United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates
الإمارات العربية المتحدة (Arabic)
Motto: الله الوطن الرئيس
"God, Nation, President"
Anthem: عيشي بلادي
"Long Live My Country"
Location of United Arab Emirates (green) in the Arabian Peninsula
Location of United Arab Emirates (green)

in the Arabian Peninsula

Map
United Arab Emirates
CapitalAbu Dhabi
24°28′N 54°22′E / 24.467°N 54.367°E / 24.467; 54.367
Largest cityDubai
25°15′N 55°18′E / 25.250°N 55.300°E / 25.250; 55.300
Official languagesArabic[1]
Common languagesEmirati Arabic, English[a]
Ethnic groups
(2015)[4]
Religion
(2005 est.)[4]
Demonym(s)Emirati[5]
GovernmentFederal Islamic semi-constitutional monarchy[6][7][8]
• President
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Legislature
Establishment
1820 and 1892
• Independence from the United Kingdom
2 December 1971
9 December 1971
• Admission of Ras Al Khaimah
10 February 1972
Area
• Total
83,600 km2 (32,300 sq mi) (114th)
• Water (%)
negligible
Population
• 2020 estimate
9,282,410[9] (92nd)
• 2005 census
4,106,427
• Density
121/km2 (313.4/sq mi) (110th)
GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $895.166 billion[10] (34th)
• Per capita
Increase $88,961[10] (6th)
GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $509.179 billion[10] (31st)
• Per capita
Decrease $50,602[10] (20th)
Gini (2018)26.0[11]
low
HDI (2022)Increase 0.937[12]
very high (17th)
CurrencyUAE dirham (AED)
Time zoneUTC+04:00 (GST)
Calling code+971
ISO 3166 codeAE
Internet TLD

The United Arab Emirates[b] (UAE), or simply the Emirates,[c] is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East. It is located at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula and shares borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia, while also having maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran. Abu Dhabi is the country's capital, while Dubai, the most populous city, is an international hub.

The United Arab Emirates is an elective monarchy formed from a federation of seven emirates, consisting of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain.[13] Each emirate is an absolute monarchy governed by a ruler, and together the rulers form the Federal Supreme Council, the highest executive and legislative body. The Federal Supreme Council elects a president and two vice presidents from among their members; as of 14 May 2023, the president is Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan[14] and the vice presidents are Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. In practice, the ruler of Abu Dhabi serves as president while the ruler of Dubai is vice president and also prime minister.[15]

As of 2023, the UAE has an estimated population of 9.97 million.[16] Emirati citizens are estimated to form 11.6% of the population; the remaining residents are expatriates, the majority of whom are South Asian.[16] Islam is the official religion and Arabic is the official language. The United Arab Emirates' oil and natural gas reserves are the world's sixth and seventh-largest, respectively.[17][18] Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, ruler of Abu Dhabi and the country's first president, oversaw the development of the Emirates by investing oil revenues into healthcare, education, and infrastructure.[19] The country has the most diversified economy among the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.[20] In the 21st century, the UAE has become less reliant on oil and gas and is economically focusing on tourism and business. The UAE is considered a middle power. It is a member of the United Nations, Arab League, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, OPEC, Non-Aligned Movement, World Trade Organization, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and BRICS. The UAE is also a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Human rights organisations consider the UAE substandard on human rights, citing reports of government critics being imprisoned and tortured, families harassed by the state security apparatus, and cases of forced disappearances.[21] Individual rights such as the freedoms of assembly, association, the press, expression, and religion are also severely repressed.[22]

  1. ^ "Fact sheet". United Arab Emirates. U.ae. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  2. ^ Siemund, Peter; Al-Issa, Ahmad; Leimgruber, Jakob R. E. (June 2021). "Multilingualism and the role of English in the United Arab Emirates". World Englishes. 40 (2): 191–204. doi:10.1111/weng.12507. ISSN 0883-2919. S2CID 219903631.
  3. ^ "What Languages are Spoken in Dubai? | Visit Dubai". www.visitdubai.com. Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism. Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  4. ^ a b "United Arab Emirates". cia.gov. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference WorldFactbook was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Stewart, Dona J. (2013). The Middle East Today: Political, Geographical and Cultural Perspectives. London and New York: Routledge. p. 155. ISBN 978-0-415-78243-2.
  7. ^ Day, Alan John (1996). Political Parties of The World. Stockton. p. 599. ISBN 1-56159-144-0.
  8. ^ "United Arab Emirates Constitution". UAE Ministry of Justice. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  9. ^ "Statistics by Subject - Population". Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (UAE)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  11. ^ "GINI index (World Bank estimate) – United Arab Emirates". data.worldbank.org. World Bank. Archived from the original on 30 March 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  12. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. p. 289. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  13. ^ "The Federal Boundaries of the United Arab Emirates" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  14. ^ "His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ)". Archived from the original on 18 February 2023.
  15. ^ "United Arab Emirates's Constitution of 1971 with Amendments through 2004" (PDF). ConstituteProject.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  16. ^ a b "United Arab Emirates Country Summary", The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, archived from the original on 2 November 2023, retrieved 2 November 2023
  17. ^ "Production of Crude Oil including Lease Condensate 2016" (CVS download). U.S. Energy Information Administration. Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  18. ^ U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics Archived 16 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 17 January 2019.
  19. ^ "United Arab Emirates profile". BBC News. 14 November 2012. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  20. ^ "IMF Data Mapper". Imf.org. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  21. ^ "United Arab Emirates Archives". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  22. ^ "Report on the situation of journalists in the UAE Input for the Secretary General Report on the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity" (PDF). ohchr.org. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.


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