |
none |
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Political pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
|
International organization participation: |
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77,
GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS,
MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
|
Diplomatic representation in the US: |
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 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US: |
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
|
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Flag description: |
three equal horizontal bands of
green (top), white, and black with a wider vertical red band on the hoist
side |
|
Economy - overview: |
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, nearly 40% of GDP
is still directly based on oil and gas output. 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 utilities to greater private sector involvement. In April 2004,
the UAE signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with Washington
and in November 2004 agreed to undertake negotiations toward a Free Trade
Agreement with the US. The country's Free Trade Zones - offering 100%
foreign ownership and zero taxes - are helping to attract foreign
investors. Higher oil revenue, strong liquidity, housing shortages, and
cheap credit in 2005-07 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 adversely impacting government
employees and others on fixed incomes. Dependence on oil and a large
expatriate workforce are significant long-term challenges. The UAE's
strategic plan for the next few years focuses on diversification and
creating more opportunities for nationals through improved education and
increased private sector employment. |
|
GDP (purchasing power parity): |
$145.8 billion (2007 est.)
|
|
GDP (official exchange rate): |
$121.8 billion (2007 est.)
|
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GDP - real growth rate: |
8.5% (2007 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita (PPP): |
$55,200 (2007 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 59.3%
services: 38.9% (2007 est.) |
|
Labor force: |
3.119 million (2007 est.)
|
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Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture: 7%
industry: 15%
services: 78% (2000 est.) |
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Unemployment rate: |
2.4% (2001) |
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Population below poverty line: |
19.5% (2003) |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage
share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
12% (2007 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed): |
21.5% of GDP (2007 est.) |
|
Budget: |
revenues: $58.15 billion
expenditures: $38.06 billion (2007 est.) |
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Public debt: |
14.8% of GDP (2007 est.) |
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Agriculture - products: |
dates, vegetables, watermelons;
poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish |
|
Industries: |
petroleum and petrochemicals;
fishing, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, commercial ship repair,
construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, textiles |
|
Industrial production growth rate: |
5.1% (2007 est.) |
|
Electricity - production: |
57.06 billion kWh (2005) |
|
Electricity - production by source: |
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
|
|
Electricity - consumption: |
52.62 billion kWh (2005) |
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Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh (2005) |
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Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (2005) |
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Oil - production: |
2.54 million bbl/day (2006
est.) |
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Oil - consumption: |
372,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
|
|
Oil - exports: |
2.54 million bbl/day (2004
est.) |
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Oil - imports: |
137,200 bbl/day (2004) |
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Oil - proved reserves: |
97.8 billion bbl (1 January
2006 est.) |
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Natural gas - production: |
45.07 billion cu m (2005 est.)
|
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Natural gas - consumption: |
39.56 billion cu m (2005 est.)
|
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Natural gas - exports: |
6.848 billion cu m (2005 est.)
|
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Natural gas - imports: |
1.343 billion cu m (2005)
|
|
Natural gas - proved reserves: |
5.823 trillion cu m (1 January
2006 est.) |
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Current account balance: |
$36.11 billion (2007 est.)
|
|
Exports: |
$152.1 billion f.o.b. (2007
est.) |
|
Exports - commodities: |
crude oil 45%, natural gas,
reexports, dried fish, dates |
|
Exports - partners: |
Japan 25.8%, South Korea 9.6%,
Thailand 5.9%, India 4.5% (2006) |
|
Imports: |
$94.72 billion f.o.b. (2007
est.) |
|
Imports - commodities: |
machinery and transport
equipment, chemicals, food |
|
Imports - partners: |
US 11.5%, China 11%, India
9.9%, Germany 6.2%, Japan 5.8%, UK 5.6%, France 4.1%, Italy 4% (2006)
|
|
Economic aid - donor: |
since its founding in 1971, the
Abu Dhabi Fund for Development has given about $5.2 billion in aid to 56
countries (2004) |
|
Economic aid - recipient: |
$5.36 million (2004) |
|
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: |
$29.62 billion (31 December
2007 est.) |
|
Debt - external: |
$41.51 billion (31 December
2007 est.) |
|
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: |
$42.58 billion (2006 est.)
