United Arab Emirates الإمارات العربية المتحدة (
Arabic)al-ʾImārāt al-ʿArabīyah al-Muttaḥidah |
---|
|
ISO 3166 code |
AE |
---|
The
United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in
West Asia, in the
Middle East. Located at the eastern end of the
Arabian Peninsula, it shares borders with
Oman and
Saudi Arabia; as well as maritime borders in the
Persian Gulf with
Qatar and
Iran. The United Arab Emirates is an
elective monarchy formed from a
federation of
seven emirates. , the UAE has an estimated population of 9.97 million.
Emirati citizens are estimated to form 11.6% of the population; the remaining residents are
expatriates, the majority of whom are
South Asian.
Islam is the
official religion and
Arabic is the official language.
Abu Dhabi is the country's capital, while
Dubai, the
most populous city, is an international hub.
The United Arab Emirates'
oil and natural gas reserves are the world's
sixth and
seventh-largest, respectively.
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, ruler of Abu Dhabi and the country's first president, oversaw the development of the Emirates by investing oil revenues into healthcare, education, and infrastructure. The country has the most diversified economy among the members of the
Gulf Cooperation Council. In the 21st century, the UAE has become less reliant on oil and gas and is economically focusing on tourism and business. The UAE is considered a
middle power. It is a member of the
United Nations,
Arab League,
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation,
OPEC,
Non-Aligned Movement,
World Trade Organization,
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and
BRICS. The UAE is also a dialogue partner of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
Human rights organisations consider the UAE substandard on human rights, citing reports of government critics being imprisoned and tortured, families harassed by the state security apparatus, and cases of
forced disappearances. Individual rights such as the freedoms of
assembly,
association, the
press,
expression, and
religion are also severely repressed. (
Full article...)