The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a union of seven sovereign
sheikhdoms, formed when the British withdrew from the Gulf in
1971. It boasts mountains, beaches, deserts, oases, camel racing,
Bedouin markets and the legendary duty-free shopping of Dubai,
all packed into a relatively small area.
It also has the most relaxed entry regulations in the region,
the best tourist infrastructure and, despite promoting itself
exclusively to tourists with a buck or three (or four) to spend,
it's extremely accessible to independent budget travellers.
Full country name: United Arab Emirates
Area: 83,600 sq km
Population: 2.4 million
Capital City: Abu Dhabi (pop 500,000 est.)
People: Arab (61%), South Asian (22%), Iranian (8%), other expats
(9%)
Language: Arabic, Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
Religion: Muslim (96%) Hindu, Christian and other (4%)
Government: federation with specified powers delegated to the
UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates
Head of State: President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Head of Government: Prime Minister Maktum bin Rashid al-Maktum
GDP: US$40 billion
GDP per capita: US$17,400
Annual Growth: -5%
Inflation: 5%
Major Industries: Oil, gas, petrochemicals, fishing
Major Trading Partners: USA, EU, Japan, South Korea, India
