Facts & Figures
Name: United Arab Emirates (Al
Imarat Al Arabiyah Al Muttahida in Arabic). The Emirates are: Abu Dhabi, Dubai,
Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, and
Fujairah.
Government: Federation of the seven
Emirates, each with its own ruler.
President:
Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Prime
Minister: Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al
Maktoum.
National Day: December 2,
1971.
Flag: Three equal horizontal bands of green
(top), white, and black with a thicker vertical red band on the hoist
side.
Capital: Abu
Dhabi.
Geographical Location: It lies between
latitudes, 22º, 26.5º North, and longitudes 51º, 56.5º East. It is located in
Western Asia on the Arabian Gulf in the Arabian Peninsula. The UAE is bordered
to the North by the Arabian Gulf, to the East by the Gulf of Oman and the
Sultanate of Oman, to the South by the Sultanate of Oman and Saudi Arabia, and
to the West by Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Area:
83,600 sq km (32,270 sq. miles).
Coastline: 650
km (404 miles).
Land Boundaries: 867 km (539
miles).
Terrain: Flat, barren coastal plain
merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in
east.
Population: 2,377,453 (Preliminary of
Population Census, December 1995).
Language:
Arabic is the official language, although English is widely used and is the
language of commerce.
Religion: Muslims 96%;
Christian, Hindu, and others 4%.
Climate: From
the months of November to May, the temperature ranges from 18º to 25º Celsius,
with occasional rainfall during the winter months. Hot temperatures and high
humidity increase between the months of June and August. The average temperature
in the summer is 35º Celsius.
Rainfall: an
average of 42 millimeters per year.
Geology &
Topography: The country is made up primarily of arid desert and
salt flats. In the Northeast, the Hajar mountains rise to almost 1,200 meters.
There are fertile areas in Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, and the
oases.
Economy: The country is a major oil
exporter and the UAE is one of the richest countries in the world with a GDP per
capita income of $16,500 (1995).
Currency: The
UAE Dirham (Dh), 1 Dh = 100 fils.
Exchange Rate:
3.671 Dh per US $1 (fixed rate).
Hospitals: 51
with a total of 6,357 beds (1995).
Pharmacies:
643 with 185 belonging to the Ministry of Health
(1995).
Doctors: 3,803 with 1,839 doctors in the
private sector.
Life Expectancy at Birth: 71.4
years (1994).
Infant Mortality Rate: 16.6 per
1,000 live birth (1994).
Literacy Rate: 84.6%
(1995).
Number of Schools: In the school year
1995-96, there were 615 Public Schools, 375 Private Schools, 138 Adult Education
Schools, and 4 Defense Schools. A total of 1,132 schools.
Number of Students in Primary, Preparatory, and Secondary
Schools: 422,037 (1994/1995).
UAE University
Students: 11,576 (1995).
Students on Scholarship
Studies: 1,055 (1996).
Agriculture:
19,000 farms with a total of 54,500 hectares of cultivated land
(1994).
Oil Production: 2.16 million barrels per
day (1995).
Factories: 1,225
(1991).
Number of banks: 47 with 349 branches
(1994).
Desalination Plants: 42 (1991); 82% of
water comes from desalination.
Paved Highways:
3,254 km (2,022 miles) (1994).
Commercial
Seaports: 15.
Free Zones: 8. These
are: Jebel Ali, Sharjah Airport International, Hamriyah, Fujairah, Saadyat,
Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, and Dubai Airport International.
International Airports:
6.
Post Offices: 56
(1997).
Post Office Boxes: 116,000
(1994).
Telephone Exchange Lines: 775,000
(1997).
Telex Working Lines:
4,028
Exchange Lines per 1,000 inhabitants: 40
(1996).
Mobile phones: 253,000
(1997).
Radio Paging Service: 258,000 (May
1997).
Time Difference: CUT + 4 hours.
