Background: The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971 six of these states - Abu Zaby 'Ajman Al Fujayrah Ash Shariqah Dubayy and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah. The UAE's per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in the affairs of the region.

Geographic coordinates: 24 00 N 54 00 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 82,880 km²
Land: 82,880 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maine

Land boundaries
Total: 867 km
Border countries: (2) Oman 410 km; , Saudi Arabia 457 km

Coastline: 1318 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate: desert; cooler in eastern mountains

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

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
Extremes highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m

Natural resources: petroleum natural gas

Land use
Arable land: 0.77%
Permanent crops: 2.27%
Other: 96.96% (2005)

Irrigated land: 760 km² (2003)

Natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms

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

Population: 2,602,713 (July 2006 est.)
Growth rate: 1.52% (2006 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Emirati
Adjective: Emirati

Ethnic groups
Note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982)

Languages: Arabic (official) Persian English Hindi Urdu

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 24.9% (male 331,012/female 317,643)
15-64 years: 71.2% (male 1,125,286/female 726,689)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 74,700/female 27,383)
65 and over note: 73.9% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2006 est.)

Median age
Total: 28.1 years
Male: 34.8 years
Female: 23.3 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.52% (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 18.96 births/1000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 4.4 deaths/1000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.66 migrant(s)/1000 population (2006 est.)

Environment
Current issues: lack of natural freshwater resources compensated by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 1.55 male/female
65 years and over: 2.73 male/female
Total population: 1.43 male/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 14.09 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 16.57 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 11.48 deaths/1000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.44 years
Male: 72.92 years
Female: 78.08 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.88 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.18% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 77.9%
Male: 76.1%
Female: 81.7% (2003 est.)

Country name
Conventional long form: United Arab Emirates
Conventional short form: none
Local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah
Local short form: none
Former: Trucial Oman, Trucial States
Abbreviation: UAE

Government type: federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates

Capital
Name: Abu Dhabi
Geographic coordinates: 24 28 N, 54 22 E
Time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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 (Quwayn)

Independence: 2 December 1971 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 2 December (1971)

Constitution: 2 December 1971; made permanent in 1996

Legal system: federal court system introduced in 1971; applies to all emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah which are not fully integrated into the federal judicial system; all emirates have secular courts to adjudicate criminal civil and commercial matters and Islamic courts to review family and religious disputes

Suffrage: none

Executive branch
Chief of state: President KHALIFA bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 3 November 2004), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 4 November 2004); Vice President and Prime Minister MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006)
Head of government: Prime Minister and Vice President MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers SULTAN bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990) and HAMDAN bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 October 2003)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Note: there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC) composed of the seven emirate rulers; the FSC is the highest constitutional authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation; meets four times a year; Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power
Elections: president and vice president elected by the FSC for five-year terms (no term limits); election last held 3 November 2004 upon the death of the UAE's Founding Father and first President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (next to be held 2009); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: KHALIFA bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan elected president by a unanimous vote of the FSC; MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum unanimously reaffirmed vice president

Legislative branch
Elections: President KHALIFA in December 2005 announced that indirect elections would be held in early 2006 for half of the seats in the FNC; the other half would be filled by appointment
Note: reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto

Judicial branch: Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders: none

International organization participation: ABEDA AFESD AMF FAO G-77 GCC IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt (signatory) ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IPU ISO ITU LAS MIGA NAM OAPEC OIC OPCW OPEC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Saqr Ghobash Said GHOBASH
In the us chancery: 3,522 International Court NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 243-2,400
In the us fax: [1] (202) 243-2,432
In the us consulates: New York, Houston
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Michele J. SISON
From the us embassy: Embassies District, Plot 38 Sector W59-02, Street No. 4, Abu Dhabi
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 4,009, Abu Dhabi
From the us telephone: [971] (2) 414-2,200
From the us fax: [971] (2) 414-2,603
From the us consulates general: Dubai

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top) white and black with a wider vertical red band on the hoist side

Economy overview: The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus. Its wealth is based on oil and gas output (about 30% of GDP) and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of those commodities. Since the discovery of oil in the UAE more than 30 years ago 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 oil and gas reserves should last for more than 100 years. The government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up its utilities to greater private sector involvement. Higher oil revenue strong liquidity and cheap credit in 2005 led to a surge in asset prices (shares and real estate) and consumer inflation. Any sharp correction to the UAE's equity markets could damage investor and consumer sentiment and affect bank asset quality. In April 2004 the UAE signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with Washington and in November 2004 agreed to undertake negotiations toward a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $115.8 billion (2005 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 8.8% (2005 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $45,200 (2005 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4%
Industry: 58.5%
Services: 37.5% (2002 est.)