|
|
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: |
$11.43 billion (2006 est.)
|
|
Market value of publicly traded shares: |
$138.5 billion (2006) |
|
Currency (code): |
Emirati dirham (AED) |
|
Currency code: |
AED |
|
Exchange rates: |
Emirati dirhams per US dollar -
3.673 (2007), 3.673 (2006), 3.6725 (2005), 3.6725 (2004), 3.6725 (2003)
note: officially pegged to the US dollar since February 2002
|
|
Fiscal year: |
calendar year |
|
Telephones - main lines in use: |
1.31 million (2006) |
|
Telephones - mobile cellular: |
5.519 million (2006) |
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Telephone system: |
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; linked to the
international submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe);
landing point for both the SEA-ME-WE-3 AND SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable
networks; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2
Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave
radio relay to Saudi Arabia |
|
Radio broadcast stations: |
AM 13, FM 8, shortwave 2 (2004)
|
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Radios: |
820,000 (1997) |
|
Television broadcast stations: |
15 (2004) |
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Televisions: |
310,000 (1997) |
|
Internet country code: |
.ae |
|
Internet hosts: |
6,001 (2007) |
|
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
|
Internet users: |
1.709 million (2006)
|
|
Airports: |
39 (2007) |
|
Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 22
over
3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437
m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 3 (2007)
|
|
Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 17
over
3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m:
4
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 5 (2007) |
|
Heliports: |
5 (2007) |
|
Pipelines: |
condensate 520 km; gas 2,908
km; liquid petroleum gas 300 km; oil 2,950 km; oil/gas/water 5 km; refined
products 156 km (2007) |
|
Roadways: |
total: 1,088 km
paved: 1,088 km (includes 253 km of expressways) (1999) |
|
Merchant marine: |
total: 60 ships (1000
GRT or over) 617,519 GRT/858,519 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 6,
cargo 10, chemical tanker 5, container 6, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo
1, petroleum tanker 25, roll on/roll off 5, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 11 (Greece 3, Kuwait 8)
registered in
other countries: 281 (Bahamas 20, Belize 4, Cambodia 2, Comoros 5,
Cyprus 10, Georgia 1, Gibraltar 2, Hong Kong 1, India 2, Iran 1, Jordan
15, North Korea 4, Liberia 22, Malta 10, Marshall Islands 14, Mexico 1,
Mongolia 5, Norway 1, Panama 108, Philippines 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Sierra
Leone 7, Singapore 8, Somalia 1, St Kitts and Nevis 22, St Vincent and The
Grenadines 12, Turkey 1, unknown 5) (2007) |
|
Ports and terminals: |
Mina' Zayid (Abu Dhabi), Al
Fujayrah, Mina' Jabal 'Ali (Dubai), Mina' Rashid (Dubai), Mina' Saqr (Ra's
al Khaymah), Khawr Fakkan (Sharjah) |
|
Military branches: |
Army, Navy (includes Marines
and Coast Guard), Air and Air Defense Force, paramilitary forces (includes
Federal Police Force) |
|
Military service age and obligation: |
18 years of age (est.); no
conscription (2001) |
|
Manpower available for military service: |
males age 18-49: 653,181
females age 18-49: 497,394 (includes non-nationals; 2005 est.)
|
|
Manpower fit for military service: |
males age 18-49: 526,671
females age 18-49: 419,975 (2005 est.) |
|
Manpower reaching military service age annually: |
males: 30,706
females age 18-49: 29,617 (2005 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: |
3.1% (2005 est.)
|
|
Disputes - international: |
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: |
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: |
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 12 February, 2008
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