|
| 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 UAE. They were joined
in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah. The UAE's per
capita GDP is not far below those of the
leading West European nations. Its
generosity with oil revenues and its
moderate foreign policy stance have
allowed it 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:
82,880 sq km
land: 82,880 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 |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous
zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or
to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200
NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
desert;
cooler in eastern mountains |
| 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%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 2%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 98% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
50
sq km (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
frequent
sand and dust storms |
| Environment
- current issues: |
lack
of natural freshwater resources being
overcome by desalination plants;
desertification; beach pollution from oil
spills |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party
to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, 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: |
2,407,460
note: includes 1,576,472
non-nationals (July 2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14
years: 28.86% (male 354,298;
female 340,498)
15-64 years: 68.74% (male
1,047,839; female 607,020)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male
40,626; female 17,179) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.59%
(2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
18.11
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
3.79
deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
1.61
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.73 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 2.36
male(s)/female
total population: 1.5 male(s)/female
(2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
16.68
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 74.29 years
male: 71.84 years
female: 76.86 years (2001
est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
3.23
children born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.18%
(1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| 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) |
| Religions: |
Muslim
96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and
other 4% |
| Languages: |
Arabic
(official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 79.2%
male: 78.9%
female: 79.8% (1995 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 |
| 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 |
| Independence: |
2
December 1971 (from UK) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence
Day, 2 December (1971) |
| Constitution: |
2
December 1971 (made permanent in 1996) |
| Legal
system: |
federal
court system introduced in 1971; all
emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al
Khaymah have joined the federal system;
all emirates have secular and Islamic law
for civil, criminal, and high courts |
| Executive
branch: |
chief
of state: President ZAYID bin
Sultan Al Nuhayyan (since 2 December
1971), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi)
(since 6 August 1966) and Vice President
MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8
October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai)
head of government: Prime
Minister MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum
(since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy
(Dubai); Deputy Prime Minister SULTAN bin
Zayid Al Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
appointed by the president
note: there is also a Federal
Supreme Council (FSC) which is composed of
the seven emirate rulers; the council is
the highest constitutional authority in
the UAE; establishes general policies and
sanctions federal legislation, Abu Zaby
(Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have
effective veto power; meets four times a
year
elections: president and vice
president elected by the FSC (a group of
seven electors) for five-year terms;
election last held NA October 1996 (next
to be held NA October 2001); prime
minister and deputy prime minister
appointed by the president
election results: ZAYID bin
Sultan Al Nuhayyan reelected president;
percent of FSC vote - NA, but believed to
be unanimous; MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum
elected vice president; percent of FSC
vote - NA%, but believed to be unanimous |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
Federal National Council or Majlis al-Ittihad
al-Watani (40 seats; members appointed by
the rulers of the constituent states to
serve two-year terms)
elections: none
note: reviews legislation,
but cannot change or veto |
| Judicial
branch: |
Union
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the
president) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
none |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
ABEDA,
AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO,
G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO,
ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief
of mission: Ambassador Asri Said
Ahmad al-DHAHIRI
chancery: Suite 700, 1255
22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 955-7999 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief
of mission: Ambassador Marcelle
M. WAHBA (since 4 Oct. 2001)
embassy: Al-Sudan Street, Abu
Dhabi
mailing address: P. O. Box
4009, Abu Dhabi; American Embassy Abu
Dhabi, Department of State, Washington, DC
20521-6010 (pouch); note - work week is
Saturday through Wednesday
telephone: [971] (2) 4436691
FAX: [971] (2) 4435441
consulate(s) general: Dubai |
| Flag
description: |
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 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. Despite higher oil revenues in
1999-2000, the government has not drawn
back from the economic reforms implemented
during the 1998 oil price depression. 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 - $54 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
4%
(2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing
power parity - $22,800 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
3%
industry: 52%
services: 45% (1996 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest
10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
4.5%
(2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
1.4
million (1998 est.)
note: 75% of the population
in the 15-64 age group is non-national
(July 1998 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
services
60%, industry 32%, agriculture 8% (1996
est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$6.5 billion
expenditures: $7.3 billion,
including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.) |
| Industries: |
petroleum,
fishing, petrochemicals, construction
materials, some boat building,
handicrafts, pearling |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
4%
(2000) |
| Electricity
- production: |
36.7
billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil
fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
34.131
billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0
kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
dates,
vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs,
dairy products; fish |
| Exports: |
$46
billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
crude
oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried
fish, dates |
| Exports
- partners: |
Japan
30%, India 7%, Singapore 6%, South Korea
4%, Oman, Iran (1999) |
| Imports: |
$34
billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery
and transport equipment, chemicals, food |
| Imports
- partners: |
Japan
9%, US 8%, UK 8%, Italy 6%, Germany, South
Korea (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$12.6
billion (2000 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$NA |
| Currency: |
Emirati
dirham (AED) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Emirati
dirhams per US dollar - central bank
mid-point rate: 3.6725 (since 1998);
3.6711 (1997), 3.6710 (1995-96) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar
year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
915,223
(1998) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
1
million (1999) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: modern system
consisting of microwave radio relay and
coaxial cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi
and Dubai
domestic: microwave radio
relay and coaxial cable
international: 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: |
AM
13, FM 7, shortwave 2 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
15
(1997) |
| Televisions: |
310,000
(1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.ae |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1
(2000) |
| Internet
users: |
400,000
(2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
4,835 km
paved: 4,835 km
unpaved: 0 km (1998 est.) |
| Pipelines: |
crude
oil 830 km; natural gas, including natural
gas liquids, 870 km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
'Ajman,
Al Fujayrah, Das Island, Khawr Fakkan,
Mina' Jabal 'Ali, Mina' Khalid, Mina'
Rashid, Mina' Saqr, Mina' Zayid, Umm al
Qaywayn |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
70 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
1,094,256 GRT/1,421,333 DWT
ships by type: cargo 16,
chemical tanker 3, container 17, liquefied
gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1,
petroleum tanker 24, roll on/roll off 6,
specialized tanker 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
22
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 4 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
18
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
| Disputes
- international: |
location
and status of boundary with Saudi Arabia
is not final, de facto boundary reflects
1974 agreement; boundary with Oman has not
been bilaterally defined; northern section
in the Musandam Peninsula is an
administrative boundary; claims two
islands in the Persian Gulf occupied by
Iran: Lesser Tunb (called Tunb as Sughra
in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e
Kuchek in Persian by Iran) and Greater
Tunb (called Tunb al Kubra in Arabic by
UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg in
Persian by Iran); claims island in the
Persian Gulf jointly administered with
Iran (called Abu Musa in Arabic by UAE and
Jazireh-ye Abu Musa in Persian by Iran) -
over which Iran has taken steps to exert
unilateral control since 1992, including
access restrictions and a military
build-up on the island; the UAE has
garnered significant diplomatic support in
the region in protesting these Iranian
actions |
| Illicit
drugs: |
growing
role as heroin transshipment and
money-laundering center due to its
proximity to southwest Asian producing
countries and the bustling free trade zone
in Dubai |
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