The United Arab Emirates was founded by the federation of seven emirates – states – that lies on the southeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula on the Arabian Gulf in southwestern region of Asia. In the 2nd of December 1971, six emirates federated to found the country, and they are: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm-Al-Quwain, Fujairah. A year later Ras-Al-Khaima joined to be a total of seven united emirates. Abu Dhabi is the capital of the country, and is the center of political, industrial, and cultural activities.
The UAE is a member of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (CCASG) – also known as Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – which is a political and economical union of six Arab states of the Arabian Gulf. The UAE is also a member of United Nations, Organization of the Islamic Conference, OPEC, and World Trade Organization.
Geography
The UAE's location is between 22o50’ and 26o north latitude, and between 51o to 56o25’ east longitude in southwest Asia. It has 530 km border with Saudi Arabia, and 450 km with Oman. It lies on two gulfs, the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. The coast of the UAE on the Arabian Gulf extends for more than 650 km and it consists of salt pans for the most part.
The largest emirate in the UAE is Abu Dhabi that has an area of 67,340 square kilometers – which is 87% of the whole UAE -, and the smallest emirate is Ajman which has an area of 259 square kilometers.
Government
The president of the UAE is Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who was elected by the Federal Supreme Council on November 2, 2004 a day after the death of his father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan the previous president and the founder of the country. The president of the UAE is the head of state, while the Prime Minister is the head of government. The current Prime Minister of the UAE is Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Population
The population of the UAE is estimated to be touching 6 million. Below 20% of the total population are UAE nationals – or Emiratis -, the rest are mostly south Asians. The majority of the south Asians are Indians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis. Other nationalities other than south Asians also exist, like Iranians, Europeans, Americans, Africans, Russians, Chinese, … etc.
Religious wise, the majority of the population are Muslims, and Islam is the state official religion of the government. However, other religions also exist and the government follows a policy of tolerance towards non-Muslims and rarely interfere their activities.
Culture
The culture of the UAE is influence by the religion of Islam, Arab traditions, and Bedouin culture. Friday is the beginning of the weekend, and the holiest day for Muslims. The traditional dress for men is the kandura – an white shirt woven to the ankle made of wool or cotton -, while women prefer to wear abaya – a black over-garment covering most parts of the body-. The traditional sport that is still spread in the country is camel racing. Other cultural symbols for the UAE are Arabian horse, Peregrine falcon, Ghaf trees, and camel milk.
