Full Form of UAE

UAE refers to the United Arab Emirates, or sometimes it is known as Emirates. The country is situated at the eastern most end of the Arabian Peninsula. The country shares its border with Oman and Saudi Arabia, along with the marine borders of Qatar, Iran, and the Persian Gulf.

UAE is made up of a federation of seven emirates comprising of Abu Dhabi (capital of UAE), Ajman, Sharjah, Fujairah, Umm Al Quwain, and Ras Al Khaimah. Sheikh governs each federation. Together all the federations are known as Federal Supreme Council and one of the federations serves as the President of UAE. Arabic is their official language and Islam is the main religion of the country. UAE has the sixth-largest oil reserves and seventh-largest natural gas reserves in the world.

The country’s first president, as well as the ruler of Abu Dhabi – Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, witnessed the development of emirates through the investment of oil revenues in the sectors like health, education, and infrastructure. Dubai is the most populated city in UAE, and the current president of UAE as of 2020 is Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

UAE is one of the country’s that do not impose an income tax, but there is a corporate tax and VAT 5% that was established in 2018. UAE is considered quite powerful and is a member of the United Nations, Arab League, OPEC, Gulf Cooperation Council, etc.

History of UAE

• UAE declared its independence from Great Britain soon after finalising treaties with Great Britain; this ended with the establishment and coming up of UAE on 2 December 1971.
• The flag of UAE that consists of red, white, green, and black colours was designed by Abdullah Mohammed Al Madinah, and the same was embraced by UAE on 2 December 1971.

• The early signs of human occupation in UAE can be traced back to 124,000 BCE through the excavations and findings at Sharjah. There also have been evidence of burial sites during the Neolithic and Bronze Age, with the oldest site at Jebel Buhais. This area was known for the trading culture during the bronze age; there was trade between Indus Valley, Bahrain, Iran, Levant, and Mesopotamia during that time.
• Various antiquities have been recovered that show the remains of various people from Africa. The antiquities include stone tools and tools for butchering animals. At that time, there has been no evidence of contact with the outer world. However, in later years, there was contact with the outside world, and there are evidence of copper trade around 3000 BCE.
• Then the iron age and the wadi suq period also witnessed the coming up of nomadism and the development of water, irrigation system that supported human settlement on the coastal areas and the interiors.
• The UAE’s chronicles of trade also led to the coming up of Julfar, which is known as Ras Al Khaimah- which is a trading and marine area in UAE. This dominance in the marine area has even led to many conflicts with European powers, like the Portuguese empire and the British empire.

• Soon after decades of conflicts of maritime, the coastal emirates was known as the Trucial States after signing the treaty of General Maritime with the British in 1820 – which was approved in 1853 and then again in 1892.
• This further led to the independence and coming up of UAE, which was followed by British withdrawal from obligations of treaty and the six federations joined UAE in 1971 whereas seventh Ras Al Khaimah joined in 1972.
• There have been approximately six periods of human settlement in the UAE before Islam. It varies from 3200-2600 BCE. The spread and emergence of Islam to the northeastern tip of the Arabian peninsula is said to propagate after the letter was sent by Islamic Prophet Muhammad to the rulers of Oman in 630 CE, which was nine years after the hijrah.
• This further led rulers to travel to Medina and then converting to Islam, which led to a successful rise against Sadanids that ruled the northern coast at that time. Then after the death of Muhammad, new Islamic communities began threatening with insurrection against Muslim rulers and leaders.
• Then there was the Battle of Dibbar to reconquest the territory (Medina)and establishment of the Caliphate, unification of Arabian Peninsular. The same was established under the Rashidun Caliphate after the battle, but many lives are said to be lost.

Climate

UAE has a hot and humid climate along the coast but is drier and hotter in the interior. Whereas the area receives fluctuating rainfall annually, from year to year, it varies from 4-6 inches. The average temperature in January is 18 C, whereas in July it is 33 C. Summers are hotter on the coast, whereas winds blow during midwinter and early summer; these winds are known as Shamal, which carries dust and sand.

People

Ethnic Group

Only 1/9th of the residents are citizens, and the remaining residents are only foreign migrants and workers with their dependents. Most of the residents are south Asians.

Language and Religion

The official language of UAE is Arabic, modern Arabic is taught in schools, and most of the people speak a dialect of Gulf Arabic. Other languages spoken in the country include Pashto, Hindi, Balochi, Persian, and English. More than 3/5th of the population is Muslim, and mainly they belong to the Sunni branch of Islam, and Shia minorities stay in Dubai and Sharjah. The country also has a minority group of Christian and Hindus.

Safety

UAE is one of the safest places to live, work in the world; it ranks at 32 in the list of safest countries. Overall, their police and administration make sure that the safety and security of the citizens is kept in check and is not hampered.

Economy

• The country is mainly ruled by petroleum, mainly in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi is one of the wealthiest emirates and has one of the biggest oil reserves, and provides a significant portion of the budget in the economy, development of the country.
• Whereas in Dubai, the economy is more dependent on the business and not on the oil reserves, this place serves as the commercial, financial hub and drives the economy of the country towards growth and development.

• Some emirates like Al Fujayrah are agriculturally dominant and contribute significantly to the GDP through agriculture and fishing. Dates is the main crop, followed by tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, etc. UAE is said to be self-sufficient in fruits and vegetables. The country also has enormous production of eggs, fish, dairy products, etc.
• Abu Dhabi also has one of the world’s largest natural gas reserves. As it is heavily dependent on technologies like air conditioning, etc. UAE has one of the highest rates for the consumption of energy.
• The country tries to diversify the economy to lower its dependence on oil, and in the process, manufacturing has also played a significant role.

Must-Know Facts

• UAE has seven emirates, and each emirate has unique culture and tradition. Each emirate is governed independently by a royal family.
• UAE has no lasting or stable river.
• Falcon is the national symbol of UAE, with Arabian oryx (antelope) being its national animal.
• Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, is located in Dubai. Dubai is also known for the longest driverless metro in the entire world.
• Dubai is a business hub and has ATMs that dole out gold bars, and so it is also known as the City of Gold.
• Also, Burj Al Arab is the world’s first seven-star hotel, which is also situated in Dubai.
• Dubai also has the world’s largest artificial island, known as Palm Island.

• Tourism plays a major role in UAE’s growth, development and flourishment. Many tourists regularly visit in UAE.
• UAE is known for its oil reserves, well-connected roads, airports, its food, culture, and tradition.
• UAE remain hot, dry throughout the year, and it doesn’t experience very harsh winters.
• It is surprising to know that UAE has no street names, zip codes, but only landmarks are used to guide or direct to travel to other places within the country.
• UAE is second-largest economy in the Arab world with Saudi Arabia topping the list. Its most of the GDP comes from the oil reserves.

• The law that is applicable in UAE is Sharia law- it is applicable for all personal laws, including for matters like marriage, divorce, and even custody. This law is applicable to Muslims as well as non-Muslims in UAE. In terms of law, UAE has strict and stern laws, one of the hardest in the world.
• UAE has a literacy rate of 93%, which means people are well educated and learned there.