1996 Edition

Description

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a thicker vertical red band on the hoist side

Location

24 00 N, 54 00 E -- Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly smaller than Maine

land area

75,581 sq km

total area

75,581 sq km

Climate

desert; cooler in eastern mountains

Coastline

1,318 km

Environment

current issues

lack of natural freshwater resources being overcome by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills

international agreements

party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Law of the Sea

natural hazards

frequent sand and dust storms

Geographic coordinates

24 00 N, 54 00 E

Geographic note

strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil

International disputes

location and status of boundary with Saudi Arabia is not final, defacto boundary reflects 1974 agreement; no defined boundary with most of Oman, but Administrative Line in far north; 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); in 1992, the dispute over Abu Musa and the Tunb islands became more acute when Iran unilaterally tried to control the entry of third country nationals into the UAE portion of Abu Musa island, Tehran subsequently backed off in the face of significant diplomatic support for the UAE in the region

Irrigated land

50 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km

total

867 km

Land use

arable land

0%

forest and woodland

0%

meadows and pastures

2%

other

98%

permanent crops

0%

Location

Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Map references

Middle East

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

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas

Terrain

flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east

highest point

Jabal Yibir 1,527 m

lowest point

Persian Gulf 0 m

Age structure

0-14 years: 35% (male 542,848; female 519,952) 15-64 years: 64% (male 1,277,829; female 683,282) 65 years and over: 1% (male 22,246; female 11,180) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

26.43 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

3.03 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Emiri 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)

Infant mortality rate

20.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu

Life expectancy at birth

female

74.94 years (1996 est.)

male

70.64 years

total population

72.74 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write but definition of literacy not available (1995 est.)

female

79.8%

male

78.9%

total population

79.2%

Nationality

adjective

Emiri

noun

Emiri(s)

Net migration rate

19.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

3,057,337 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

4.33% (1996 est.)

Religions

Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4%

Sex ratio

all ages

1.52 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years

1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.87 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.99 male(s)/female

Total fertility rate

4.46 children born/woman (1996 est.)

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

Capital

Abu Dhabi

Constitution

2 December 1971 (provisional)

Data code

TC

Diplomatic representation in US

chancery

Suite 600, 3000 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20007

chief of mission

Ambassador Muhammad bin Husayn al-SHAALI

telephone

[1] (202) 338-6500

Executive branch

chief of state

President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (since 2 December 1971), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since NA 1966) and Vice President MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai) were elected by the Supreme Council of Rulers

head of government

Prime Minister MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai) and Deputy Prime Minister SULTAN bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990) were appointed by the president

FAX

[971] (2) 434771

consulate(s) general

Dubai

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)

International organization participation

ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Judicial branch

Union Supreme Court, judges appointed by the president

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

Legislative branch

unicameral Federal National Council (Majlis Watani Itihad); no elections; reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto

Name of country

abbreviation

UAE

conventional long form

United Arab Emirates

conventional short form

none

former

Trucial States

local long form

Al Imarata al Arabiyah al Muttahidah

local short form

none

National holiday

National Day, 2 December (1971)

Other political or pressure groups

NA

Political parties and leaders

none

Suffrage

none

Supreme Council of Rulers

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; council meets four times a year

cabinet

Council of Ministers was appointed by the president

Type of government

federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE central government and other powers reserved to member emirates

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission

Ambassador David C. LITT

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)

telephone

[971] (2) 436691, 436692

Agriculture

dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish

Budget

expenditures

$4.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1995 est.)

revenues

$4.6 billion

Currency

1 Emirian dirham (Dh) = 100 fils

Economic aid

$NA

Economic overview

The UAE has an open economy with one of the world's highest incomes per capita and with 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, crude oil reserves should last for over 100 years. Although much stronger economically than most Gulf states, the UAE faces similar problems with weak international oil prices and the pressures for cuts in OPEC oil production quotas. The UAE Government is encouraging increased privatization within the economy.

Electricity

capacity

4,760,000 kW

consumption per capita

5,796 kWh (1993)

production

16.5 billion kWh

Exchange rates

Emirian dirhams (Dh) per US$1 - 3.6710 (fixed rate)

Exports

$25.3 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

commodities

crude oil 66%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates

partners

Japan 45%, India 6%, Oman 6%, South Korea 5%, Iran 5% (1994)

External debt

$11.6 billion (1994 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $70.1 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

2%

industry

55%

services

43% (1994 est.)

GDP per capita

$24,000 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

3.3% (1995 est.)

Illicit drugs

growing role as heroin transshipment and money-laundering center

Imports

$21.7 billion (f.o.b., 1994)

commodities

manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, food

partners

Japan 11%, UK 8%, Germany 8%, US 8%, Italy 7% (1994)

Industrial production growth rate

-1.1% (1994 est.)

Industries

petroleum, fishing, petrochemicals, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, pearling

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.6% (1994 est.)

Labor force

794,400 (1993 est.)

by occupation

industry and commerce 56%, services 38%, agriculture 6% (1990 est.)

note

80% of labor force is foreign (est.)

Unemployment rate

NEGL% (1988)

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary (includes Federal Police Force)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $1.59 billion, 4.3% of GDP (1994)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49

1,102,080

males fit for military service

599,439

males reach military age (18) annually

21,250 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 8, FM 3, shortwave 0

Radios

545,000 (1992 est.)

Telephone system

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

Telephones

677,793 (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations

12

Televisions

170,000 (1993 est.) Defense

Airports

total

36

with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

2

with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

3

with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m

3

with paved runways over 3 047 m

9

with paved runways under 914 m

10

with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

2

with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m

7 (1995 est.)

Heliports

2 (1995 est.)

Highways

paved

3,000 km

total

3,000 km

unpaved

0 km (1993 est.)

Merchant marine

ships by type

bulk 2, cargo 17, chemical tanker 2, container 7, liquefied gas tanker 1, livestock carrier 1, oil tanker 22, refrigerated cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 3 (1995 est.)

total

57 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,068,980 GRT/1,876,504 DWT

Pipelines

crude oil 830 km; natural gas, including natural gas liquids, 870 km

Ports

'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Das Island, Khawr Fakkan, Mina' Jabal 'Ali, Mina' Khalid, Mina' Rashid, Mina' Saqr, Mina' Zayid, Umm al Qaywayn

Railways

0 km