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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

@United Arab Emirates:Geography

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

 Map references: Middle East
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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - MAJOR CITIES 
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                                        Latitude,      Internat'l     Time   
                        Population      Longitude      Phone Code     Zone   
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Dubai                      266,000    25.14N, 55.17E     971-4       GMT+4   
ABU DHABI                  243,000    24.28N, 54.25E     971-2       GMT+4   
Sharjah                    125,000    25.20N, 55.26E     971-6       GMT+4   
Ras al-Khaimah             116,000    25.47N, 55.57E     971-77      GMT+4   
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 Area:
 total area: 75,581 sq km
 land area: 75,581 sq km
 comparative area: slightly smaller than Maine

 Land boundaries: total 867 km, Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km

 Coastline: 1,318 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

 International disputes: location and status of boundary with Saudi
 Arabia is not final; no defined boundary with most of Oman, but
 Administrative Line in far north; claims two islands in the Persian
 Gulf occupied by Iran (Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg or Greater Tunb, and
 Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek or Lesser Tunb); claims island in the Persian
 Gulf jointly administered with Iran (Jazireh-ye Abu Musa or Abu Musa);
 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

 Climate: desert; cooler in eastern mountains

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

 Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas

 Land use:
 arable land: 0%
 permanent crops: 0%
 meadows and pastures: 2%
 forest and woodland: 0%
 other: 98%

 Irrigated land: 50 sq km (1989 est.)

 Environment:
 current issues: lack of natural freshwater resources being overcome by
 desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills
 natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms
 international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous
 Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not
 ratified - Biodiversity, Law of the Sea

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

@United Arab Emirates:People

 Population: 2,924,594 (July 1995 est.)

 Age structure:
 0-14 years: 35% (female 499,559; male 521,415)
 15-64 years: 64% (female 643,819; male 1,229,730)
 65 years and over: 1% (female 10,296; male 19,775) (July 1995 est.)

 Population growth rate: 4.55% (1995 est.)

 Birth rate: 27.02 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

 Death rate: 3.03 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

 Net migration rate: 21.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

 Infant mortality rate: 21 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

 Life expectancy at birth:
 total population: 72.51 years
 male: 70.42 years
 female: 74.71 years (1995 est.)

 Total fertility rate: 4.53 children born/woman (1995 est.)

 Nationality:
 noun: Emirian(s)
 adjective: Emirian

 Ethnic divisions: Emirian 19%, other Arab 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: age 15 and over can read and write but definition of
 literary not available (1985)
 total population: 71%
 male: 72%
 female: 69%

 Labor force: 580,000 (1986 est.)
 by occupation: industry and commerce 85%, agriculture 5%, services 5%,
 government 5%
 note: 80% of labor force is foreign (est.)

@United Arab Emirates:Government

 Names:
 conventional long form: United Arab Emirates
 conventional short form: none
 local long form: Al Imarata al Arabiyah al Muttahidah
 local short form: none
 former: Trucial States

 Abbreviation: UAE

 Digraph: TC

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

 Capital: Abu Dhabi

 Administrative divisions: 7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu
 Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Dubai, Ra's al Khaymah,
 Sharjah, Umm al Qaywayn

 Independence: 2 December 1971 (from UK)

 National holiday: National Day, 2 December (1971)

 Constitution: 2 December 1971 (provisional)

 Legal system: secular codes are being introduced by the UAE Government
 and in several member emirates; Islamic law remains influential

 Suffrage: none

 Executive branch:
 chief of state: President 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)
 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
 Dhabi and Dubayy rulers have veto power; council meets four times a
 year
 cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president

 Legislative branch: unicameral Federal National Council (Majlis Watani
 Itihad); no elections

 Judicial branch: Union Supreme Court

 Political parties and leaders: none

 Other political or pressure groups: NA

 Member of: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GATT,
 GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
 IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM,
 OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

 Diplomatic representation in US:
 chief of mission: Ambassador Muhammad bin Husayn al-SHAALI
 chancery: Suite 600, 3000 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
 telephone: [1] (202) 338-6500

 US diplomatic representation:
 chief of mission: Ambassador William A. RUGH
 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
 FAX: [971] (2) 434771
 consulate(s) general: Dubayy (Dubai)

 Flag: 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 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 40% 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.

 National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $62.7 billion (1994
 est.)

 National product real growth rate: -0.5% (1994 est.)

 National product per capita: $22,480 (1994 est.)

 Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.1% (1994 est.)

 Unemployment rate: NEGL% (1988)

 Budget:
 revenues: $4.3 billion
 expenditures: $4.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
 (1993 est)

 Exports: $24 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
 commodities: crude oil 66%, natural gas, re-exports, dried fish, dates

 partners: Japan 35%, South Korea 5%, Iran 4%, Oman 4%, Singapore 4%
 (1993)

 Imports: $20 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
 commodities: manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment,
 food
 partners: Japan 12%, UK 10%, US 9%, Germany 7%, South Korea 5% (1993)

 External debt: $11.6 billion (1994 est.)

 Industrial production: growth rate 1.7% (1992 est.); accounts for 50%
 of GDP, including petroleum

 Electricity:
 capacity: 4,760,000 kW
 production: 16.5 billion kWh
 consumption per capita: 5,796 kWh (1993)

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

 Agriculture: accounts for 2% of GDP and 5% of labor force; cash crop -
 dates; food products - vegetables, watermelons, poultry, eggs, dairy,
 fish; only 25% self-sufficient in food

 Illicit drugs: growing role as heroin transshipment and
 money-laundering center

 Economic aid:
 donor: pledged in bilateral aid to less developed countries (1979-89)
 $9.1 billion

 Currency: 1 Emirian dirham (Dh) = 100 fils

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

 Fiscal year: calendar year

@United Arab Emirates:Transportation

 Railroads: 0 km

 Highways:
 total: 2,000 km
 paved: 1,800 km
 unpaved: gravel, graded earth 200 km

 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 Qiwain

 Merchant marine:
 total: 57 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,128,253 GRT/1,938,770
 DWT
 ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 18, chemical tanker 1, container 10,
 liquefied gas tanker 1, livestock carrier 1, oil tanker 21,
 refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 3

 Airports:
 total: 41
 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 9
 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 3
 with paved runways under 914 m: 12
 with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 3
 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 8

@United Arab Emirates:Communications

 Telephone system: 386,600 telephones; modern system consisting of
 microwave and coaxial cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubayy
 local: NA
 intercity: microwave and coaxial cable
 international: 3 INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1
 ARABSAT earth station; submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and
 Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to
 Saudi Arabia

 Radio:
 broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 3, shortwave 0
 radios: NA

 Television:
 broadcast stations: 12
 televisions: NA

@United Arab Emirates:Defense Forces

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

 Manpower availability: males age 15-49 1,072,261; males fit for
 military service 583,967; males reach military age (18) annually
 19,266 (1995 est.)

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


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