1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
desert; cooler in eastern mountains
Coastline
1,448 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Maine
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
Land boundaries
1,016 km total; Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 586 km, Qatar 20 km
Land use
arable land NEGL%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 2%; forest and woodland NEGL%; other 98%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Maritime claims
Continental shelf: defined by bilateral boundaries or equidistant line Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 3 nm (assumed), 12 nm for Ash Shariqah (Sharjah)
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
Total area
83,600 km2; land area: 83,600 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
30 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
3 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
Emirian 19%, other Arab 23%, South Asian (fluctuating) 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8%; less than 20% of the population are UAE citizens (1982)
Infant mortality rate
23 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
580,000 (1986 est.); industry and commerce 85%, agriculture 5%, services 5%, government 5%; 80% of labor force is foreign
Language
Arabic (official); Persian and English widely spoken in major cities; Hindi, Urdu
Life expectancy at birth
69 years male, 74 years female (1991)
Literacy
68% (male 70%, female 63%) age 10 and over but definition of literacy not available (1980)
Nationality
noun--Emirian(s), adjective--Emirian
Net migration rate
30 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
trade unions are illegal
Population
2,389,759 (July 1991), growth rate 5.7% (1991)
Religion
Muslim 96% (Shia 16%); Christian, Hindu, and other 4%
Total fertility rate
4.9 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
7 emirates (imarat, singular--imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 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 Zayid Al NUHAYYAN; 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 Dubayy (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, (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)
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 (Majlis Watani Itihad)
Long-form name
United Arab Emirates (no short-form name); abbreviated UAE
Member of
ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, 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, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, 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 emirates
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 2% of GNP and 5% of labor force; cash crop--dates; food products--vegetables, watermelons, poultry, eggs, dairy, fish; only 25% self-sufficient in food
Budget
revenues $3.8 billion; expenditures $3.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989 est.)
Currency
Emirian dirham (plural--dirhams); 1 Emirian dirham (Dh) = 100 fils
Economic aid
donor--pledged $9.1 billion in bilateral aid to less developed countries (1979-89)
Electricity
5,773,000 kW capacity; 15,400 million kWh produced, 6,830 kWh per capita (1990)
Exchange rates
Emirian dirhams (Dh) per US$1--3.6710 (fixed rate)
Exports
$15.0 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--crude oil 65%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates; partners--US, EC, Japan
External debt
$11.0 billion (December 1989 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$27.3 billion, per capita $12,100; real growth rate 10% (1989 est.)
Imports
$9.0 billion (f.o.b., 1989 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)
3-4% (1989 est.)
Overview
The UAE has an open economy with one of the world's highest incomes per capita outside the OECD nations. 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
38 total, 35 usable; 20 with permanent-surface runways; 7 with runways over 3,659 m; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 5 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
57 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 925,424 GRT/1,543,716 DWT; includes 22 cargo, 8 container, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 20 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 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 communications 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; radio relay to Saudi Arabia
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, Federal Police Force
Defense expenditures
$1.59 billion, 6.8% of GDP (1988) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 940,130; 516,218 fit for military service