|
Home page
-
United Arab
Emirates
Geography
The United Arab
Emirates, in the eastern
part of the Arabian
Peninsula, extends along
part of the Gulf of Oman
and the southern coast
of the Persian Gulf. The
nation is the size of
Maine. Its neighbors are
Saudi Arabia to the west
and south, Qatar to the
north, and Oman to the
east. Most of the land
is barren and sandy.
Government
Federation formed in
1971 by seven emirates
known as the Trucial
States—Abu Dhabi
(the
largest),
Dubai,
Sharjah,
Ajman,
Fujairah,
Ras al-Khaimah,
and
Umm al-Qaiwain. In
addition to a federal
president and prime
minister, each emirate
has a separate ruler who
oversees the local
government.
History
Originally the area was
inhabited by a seafaring
people who were
converted to Islam in
the 7th century. Later,
a dissident sect, the
Carmathians, established
a powerful sheikdom, and
its army conquered
Mecca. After the
sheikdom disintegrated,
its people became
pirates. Threatening the
Sultanate of Muscat and
Oman early in the 19th
century, the pirates
provoked the
intervention of the
British, who in 1820
enforced a partial truce
and in 1853 a permanent
truce. Thus what had
been called the Pirate
Coast was renamed the
Trucial Coast. The
British provided the
nine Trucial states with
protection but did not
formally administer them
as a colony.
The British withdrew
from the Persian Gulf in
1971, and the Trucial
states became a
federation called the
United Arab Emirates
(UAE). Two of the
Trucial states, Bahrain
and Oman, chose not to
join the federation,
reducing the number of
states to seven.
The country signed a
military defense
agreement with the U.S.
in 1994 and one with
France in 1995.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan
Al Nahyan, the founder
of the
UAEand ruler of
the federation since
1971, died in Nov. 2004.
His son succeeded him.
In Jan. 2006, Sheik Maktoum bin Rashid Al
Maktoum, the prime
minister of the
UAE
and
the emir of
Dubai, died.
Crown Prince Sheikh
Muhammad ibn Rashid al-Maktoum
assumed both roles.
In March 2006, the U.S.
Congress objected to and
thwarted the takeover of
six American seaports by
Dubai Ports World, owned
by the
UAE's government,
citing national security
concerns.
Economy
Industries involving the
area's oil and
natural-gas deposits are
still critical to the
economy, and provide the
bulk of export earnings.
However, the country's
increasingly diversified
economy relies also on
international banking,
financial services,
regional corporate
headquarters, and
tourism. The traditional
occupations of fishing
and pearling are still
practiced, and there is
some agriculture (dates,
vegetables, watermelon,
poultry). Aluminum,
fertilizer, and textiles
are manufactured, and
there is commercial ship
repair. Imports include
machinery and equipment,
chemicals, and food;
trading partners are
Japan, India, Great
Britain, South Korea,
and China. The
UAE
has a
large trade surplus.
| |
| |
|
|
|
