Facts and Factoids
- Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain and Fujairah joined in an Act of Union to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 2 December 1971. A seventh emirate, Ras Al Khaimah (RAK), joined the UAE on 10 February 1972, following Iran's annexation of the RAK-claimed Tunbs Islands.
- Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the only two of the seven emirates to have veto power. Abu Dhabi City is the nation's capital, while Dubai (which is mostly, but not all city), is the most populated city, an international hub.
- The United Arab Emirates is an elective monarchy, but each emirate is an absolute monarchy governed by a ruler. The rulers are sheikhs rather than emirs to indicate consultative leadership. Together, the rulers form the Federal Supreme Council. In theory, the members of this council elect a president, from among their members. In practice, the ruler of Abu Dhabi serves as president, while the ruler of Dubai is vice president and also prime minister.
- The UAE is sometimes referred to as 'The Miracle of the Gulf', to reflect the rapid transformation of the country from a small desert nation to a modern and prosperous nation in just a few decades. It's also sometimes known, admiringly or disparagingly, as 'Little Sparta' - a power that punches above its weight.
- The map of the UAE isn't a straightforward one. Most of the emirates control several enclaves, dotted around the country.
- Roughly 80% of the 10 million population of the UAE are expatriates
- 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.
- In the 21st century, the country has become less reliant on oil and gas and is economically focusing on tourism and business
- Oil revenues have been invested into healthcare and education, and infrastructure. but only for the Arab and Emirati peoples. Expatriates fare far less well. There are also concerns about human rights and individual rights, such as freedoms of assembly and free speech.
A Brief History of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
- In ancient times, the area today known as the UAE, on the Persian Gulf, is situated, was relatively isolated, surrounded by mountains and vast deserts. Nevertheless, stone tools recovered reveal a settlement of people from Africa some 127,000 years ago. And the Achaemenids still managed some settlement.
- The Sassanids followed but were ousted by the rise of Islam. The UAE was subsumed into the Arabian Peninsula and the Rashidun Caliphate, in the seventh century.
- But the desert environment was harsh and the area was mainly occupied y nomadic tribesmen who formed their own loyalty groupings. These eventually became the ruling families of today.
- In the 1500s, the Portuguese arrived , conquering coastal communities, battling the Ottomans and building forts. naval forces.
- The Dutch and the British followed. The help of the British Navy was enlisted by the Persian emperor of 1622. The Persian Gulf supplied trade routes to North Africa, India, and China, and was a valuable port for long voyages from Europe. The main trade of the gulf countries then was pearls. Reports suggest that piracy was rife along the coast, but this idea has more lately been refuted.
- The East India Trading Company and Kuwait formed alliances to help the British capitalise on this trade route and In 1853 came the creation of the Trucial States, a group of Sheikdoms formed under the protectorate of the British, in return for piratical immunity. Trucial -as in truces. It was an expensive deal for the British. In the early 1900s, artificial pearls were invented and the main trade disappeared
- Then oil was discovered in Iraq and beyond. The UAE area quickly became popular and the Trucial States decided to become independent. The British pulled out in 1968, even though offers were made to pay them for protection. They decided that they couldn’t afford it. And three years later, the UAE was formed. (Originally intended to be part of the proposed Federation of Arab Emirates, Bahrain became independent in August, and Qatar in September 1971).
What to See in the UAE
The UAE is a an arid and mountainous country. Tourism offers desert experiences and beach activities for the most part, But Dubai in particular, with its upmarket hotels and malls, is now one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.
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