]! ^! The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971, six of these states - Abu Zaby, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah. The UAE's per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in the affairs of the region. 
]" ^" Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia ^# 24 00 N, 54 00 E ^$ Middle East ^% `! 82,880 sq km `" 82,880 sq km `# 0 sq km ^& slightly smaller than Maine ^' `! 867 km `U Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km ^( 1,318 km ^) `$ 12 nm `H 24 nm `I 200 nm `J 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin ^* desert; cooler in eastern mountains ^+ flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east ^, `% Persian Gulf 0 m `& Jabal Yibir 1,527 m ^- petroleum, natural gas ^. `' 0.6% `( 2.25% `) 97.15% (2001) ^/ 720 sq km (1998 est.) ^0 frequent sand and dust storms ^1 lack of natural freshwater resources compensated by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills _J `K Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection `L Law of the Sea ^2 strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil 
]# ^3 2,563,212 note: includes an estimated 1,606,079 non-nationals; the 17 December 1995 census presents a total population figure of 2,377,453, and there are estimates of 3.44 million for 2002 (July 2005 est.) ^4 `* 25.3% (male 331,269; female 317,977) `+ 71.1% (male 1,115,826; female 707,058) `, 3.6% (male 66,404; female 24,678) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 27.9 years `- 35.2 years `. 22.9 years (2005 est.) ^6 1.54% (2005 est.) ^7 18.78 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 4.26 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.05 male(s)/female `0 1.04 male(s)/female `+ 1.58 male(s)/female `, 2.691 male(s)/female `1 1.442 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 14.51 deaths/1,000 live births `- 17.05 deaths/1,000 live births `. 11.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 75.24 years `- 72.73 years `. 77.87 years (2005 est.) ^= 2.94 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> 0.18% (2001 est.) ^? NA ^@ NA ^A `2 Emirati(s) `3 Emirati ^B Emirati 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982) note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982) ^C Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4% ^D Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 77.9% `- 76.1% `. 81.7% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `4 United Arab Emirates `5 none `V Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah `W none `X Trucial Oman, Trucial States `Y UAE ^H federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates ^I Abu Dhabi ^J 7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn ^K 2 December 1971 (from UK) ^L Independence Day, 2 December (1971) ^M 2 December 1971 (made permanent in 1996) ^N federal court system introduced in 1971; applies to all emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah, which are not fully integrated into the federal system; all emirates have secular courts to adjudicate criminal, civil, and commercial matters and Islamic courts to review family and religious disputes ^O none ^P `6 President Sheikh KHALIFA bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 3 November 2004), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 4 November 2004) and Vice President MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai) `7 Prime Minister MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai); Deputy Prime Minister SULTAN bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990); Deputy Prime Minister HAMDAN bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 October 2003) `8 Council of Ministers appointed by the president note: there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC) composed of the seven emirate rulers; the FSC is the highest constitutional authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation; meets four times a year; Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power `9 president and vice president elected by the Federal Supreme Council (composed of rulers of the seven emirates) for five-year terms; election last held 3 November 2004 upon the death of the UAE's Founding Father and first President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (next to be held 2009); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president `: Sheikh KHALIFA bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan elected president by a unanimous vote of the FSC; MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum unanimously reaffirmed vice president ^Q unicameral Federal National Council (FNC) or Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; members appointed by the rulers of the constituent states to serve two-year terms) `9 none note: reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto ^R Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) ^S none ^T NA ^U ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ^V `N Ambassador Asri Said Ahmad al-DHAHIRI `O 3522 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 `P [1] (202) 243-2400 `Q [1] (202) 243-2432 note: consulates in New York and Houston ^W `N Ambassador Michele SISON `Z Embassies District, Plot 38 Sector W59-02, Street No. 4, Abu Dhabi `[ P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi `P [971] (2) 414-2200 `Q [971] (2) 414-2469 `R Dubai ^X three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a wider vertical red band on the hoist side 
