United Arab Emirates

Geography

Location: Middle East, along the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Map references: Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area:
total area 75,581 sq km
land area 75,581 sq km
comparative area slightly smaller than Maine

Land boundaries: total 867 km, Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km

Coastline: 1,318 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf defined by bilateral boundaries or equidistant line
exclusive economic zone 200 nm
territorial sea 3 nm assumed for most of country; 12 nm for Ash Shariqah (Sharjah)

International disputes: location and status of boundary with Saudi Arabia is not final; no defined boundary with most of Oman, but Administrative Line in far north; claims two islands in the Persian Gulf occupied by Iran (Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg or Greater Tunb, and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek or Lesser Tunb); claims island in the Persian Gulf jointly administered with Iran (Jazireh-ye Abu Musa or Abu Musa); in 1992, the dispute over Abu Musa and the Tunb islands became more acute when Iran unilaterally tried to control the entry of third country nationals into the UAE portion of Abu Musa island, Tehran subsequently backed off in the face of significant diplomatic support for the UAE in the region

Climate: desert; cooler in eastern mountains

Terrain: flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas

Land use:
arable land 0%
permanent crops 0%
meadows and pastures 2%
forest and woodland 0%
other 98%

Irrigated land: 50 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues lack of natural freshwater resources being overcome by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills
natural hazards frequent dust and sand storms
international agreements party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Law of the Sea

Note: strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil

People

Population: 2,791,141 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate: 4.79% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 27.68 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 3.05 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: 23.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 21.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population 72.26 years
male 70.16 years
female 74.46 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.6 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Nationality:
noun Emirian(s)
adjective Emirian

Ethnic divisions: Emirian 19%, other Arab 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982)
note less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982)

Religions: Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4%

Languages: Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu

Literacy: age 10 and over but definition of literacy not available (1980)
total population 68%
male 70%
female 63%

Labor force: 580,000 (1986 est.)
by occupation industry and commerce 85%, agriculture 5%, services 5%, government 5%
note 80% of labor force is foreign (est.)

Government

Names:
conventional long form United Arab Emirates
conventional short form none
local long form Al Imarata al Arabiyah al Muttahidah
local short form none
former Trucial States

Abbreviation: UAE

Digraph: TC

Type: federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE central government and other powers reserved to member emirates

Capital: Abu Dhabi

Administrative divisions: 7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy, Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn

Independence: 2 December 1971 (from UK)

National holiday: National Day, 2 December (1971)

Constitution: 2 December 1971 (provisional)

Legal system: secular codes are being introduced by the UAE Government and in several member emirates; Islamic law remains influential

Suffrage: none

Executive branch:
chief of state President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan, (since 2 December 1971), ruler of Abu Dhabi; Vice President Shaykh Maktum bin Rashid al-MAKTUM (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy
head of government Prime Minister Shaykh MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy; Deputy Prime Minister Sultan bin Zayid Al NUHAYYAN (since 20 November 1990)
Supreme Council of Rulers composed of the seven emirate rulers, the council is the highest constitutional authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation, Abu Dhabi and Dubayy rulers have veto power; council meets four times a year
cabinet Council of Ministers; appointed by the president

Legislative branch: unicameral Federal National Council (Majlis Watani Itihad); no elections

Judicial branch: Union Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: none

Other political or pressure groups: NA

Member of: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GATT, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOSOM, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission Ambassador Muhammad bin Husayn al-SHAALI
chancery Suite 600, 3000 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone (202) 338-6500

US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission Ambassador William A. RUGH
embassy Al-Sudan Street, Abu Dhabi
mailing address P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi
telephone [971] (2) 336691
FAX [971] (2) 318441
consulate(s) general Dubayy (Dubai)

Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a thicker vertical red band on the hoist side

Economy

Overview: The UAE has an open economy with one of the world's highest incomes per capita and with a sizable annual trade surplus. Its wealth is based on oil and gas output (about 40% 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, crude oil reserves should last for over 100 years. Although much stronger economically than most Gulf states, the UAE faces similar problems with weak international oil prices and the pressures for cuts in OPEC oil production quotas. The UAE government is encouraging increased privatization within the economy.

National product: GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $63.8 billion (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate: 1% (1993 est.)

National product per capita: $24,000 (1993 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (1992 est.)

Unemployment rate: NEGL% (1988)

Budget:
revenues $4.3 billion
expenditures $4.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est)

Exports: $22.6 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities crude oil 66%, natural gas, re-exports, dried fish, dates
partners Japan 39%, Singapore 5%, Korea 4%, Iran 4%, India 4% (1991)

Imports: $18 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, food
partners Japan 14%, UK 9%, US 8%, Germany 6% (1992)

External debt: $11 billion (1993 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate 1.7% (1992 est.); accounts for 50% of GDP, including petroleum

Electricity:
capacity 6,090,000 kW
production 17.85 billion kWh
consumption per capita 6,718 kWh (1992)

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

Agriculture: accounts for 2% of GDP and 5% of labor force; cash crop - dates; food products - vegetables, watermelons, poultry, eggs, dairy, fish; only 25% self-sufficient in food

Illicit drugs: growing role as heroin transshipment and money-laundering center

Economic aid:
donor pledged in bilateral aid to less developed countries (1979-89) $9.1 billion

Currency: 1 Emirian dirham (Dh) = 100 fils

Exchange rates: Emirian dirhams (Dh) per US$1 - 3.6710 (fixed rate)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Highways:
total 2,000 km
paved 1,800 km
unpaved gravel, graded earth 200 km

Pipelines: crude oil 830 km; natural gas, including natural gas liquids, 870 km

Ports: Al Fujayrah, Khawr Fakkan, Mina' Jabal 'Ali, Mina' Khalid, Mina' Rashid, Mina' Saqr, Mina' Zayid

Merchant marine: 57 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 909,041 GRT/1,512,741 DWT, bulk 1, cargo 18, chemical tanker 2, container 9, liquified gas 1, oil tanker 22, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 3

Airports:
total 39
usable 36
with permanent-surface runways 22
with runways over 3,659 m 6
with runways 2,440-3,659 m 6
with runways 1,220-2,439 m 6

Telecommunications: modern system consisting of microwave and coaxial cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubayy; 386,600 telephones; satellite ground stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 ARABSAT; submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; broadcast stations - 8 AM, 3 FM, 12 TV

Defense Forces

Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Federal Police Force

Manpower availability: males age 15-49 1,040,828; fit for military service 567,766; reach military age (18) annually 17,303 (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $1.47 billion, 5.3% of GDP (1989 est.)