Country and its People
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a Western Asian nation situated at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. The UAE was the Federation of six emirates in 1971, and they are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Sharjah, Umm Al-Quwain, and Fujairah. While Ras Al Khaimah, the seventh emirate, joined the Federation in 1972. Abu Dhabi is the capital and second-most populous city of the UAE. The UAE developed quickly after the Federation of 6 emirates in 1971 and became the third rich country globally as per its GDP (2020). A Sheik administers every emirate (The 7 Countries). Together, they form the structure of the Federal Supreme Council; one of them works as President of the United Arab Emirates. The President of the UAE is also the ruler of Abu Dhabi. The federal structure of UAE contains the Supreme Council, Federal National Council, and a Council of Ministers. The UAE has the world’s sixth and seventh largest proven oil and natural gas reserves. The UAE’s economy is the most differentiated of many individuals from the Gulf Cooperation Council, while its most crowded city, Dubai, is a worldwide city and global center.
Ethnic Groups
The UAE is ethnically diverse. Just around one-10th of the emirates’ residents are citizens. The rest are mostly foreign workers and their wards, with South Asians comprising the biggest of these gatherings. According to the latest census, Ethnic groups of the UAE are Emirati Arab (11.6%), 59.4% South Asian (38.2% Indian, 27.4% Pakistani, 12.5% Bangladeshi), Egyptian (7.4%), Filipino (6.1%), and Others (12.8%).
Land
The United Arab Emirates has a total land area of 83,600 sq km and borders Saudi Arabia in the west and Oman to the east and northeast. At the Persian Gulf, the UAE has coastal borders with Iran and Qatar. Abu Dhabi, the capital of UAE, is the largest emirate by area, comprising 87% of the total land area of the Federation.
Population
The UAE’s population in 2013 was 9.2 million. According to a World Bank report, the UAE’s population has reached 9.89 million in 2020. Dubai is a highly populated city in the United Arab Emirates. The annual population growth rate of the UAE is 1.2%, and its population density is 135.6 people per square kilometer. The life expectancy rate was 78 years.
Religion
Islam is the largest religion in the UAE. Shia and Sunni are the two Muslim populations in the UAE. About 85% of the Emirati population are Sunni Muslims, and 15% are Shia. There is only a small number of Christian and Hindu communities in the country. According to the latest census, 76% of the UAE populations are Islam, 13% are Eastern Christians, 7% are Hindus, 2% are Buddhists, 1% are the followers of other religion, and 1% has no faith.
Language
The United Arab Emirates has its official language as Arabic. However, most Emirati speaks the dialect of Gulf Arabic, and the expatriates more commonly speak English, Hindi, Pashto, Persian, and Balochi languages.
Economy
After Saudi Arabia, the UAE has the second-largest economy in the Middle East. The United Arab Emirates economy is highly dependent on petroleum, which has the world’s sixth and seventh-largest oil and natural gas reserves. Abu Dhabi contains the majority of oil and gas reserves in the UAE. The emirate of Dubai, whose economy is focused more on business than on oil, remains a business and financial hub for the area and leads the country in economic enhancement. Tourism is one of the growth sectors of the UAE’s economy. Dubai is the world’s most popular tourist destination. The United Arab Emirates had a GDP of $421.14 billion in 2019. The World Bank Atlas method, UAE’s Gross National Income (GNI) in 2020 is $ 424.76 billion, and GNI per capita is $ 43,470. In 2019, UAE had a very high Human Development Index value of 0.890.