]% ^Y The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus. Its wealth is based on oil and gas output (about 30% of GDP), and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of those commodities. Since the discovery of oil in the UAE more than 30 years ago, the UAE has undergone a profound transformation from an impoverished region of small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. At present levels of production, oil and gas reserves should last for more than 100 years. The government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up its utilities to greater private sector involvement. In April 2004, the UAE signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with Washington and in November 2004 agreed to undertake negotiations toward a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US. ^Z $63.67 billion (2004 est.) ^[ 5.7% (2004 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $25,200 (2004 est.) ^] `; 4% `< 58.5% `= 37.5% (2002 est.) ^^ 2.36 million note: 73.9% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2004 est.) ^_ agriculture 7%, industry 15%, services 78% (2000 est.) ^` 2.4% (2001) ^a NA _! `> NA `? NA _" 3.2% (2004 est.) _P 20.8% of GDP (2004 est.) _# `@ $23.68 billion `A $25.45 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.4 billion (2004 est.) _Q 17.6% of GDP (2004 est.) _$ dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish _% petroleum, fishing, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, commercial ship repair, petrochemicals, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, textiles _& 4% (2000) _' 45.12 billion kWh (2004) _( 36.51 billion kWh (2002) _) 0 kWh (2004) _* 0 kWh (2004) _+ 2.335 million bbl/day (2004 est.) _, 310,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) _- 2.5 million bbl/day (2004 est.) _. 0 bbl/day (2004) _R 97.8 billion bbl (2004 est.) _S 44.4 billion cu m (2003 est.) _T 33.7 billion cu m (2003 est.) _U 7.19 billion cu m (2003 est.) _V 0 cu m (2003 est.) _W 6.06 trillion cu m (2004) _X $6.3 billion (2004 est.) _/ $69.48 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) _0 crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates _1 Japan 24.9%, South Korea 9.9%, India 5.4%, Thailand 5.2% (2004) _2 $45.66 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) _3 machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food _4 China 10%, India 9.8%, Japan 6.8%, Germany 6.5%, UK 6.2%, France 6.1%, US 6% (2004) _Y $18.64 billion (2004 est.) _5 $5.9 billion (2004 est.) _Z since its founding in 1971, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development has given about $5.2 billion in aid to 56 countries (2004) _7 Emirati dirham (AED) _8 Emirati dirhams per US dollar - 3.6725 (2004), 3.6725 (2003), 3.6725 (2002), 3.6725 (2001), 3.6725 (2000) note: officially pegged to the US dollar since February 2002 _9 calendar year 
]& _: 1,135,800 (2003) _; 2,972,300 (2003) _< `B modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai `C microwave radio relay, fiber optic and coaxial cable `D country code - 971; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia _= AM 13, FM 8, shortwave 2 (2004) _> 15 (2004) _? .ae _@ 56,283 (2004) _A 1,110,200 (2003) 
]' _B `! 1,088 km `E 1,088 km (including 253 km of expressways) `F 0 km (1999 est.) _[ condensate 469 km; gas 2,655 km; liquid petroleum gas 300 km; oil 2,936 km; oil/gas/water 5 km (2004) _C Al Fujayrah, Khawr Fakkan, Mina' Jabal 'Ali, Mina' Rashid, Mina' Saqr, Mina' Zayid, Sharjan _K `! 56 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 578,477 GRT/739,823 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 11, chemical tanker 5, container 6, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 21, roll on/roll off 7 `S 14 (Greece 2, Kuwait 6) `\ 200 (2005) _D 35 (2004 est.) _E `! 22 `] 8 `G 3 `^ 4 `_ 4 `T 3 (2004 est.) _L `! 13 `] 1 `G 2 `^ 3 `_ 3 `T 4 (2004 est.) _\ 2 (2004 est.) 
]( _F Army, Navy (includes Marines and Coast Guard), Air and Air Defense Force, paramilitary forces (includes Federal Police Force) _M 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001) _] males age 18-49: 653,181 note: includes non-nationals (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 526,671 (2005 est.) _^ `` 30,706 (2005 est.) _N $1.6 billion (FY00) _O 3.1% (FY00) 
]) _H because the treaties have not been made public, the exact alignment of the boundary with Saudi Arabia is still unknown; boundary agreement was signed and ratified with Oman in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah enclaves, but contents of the agreement and maps showing the alignment have not been published; UAE engage in direct talks and solicit Arab League support to resolve disputes over Iran's occupation of Lesser and Greater Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island _I the UAE is a drug transshipment point for traffickers given its proximity to southwest Asian drug producing countries; the UAE's position as a major financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering; anti-money-laundering controls improving 