United Arab Emirates flag
Basic facts of United Arab Emirates
Official name: United Arab Emirates
Capital: Abu Dhabi
Area: 83,600 sq km, 32,300 sq mi
Population: 4,621,399 (2008 estimate)
Population: growth rate 3.83 percent (2008 estimate)
Population density: 55 persons per sq km, 143 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution:
Share urban 86 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 15 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ash Shāriqah, Al Ain, Ajmān
Languages: Arabic (official), Persian (Farsi), English, Hindi, Urdu
Religious affiliations:
Islam (mostly Sunni Muslim) 76 percent
Christian 11 percent
Hindu 8 percent
Baha'i 2 percent
Other 3 percent
Life expectancy:
Total 75.9 years (2008 estimate)
Female 78.6 years (2008 estimate)
Male 73.3 years (2008 estimate)
Literacy rate:
Total 78.9 percent (2005 estimate)
Female 82.8 percent (2005 estimate)
Male 76.9 percent (2005 estimate)
Form of government: Federation of seven emirates; the UAE federal government assumes specific powers and responsibilities, and member emirates reserve others.
Total number of military personnel: 50,500 (2004)
Introduction:
United Arab Emirates (UAE), federation of seven independent states located in the southeastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, part of the Middle East region. Once known as the Trucial States, the UAE became an independent country in 1971.
Each emirate (small state ruled by a hereditary chief called an emir) is centered on a coastal settlement and named for that settlement. The seven member emirates are Abu Dhabi (also known as Abū Zaby), ‘Ajmān, Dubai, Al Fujayrah, Ra’s al Khaymah, Ash Shāriqah, and Umm al Qaywayn. The city of Abu Dhabi is the federal capital, and Dubai is the largest city in the country.
The UAE is a desert country about the size of South Carolina. The nation is bordered by the Persian Gulf to the north, Saudi Arabia to the south and west, and Oman and the Gulf of Oman to the east.
Before the discovery of petroleum in the 1950s, the UAE was a group of largely undeveloped states under the protection of the British government. The oil industry brought rapid growth and modernization to the area, which helped the emirates break away from the control of the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. The bulk of the country’s oil is found in Abu Dhabi, making it the wealthiest and most powerful of the seven emirates. With a stable economy buoyed by the oil industry, the UAE boasts one of the highest standards of living in the world.
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, is located on Abu Dhabi Island off the country’s northeastern coast. The city has seen dramatic urban development since the discovery of oil in the late 1950s. Built on a previously barren desert landscape, Abu Dhabi has numerous parks and fountains, such as this public space in the city center.
Jumeirah Mosque
The Jumeirah Mosque is located in the city of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Islam is the official religion of the UAE.
The world's tallest skyscraper, United Arab Emirates
Burj Khalifa known as Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and the tallest man-made structure ever built, at 828 m (2,717 ft). Construction began on 21 September 2004, with the exterior of the structure completed on 1 October 2009. The building officially opened on 4 January 2010.