United Arab Emirates

Geography

Location: Asia, Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia. Area: 82,880 sq. km. Principal cities: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Al Ain. Tourist attractions: Al-Ain, Deira Gold Souq, Dubai Museum, Eastern Fort & Al-Ain Museum, Liwa Oasis, and Sharjah Heritage Area. Time zone: GMT+4 hours.

People

Population: 4.444,011 (July 2007 est.). Population growth rate:
3.997% (2007 est.). Sex ratio: 2.19 male(s)/female (2007 est.). Religions: Muslim (Shi'a), Christian, Hindu, and others. Languages: Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu. Literacy rate: Total 77.9%, Male 76.1%, Fe­male 81.7% (2003 est.). Infant mor­tality rate: 13,52 deaths/1,000 live births {2007 est.). Life expectancy: Total 75.69 years, Male 73.16 years, Female 78.35 years (2007 est.).

Government

Capital: Abu Dhabi. National an­them: Ishy Bilady. Government type: Federation. Independence: 2 Decem­ber 1971 (from UK). Legal system: A federal court system. Executive branch: Chief of state: President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan (since November 2004). Head of gov­ernment: Prime Minister Muhammad bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006). Elections and election results: The FSC elects the president and vice- president for five-year terms. The elections were last held on 3 November 2004 and the next elections are scheduled for 2009. The president appoints the prime minister and deputy prime minister. Legislative branch: UAE has a unicameral Federal National Council or Majlis al-lttihad al-Watani. It has 40 seats, members are appointed by the rulers of the constituent states and 20 members elected to serve two-year terms. Judicial branch: Union su­preme court.

Economy

Currency: Dirham. Currency conver­sion: Dirham per Indian rupee—0.09 I (June 2007 est.). GDP: Purchasing power parity—$129.5 billion (2006 est.). GDP—real growth rate: 8.9% (2006 est.). GDP—per capita: Pur­chasing power parity—$49,700 (2006 est). Inflation rate: 10% (2006 est.). Exports: $137.1 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.). Imports: $88.89 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.). External debt: $39.1 billion (2006 est.).

Transport and Communications

Railways: None. Roads: 1,088 km. Airports: Abu Dhabi and Dubai Inter­national Airports. Telephones: 1.237 million (200S). Mobile cellular: 4.535 million (2005). Internet users: 1.39 million (2005). Internet country code: ae ISD code: 971.