1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
desert; cooler in eastern mountains
Coastline
1,448 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Maine
Continental shelf
defined by bilateral boundaries or equidistant line
Disputes
boundary with Qatar is in dispute; no defined boundary with Saudi Arabia; no defined boundary with most of Oman, but Administrative Line in far north; claims three islands in the Persian Gulf occupied by Iran (Jazireh-ye Abu Musa or Abu Musa, Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg or Greater Tunb, and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek or Lesser Tunb)
Environment
frequent dust and sand storms; lack of natural freshwater resources being overcome by desalination plants; desertification
Extended economic zone
200 nm;
Land boundaries
1,016 km total; Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 586 km, Qatar 20 km
Land use
NEGL% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 2% meadows and pastures; NEGL% forest and woodland; 98% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Natural resources
crude oil and natural gas
Note
strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
Terrain
flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east
Territorial sea
3 nm
Total area
83,600 km2; land area: 83,600 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
31 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
3 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
19% Emirian, 23% other Arab, 50% South Asian (fluctuating), 8% other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians); less than 20% of the population are UAE citizens (1982)
Infant mortality rate
24 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
580,000 (1986 est.); 85% industry and commerce, 5% agriculture, 5% services, 5% government; 80% of labor force is foreign
Language
Arabic (official); Farsi and English widely spoken in major cities; Hindi, Urdu
Life expectancy at birth
69 years male, 73 years female (1990)
Literacy
68%
Nationality
noun--Emirian(s), adjective--Emirian
Net migration rate
33 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
trade unions are illegal
Population
2,253,624 (July 1990), growth rate 6.0% (1990)
Religion
96% Muslim (16% Shia); 4% Christian, Hindu, and other
Total fertility rate
4.9 children born/woman (1990)
Government
Administrative divisions
7 emirates (imarat, singular--imarah); Abu Zaby, Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, Ras al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn
Capital
Abu Dhabi
Communists
NA
Constitution
2 December 1971 (provisional)
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Abdullah bin Zayed AL-NAHAYYAN; Chancery at Suite 740, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037; telephone (202) 338-6500; US--Ambassador Edward S. WALKER, Jr.; Embassy at Al-Sudan Street, Abu Dhabi (mailing address is P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi); telephone [971] (2) 336691; there is a US Consulate General in Dubai
Elections
none
Executive branch
president, vice president, Supreme Council of Rulers, prime minister, Council of Ministers
Flag
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a thicker vertical red band on the hoist side
Independence
2 December 1971 (from UK; formerly Trucial States)
Judicial branch
Union Supreme Court
Leaders
Chief of State--President Shaykh Zayid bin Sultan Al NUHAYYAN of Abu Dhabi (since 2 December 1971); Vice President Shaykh Rashid bin Said Al MAKTUM of Dubayy (since 2 December 1971; Head of Government--Prime Minister Shaykh Rashid bin Said Al MAKTUM of Dubayy (Prime Minister since 30 April 1979); Deputy Prime Minister Maktum bin Rashid al MAKTUM (since 2 December 1971)
Legal system
secular codes are being introduced by the UAE Government and in several member shaykhdoms; Islamic law remains influential
Legislative branch
unicameral Federal National Council
Long-form name
United Arab Emirates (no short-form name); abbreviated UAE
Member of
Arab League, CCC, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO
National holiday
National Day, 2 December (1971)
Other political or pressure groups
a few small clandestine groups are active
Political parties and leaders
none
Suffrage
none
Type
federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE central government and other powers reserved to member shaykhdoms
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 1% of GNP and 5% of labor force; cash crop--dates; food products--vegetables, watermelons, poultry, eggs, dairy, fish; only 25% self-sufficient in food
Aid
donor--pledged $9.1 billion in bilateral aid to less developed countries (1979-89)
Budget
revenues $3.5 billion; expenditures $4.0 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989 est.)
Currency
Emirian dirham (plural--dirhams); 1 Emirian dirham (Dh) = 100 fils
Electricity
5,590,000 kW capacity; 15,000 million kWh produced, 7,090 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Emirian dirhams (Dh) per US$1--3.6710 (fixed rate)
Exports
$10.6 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--crude oil 75%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates; partners--US, EC, Japan
External debt
$11.0 billion (December 1989 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GNP
$23.3 billion, per capita $11,680; real growth rate - 2.1% (1988)
Imports
$8.5 billion (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities--food, consumer and capital goods; partners--EC, Japan, US
Industrial production
growth rate - 9.3% (1986)
Industries
petroleum, fishing, petrochemicals, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, pearling
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
5-6% (1988 est.)
Overview
The UAE has an open economy with one of the world's higher levels of income per capita. This wealth is based on oil and gas, and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of those commodities. Since 1973, when petroleum prices shot up, 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.
Unemployment rate
NEGL (1988)
Communications
Airports
40 total, 34 usable; 19 with permanent-surface runways; 8 with runways over 3,659 m; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
8 major transport aircraft
Highways
2,000 km total; 1,800 km bituminous, 200 km gravel and graded earth
Merchant marine
47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 728,332 GRT/1,181,566 DWT; includes 14 cargo, 7 container, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 20 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 4 bulk
Pipelines
830 km crude oil; 870 km natural gas, including natural gas liquids
Ports
Al Fujayrah, Khawr Fakkan, Mina Jabal Ali, Mina Khalid, Mina Rashid, Mina Saqr, Mina Zayid
Telecommunications
adequate system of radio relay and coaxial cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubayy; 386,600 telephones; stations--8 AM, 3 FM, 12 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 ARABSAT; submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; radio relay to Saudi Arabia
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, Central Military Command, Federal Police Force
Defense expenditures
$1.59 billion (1987)
Military manpower
males 15-49, 904,690; 498,082 fit for military service