Agriculture products: dates vegetables watermelons; poultry eggs dairy products; fish

Industrial production growth rate: 4% (2000)

Labor force: 2.8 million (2005 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 7%
By occupation industry: 15%
By occupation services: 78% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate: 2.4% (2001)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $34.93 billion
Expenditures: $29.41 billion; including capital expenditures of $3.4 billion (2005 est.)

Public debt: 17.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 10.5% (2005 est.)

Current account balance: $18.54 billion (2005 est.)

Exports: $103.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Commodities: crude oil 45% natural gas reexports dried fish dates
Partners: Japan 24.6% South Korea 9.8% Thailand 5.6% India 4.3% (2005)

Imports: $60.15 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment chemicals food
Partners: UK 10% China 9.7% US 9.4% India 9.2% Germany 5.9% Japan 5.4% France 4.7% Singapore 4.1% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $23.53 billion (2005 est.)

Debt external: $34.47 billion (2005 est.)

Exchange rates
Note: officially pegged to the US dollar since February 2002

Electricity
Production: 45.12 billion kWh (2004)
Consumption: 38.32 billion kWh (2002)
Exports: 0 kWh (2004)
Imports: 0 kWh (2004)

Natural gas
Production: 44.79 billion m³ (2003 est.)
Consumption: 37.88 billion m³ (2003 est.)
Exports: 7.19 billion m³ (2003 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2003 est.)
Proven reserves: 6.006 trillion m³ (2005)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 1.237 million (2005)
Mobile cellular: 4.535 million (2005)

Telephone system
General assessment: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai
Domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber optic and coaxial cable
International: country code - 971; 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

Internet
Country code: .ae
Hosts: 337,092 (2006)
Users: 1,397,200 (2005)

Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 3.1% (FY00)

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)

Airports: 37 (2006)
With paved runways total: 23
With paved runways over 3047 m: 10
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 3 (2006)
With unpaved runways total: 14
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 2
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 4 (2006)

Heliports: 4 (2006)

Pipelines: condensate 520 km; gas 2,580 km; liquid petroleum gas 300 km; oil 2,950 km; oil/gas/water 5 km; refined products 156 km (2006)

Roadways
Total: 1,088 km
Paved: 1,088 km (including 253 km of expressways) (1999)

Merchant marine
Total: 58 ships (1000 GRT or over) 656,003 GRT/891,837 DWT
By type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 7, chemical tanker 5, container 6, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 20, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1
Foreign owned: 10 (Greece 2, Kuwait 8)
Registered in other countries: 259 (Bahamas 16, Barbados 1, Belize 5, Cambodia 1, Comoros 6, Cyprus 11, Dominica 2, Georgia 1, Hong Kong 2, India 6, Iran 1, Jordan 11, Kiribati 1, North Korea 6, Liberia 18, Malta 5, Marshall Islands 3, Mexico 1, Mongolia 5, Norway 1, Panama 105, Philippines 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 19, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 11, Saudi Arabia 1, Sierra Leone 3, Singapore 7, Somalia 1, Sri Lanka 2, Syria 1, unknown 5) (2006)

Ports and terminals: Al Fujayrah Khawr Fakkan Mina' Jabal 'Ali Mina' Rashid Mina' Saqr Mina' Zayid Sharjan

Disputes international: the United Arab Emirate 2006 Yearbook published a map and text rescinding the 1974 boundary with Saudi Arabia as stipulated in a treaty filed with the UN in 1993 on the grounds that the agreement was not formally ratified; boundary agreement was signed and ratified with Oman in 2003 for entire border including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah enclaves but contents of the agreement and maps showing the alignment have not been published; Iran and UAE dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island which Iran occupies

Illicit drugs: the UAE is a drug transshipment point for traffickers given its proximity to Southwest Asian drug producing countries; the UAE's position as a major financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering; anti-money-laundering controls improving but informal banking remains unregulated