CIA World Fact Book, 2004/United Arab Emirates


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!| 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.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: land: 82,880 sq km water: 0 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 2.25% other: 97.15% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea !| Geography - note:
 * Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
 * 24 00 N, 54 00 E
 * Middle East
 * total: 82,880 sq km
 * slightly smaller than Maine
 * total: 867 km
 * 1,318 km
 * territorial sea: 12 nm
 * desert; cooler in eastern mountains
 * flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east
 * lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
 * petroleum, natural gas
 * arable land: 0.6%
 * 720 sq km (1998 est.)
 * frequent sand and dust storms
 * lack of natural freshwater resources compensated by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills
 * party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
 * strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
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!| Population: note: includes an estimated 1,606,079 non-nationals; the 17 December 1995 census presents a total population figure of 2,377,453, and there are estimates of 3.44 million for 2002 (July 2004 est.) !| Age structure: 15-64 years: 70.9% (male 1,103,385; female 685,281) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 58,862; female 22,358) (2004 est.) !| Median age: male: 35.7 years female: 22.4 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.61 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 2.63 male(s)/female total population: 1.46 male(s)/female (2004 est.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 12.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 17.71 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 72.51 years female: 77.6 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Nationality: adjective: Emirati !| Ethnic groups: note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982) !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 77.9% male: 76.1% female: 81.7% (2003 est.)
 * 2,523,915
 * 0-14 years: 25.9% (male 333,661; female 320,368)
 * total: 27.7 years
 * 1.57% (2004 est.)
 * 18.65 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 4.14 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 1.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
 * total: 15.06 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 74.99 years
 * 3.02 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * 0.18% (2001 est.)
 * NA
 * NA
 * noun: Emirati(s)
 * Emirati 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982)
 * Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4%
 * Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
 * definition: age 15 and over can read and write
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!| Country name: conventional short form: none local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah abbreviation: UAE former: Trucial Oman, Trucial States local short form: none !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: 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 head of government: Prime Minister MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai); Deputy Prime Minister SULTAN bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990); Deputy Prime Minister HAMDAN bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan (since 20 October 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected by the FSC (composed of rulers of the seven emirates) for five-year terms; 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 Sultan Al Nuhayyan elected president by a unanimous vote of the FSC; MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum unanimously reaffirmed vice president !| Legislative branch: elections: none note: reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: note: also a consulate or representative office in New York, NY FAX: [1] (202) 243-2432 telephone: [1] (202) 243-2400 chancery: 3522 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 !| Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy: Embassies District, Plot 38 Sector W59-02, Street No. 4, Abu Dhabi mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi telephone: [971] (2) 414-2200 FAX: [971] (2) 414-2469 consulate(s) general: Dubai !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: United Arab Emirates
 * federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates
 * Abu Dhabi
 * 7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn
 * 2 December 1971 (from UK)
 * Independence Day, 2 December (1971)
 * 2 December 1971 (made permanent in 1996)
 * 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 system; all emirates have secular courts to adjudicate criminal, civil, and commercial matters and Islamic courts to review family and religious disputes
 * none
 * chief of state: President Sheikh KHALIFA bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan (since 3 November 2004), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 4 November 2004) and Vice President MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai)
 * unicameral Federal National Council (FNC) or Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; members appointed by the rulers of the constituent states to serve two-year terms)
 * Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
 * none
 * NA
 * 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, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Asri Said Ahmad al-DHAHIRI
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Michele SISON
 * three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a wider vertical red band on the hoist side
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 58.5% services: 37.5% (2002 est.) !| Investment (gross fixed): !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: NA !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: note: 73.9% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2003) !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $23.85 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.4 billion (2003 est.) !| Public debt: !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Oil - proved reserves: !| Natural gas - production: !| Natural gas - consumption: !| Natural gas - exports: !| Natural gas - imports: !| Natural gas - proved reserves: !| Current account balance: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - donor: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * 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 33% 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, 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.
 * purchasing power parity - $57.7 billion (2003 est.)
 * 5.2% (2003 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $23,200 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture: 4%
 * 22% of GDP (2003)
 * NA
 * lowest 10%: NA
 * 3.2% (2003 est.)
 * 2.16 million
 * agriculture 7%, industry 15%, services 78% (2000 est.)
 * 2.4% (2001)
 * revenues: $17.35 billion
 * 18.1% of GDP (2003)
 * dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish
 * petroleum, fishing, petrochemicals, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, pearling
 * 4% (2000)
 * 37.74 billion kWh (2001)
 * 35.1 billion kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 2.566 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 310,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * 80.31 billion bbl (1 January 2002)
 * 44.94 billion cu m (2001 est.)
 * 37.86 billion cu m (2001 est.)
 * 7.08 billion cu m (2001 est.)
 * 0 cu m (2001 est.)
 * 5.892 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)
 * $12.47 billion (2003)
 * $56.73 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates
 * Japan 26.2%, South Korea 10.5%, Iran 3.8% (2003)
 * $37.16 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food
 * China 10%, Japan 7.2%, Germany 7.2%, US 7%, France 6.9%, UK 5.9%, Italy 4.4%, South Korea 4.4%, India 4.1% (2003)
 * $15.79 billion (2003)
 * $20.71 billion (2003 est.)
 * NA
 * Emirati dirham (AED)
 * AED
 * Emirati dirhams per US dollar - 3.67 (2003), 3.6725 (2002), 3.6725 (2001), 3.6725 (2000), 3.6725 (1999)
 * calendar year
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: 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 !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 1,135,800 (2003)
 * 2,972,300 (2003)
 * general assessment: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai
 * AM 13, FM 8, shortwave 2 (2004)
 * 820,000 (1997)
 * 15 (2004)
 * 310,000 (1997)
 * .ae
 * 56,283 (2004)
 * 1 (2000)
 * 1,110,200 (2003)
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!| Highways: paved: 1,088 km (including 253 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1999 est.) !| Pipelines: !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: by type: cargo 12, chemical tanker 5, container 7, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 21, roll on/roll off 8, short-sea/passenger 4, specialized tanker 1 (2004 est.) !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 !| Airports - with unpaved runways: under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.) over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 !| Heliports:
 * total: 1,088 km
 * condensate 469 km; gas 2,655 km; liquid petroleum gas 300 km; oil 2,936 km; oil/gas/water 5 km (2004)
 * 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Das Island, Khawr Fakkan, Mina' Jabal 'Ali, Mina' Khalid, Mina' Rashid, Mina' Saqr, Mina' Zayid, Umm al Qaywayn
 * total: 59 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 578,477 GRT/739,823 DWT
 * 35 (2003 est.)
 * total: 22
 * total: 13
 * 2 (2003 est.)
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!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - military age and obligation: !| Military manpower - availability: note: includes non-nationals (2004 est.) !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Army, Navy (including Marines and Coast Guard), Air and Air Defense Force, paramilitary forces (includes Federal Police Force)
 * 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)
 * males age 15-49: 764,413
 * males age 15-49: 412,490 (2004 est.)
 * males: 29,183 (2004 est.)
 * $1.6 billion (FY00)
 * 3.1% (FY00)
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