United Arab Emirates

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia   (Redirected from UAE) Jump to: navigation, search United Arab Emirates دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة Dawlat al-ʾImārāt al-ʿArabiyyah al-Muttaḥidah Flag Emblem Anthem: "Ishy Bilady" English: "Long Live My Nation" Capital Abu Dhabi 24°28′N 54°22′E / 24.467°N 54.367°E / 24.467; 54.367 Largest city Dubai Official languages Arabic Ethnic groups (2009) 16.6% Emirati (citizenry) 23.0% other Arabs 42.3% South Asiana 12.1% other Asianb 6.0% other expatriates Demonym Emirati  Government Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic  -  President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan  -  Vice President and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Legislature Federal National Councilc Independence  -  from the United Kingdom 2 December 1971  Area  -  Total 83,600d km2 (116th) 32,278 sq mi   -  Water (%) negligible Population  -  2010 estimate 8,264,070 (93rd)  -  2005 census 4,106,427  -  Density 99/km2 (110th) 256/sq mi GDP (PPP) 2012 estimate  -  Total $271.316 billion  -  Per capita $49,011 GDP (nominal) 2012 estimate  -  Total $358.940 billion  -  Per capita $64,840 Gini (2008) 36 medium HDI (2013)  0.818 very high · 41st Currency UAE dirham (AED) Time zone GST (UTC+4)  -  Summer (DST) not observed (UTC+4) Date format dd/mm/yyyy Drives on the right Calling code +971 ISO 3166 code AE Internet TLD .ae امارات. a. Predominantly Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi people. b. Predominantly Chinese, Filipino, Thai, Iranian, South Korean and Afghani (Pashtun) people. c. Seven emirates and one advisory body. d. The country's exact size is unknown because of disputed claims to several islands in the Persian Gulf, the lack of precise information on the size of many of these islands and that most of its land boundaries, especially those with Saudi Arabia, remain un-demarcated. United Arab Emirates portal

The United Arab Emirates i/juːˌnaɪtɨd ˌærəb ˈɛmɪrɨts/ (Arabic: دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة‎ Dawlat al-ʾImārāt al-ʿArabiyyah al-Muttaḥidah), sometimes simply called the Emirates or the UAE, is an Arab country in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman to the east and Saudi Arabia to the south, as well as sharing sea borders with Qatar and Iran.

The UAE is a federation of seven emirates (equivalent to principalities). Each emirate is governed by a hereditary emir, and chooses one of its members to be the president of the federation of seven emirates. The constituent emirates are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. The capital is Abu Dhabi, which is also the state's center of commercial and cultural activities. Islam is the official religion of the UAE, and Arabic is the official language.

Since 1962, when Abu Dhabi became the first of the emirates to begin exporting oil, the country's society and economy have been transformed. The late Sheikh Zayed, ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE at its inception, oversaw the development of the Emirates and steered oil revenues into healthcare, education and national infrastructure.

UAE oil reserves are ranked as the world's seventh-largest. It also possesses the world's seventeenth largest natural gas reserves The UAE has one of the most developed economies in Western Asia. Per capita income is the world's seventh highest.