The United Arab Emirates (also the UAE or the Emirates) is a Middle Eastern country situated in the
Flag of The United Arab Emirates
southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, comprising seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Ajmān, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. Before 1971, they were known as the Trucial States or Trucial Oman, in reference to a nineteenth-century truce between Britain and several Arab Sheikhs. The name Pirate Coast has also been used in reference to the area's emirates in the 18th to early 20th century. It borders Oman and Saudi Arabia. The country is rich in oil and, although it lacks other natural resources, it expects recent additional economic diversification to draw more financial and banking firms. The United Arab Emirates, a desert-and-coastal nation, has become a highly prosperous country after gaining foreign direct investment funding in the 1970s. The country has a
Location of The United Arab Emirates
relatively high Human Development Index, or HDI, for the Asian continent.
Capital:(and largest city) Abu Dhabi
Official languages: Arabic
Government: Federal constitutional monarchy - President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan - Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Establishment: December 2, 1971
Area: - Total 83,600 km² (116th) 32,278 sq mi - Water (%) negligible
Population: - 2005 estimate 4,496,000 (116th) - 2005 census 4,104,695 - Density 64 /km² (143rd) 139 /sq mi
GDP (PPP): 2006 estimate - Total $129.3 billion (55th) - Per capita $29,142 (24th)
GDP (nominal): 2006 estimate - Total $164 billion (40th) - Per capita $33,397 (21st)
HDI (2004): 0.839 (high) (49th)
Currency: UAE dirham (AED)
Time zone: GMT+4 (UTC+4) - Summer (DST) not observed (UTC+4)
Arab Countries Guide 
