243 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
243 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 83,600 km2; land area: 83,600 km2
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than Maine
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Land boundaries: 1,016 km total; Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 586 km,
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Qatar 20 km
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Coastline: 1,448 km
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Maritime claims:
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Continental shelf: defined by bilateral boundaries or equidistant
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line
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 3 nm (assumed), 12 nm for Ash Shariqah
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(Sharjah)
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Disputes: boundary with Qatar is in dispute; no defined boundary
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with Saudi Arabia; no defined boundary with most of Oman, but
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Administrative Line in far north; claims three islands in the Persian
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Gulf occupied by Iran (Jazireh-ye Abu Musa or Abu
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Musa, Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg or Greater Tunb, and Jazireh-ye
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Tonb-e Kuchek or Lesser Tunb)
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Climate: desert; cooler in eastern mountains
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Terrain: flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand
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dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east
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Natural resources: crude oil and natural gas
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Land use: arable land NEGL%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
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pastures 2%; forest and woodland NEGL%; other 98%; includes irrigated
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NEGL%
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Environment: frequent dust and sand storms; lack of natural
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freshwater resources being overcome by desalination plants;
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desertification
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Note: strategic location along southern approaches to
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Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
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PEOPLE
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Population: 2,389,759 (July 1991), growth rate 5.7% (1991)
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Birth rate: 30 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 3 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 30 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 23 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 74 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 4.9 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Emirian(s), adjective--Emirian
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Ethnic divisions: Emirian 19%, other Arab 23%, South Asian
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(fluctuating) 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East
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Asians) 8%; less than 20% of the population are UAE citizens (1982)
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Religion: Muslim 96% (Shia 16%); Christian, Hindu, and other
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4%
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Language: Arabic (official); Persian and English widely spoken in
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major cities; Hindi, Urdu
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Literacy: 68% (male 70%, female 63%) age 10 and over but definition
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of literacy not available (1980)
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Labor force: 580,000 (1986 est.); industry and commerce 85%,
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agriculture 5%, services 5%, government 5%; 80% of labor force is foreign
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Organized labor: trade unions are illegal
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: United Arab Emirates (no short-form name);
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abbreviated UAE
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Type: federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE central
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government and other powers reserved to member emirates
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Capital: Abu Dhabi
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Administrative divisions: 7 emirates (imarat,
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singular--imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), Ajman, Al Fujayrah,
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Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, Ras al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn
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Independence: 2 December 1971 (from UK; formerly Trucial States)
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Constitution: 2 December 1971 (provisional)
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Legal system: secular codes are being introduced by the UAE
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Government and in several member shaykhdoms; Islamic law remains
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influential
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National holiday: National Day, 2 December (1971)
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Executive branch: president, vice president, Supreme Council of
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Rulers, prime minister, Council of Ministers
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Legislative branch: unicameral Federal National Council (Majlis
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Watani Itihad)
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Judicial branch: Union Supreme Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--President Shaykh Zayid bin Sultan Al NUHAYYAN,
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(since 2 December 1971), ruler of Abu Dhabi;
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Vice President Shaykh Maktum bin Rashid al-MAKTUM (since 8 October 1990),
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ruler of Dubayy;
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Head of Government--Prime Minister Shaykh Maktum bin Rashid
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al-MAKTUM (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy;
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Deputy Prime Minister Sultan bin Zayid Al NUHAYYAN (since 20 November
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1990)
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Political parties and leaders: none
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Suffrage: none
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Elections: none
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Communists: NA
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Other political or pressure groups: a few small clandestine
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groups are active
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Member of: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77,
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GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,
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INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC,
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OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Abdullah bin Zayid
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Al NUHAYYAN; Chancery at Suite 740, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW,
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Washington DC 20037; telephone (202) 338-6500;
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US--Ambassador Edward S. WALKER, Jr.; Embassy at Al-Sudan Street,
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Abu Dhabi (mailing address is P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi); telephone 971
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(2) 336691; there is a US Consulate General in Dubayy (Dubai)
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Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black
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with a thicker vertical red band on the hoist side
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ECONOMY
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Overview: The UAE has an open economy with one of the world's
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highest incomes per capita outside the OECD nations. This wealth is based
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on oil and gas, and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices
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of those commodities. Since 1973, when petroleum prices shot up, the UAE
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has undergone a profound transformation from an impoverished region of
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small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard of
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living. At present levels of production, crude oil reserves should last
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for over 100 years.
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GDP: $27.3 billion, per capita $12,100; real growth rate 10%
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(1989 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3-4% (1989 est.)
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Unemployment rate: NEGL (1988)
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Budget: revenues $3.8 billion; expenditures $3.7 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $NA (1989 est.)
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Exports: $15.0 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
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commodities--crude oil 65%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish,
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dates;
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partners--US, EC, Japan
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Imports: $9.0 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
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commodities--food, consumer and capital goods;
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partners--EC, Japan, US
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External debt: $11.0 billion (December 1989 est.)
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Industrial production: growth rate - 9.3% (1986)
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Electricity: 5,773,000 kW capacity; 15,400 million kWh produced,
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6,830 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: petroleum, fishing, petrochemicals, construction
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materials, some boat building, handicrafts, pearling
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Agriculture: accounts for 2% of GNP and 5% of labor force; cash
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crop--dates; food products--vegetables, watermelons, poultry, eggs,
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dairy, fish; only 25% self-sufficient in food
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Economic aid: donor--pledged $9.1 billion in bilateral aid to less
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developed countries (1979-89)
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Currency: Emirian dirham (plural--dirhams);
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1 Emirian dirham (Dh) = 100 fils
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Exchange rates: Emirian dirhams (Dh) per US$1--3.6710 (fixed rate)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Highways: 2,000 km total; 1,800 km bituminous, 200 km gravel and
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graded earth
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Pipelines: 830 km crude oil; 870 km natural gas, including natural
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gas liquids
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Ports: Al Fujayrah, Khawr Fakkan, Mina Jabal Ali,
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Mina Khalid, Mina Rashid, Mina Saqr,
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Mina Zayid
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Merchant marine: 57 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 925,424
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GRT/1,543,716 DWT; includes 22 cargo, 8 container, 2 roll-on/roll-off
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cargo, 20 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 bulk
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Civil air: 8 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 38 total, 35 usable; 20 with permanent-surface runways;
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7 with runways over 3,659 m; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 5 with runways
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1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: adequate system of radio relay and coaxial
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cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubayy; 386,600 telephones;
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stations--8 AM, 3 FM, 12 TV; satellite communications ground
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stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1
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ARABSAT; submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan;
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tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; radio relay to Saudi Arabia
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Federal Police Force
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 940,130; 516,218 fit for
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military service
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Defense expenditures: $1.59 billion, 6.8% of GDP (1988)
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