1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
82,880 km2; almost all desert, waste or urban Land boundaries: 1,094 km (does not include boundaries between adjacent UAE states) WATER
Coastline
1,448 km
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
3 nm for all states except Sharjah (12 nm); fishing 200 nm; exclusive economic zone 200 nm
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
Emirians 19%, other Arabs 23%, South Asians 50% (fluctuating), other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8%
Labor force
541,000 (1980 est.); 56% services; 80% of labor force is foreign
Language
Arabic; English widely spoken in major cities
Literacy
25% est. (1975)
Nationality
Noun—Emirian(s), adjective—Emirian
Population
1,240,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 11.3%
Religion
Muslim 96%, Christian, Hindu, and other 4%
Government
Branches
Supreme Council of Rulers (seven members), from which a President and Vice President are elected; Prime Minister and Council of Ministers; Federal National Assembly; federal Supreme Court
Capital
Abu Dhabi
Elections
none
Government leaders
Shaykh Zayid bin Sultan Al NUHAYYAN of Abu Dhabi, President; Shaykh Rashid ibn Sa'id Al MAKTUM of Dubai, Vice President and Prime Minister
Legal system
secular codes are being introduced by the UAE Government and in several member shaykhdoms; Islamic law remains very influential
Member of
Arab League, G-77, GATT (de facto), GCC, ICAO, IFAD, ILO, IMCO, IMF, NAM, OAPEC, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO
Member states
Abu Dhabi; Ajman; Dubai; al Fujayrah; Ras al-Khaymah; Sharjah; Umm al-Qaywayn
National holiday
2 December
Official name
United Arab Emirates (composed of former Trucial States)
Political or pressure groups
none; a few small clandestine groups are active
Suffrage
none
Type
federation; constitution signed December 1971, which delegated specified powers to the United Arab Emirates central government and reserved other powers to member shaykhdoms
Economy
Agriculture
food imported, but some dates, alfalfa, vegetables, fruit, tobacco raised
Budget
(1980) current expenditures $8.0 billion, capital $2.0 billion, public revenue $12.7 billion
Electric power
3,814,000 kW capacity (1980); 8.353 billion kWh produced (1980), 8,943 kWh per capita
Exports
$22.2 billion (f.o.b., 1980; $19.6 billion in oil, $2.6 billion nonoil); crude petroleum, pearls, fish
Fiscal year
calendar year
GNP
$30 billion est. (1980), $32,000 per capita
Imports
$7.5 billion (f.o.b., 1980); food, consumer, and capital goods
Major trade partners
UK, US, Japan, India, EC
Monetary conversion rate
1 UAE Dirham=US$3.671 (1980)
Communications
Airfields
58 total, 37 usable; 18 with permanent-surface runways; 5 with runways over 3,659 m, 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 10 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
10 major transport aircraft, including 1 leased in
Highways
780 km bituminous, undetermined mileage of earth tracks
Pipelines
540 km crude oil; 190 km natural gas
Ports
3 major, 1 minor
Railroads
none
Telecommunications
adequate system of radio relay and coaxial cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai; 96,000 telephones (16.0 per 100 popl.); 4 AM, 2 FM, and 9 TV stations; 3 INTELSAT stations with 1 Atlantic and 2 Indian Ocean antennas
Military and Security
Military budget
for fiscal year ending 31 December 1979, $670 million; 36% of central government budget
Military manpower
males 15-49, 445,000; 309,000 fit for military service