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Hotels in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates Information
book online hotel Cities in United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi (info)
Dubai (info)
Sharjah
Al Ain
Fujairah
Ras Al Khaimah
United Arab Emirates
Official language
Arabic
Capital
Abu Dhabi
Largest City
Dubai
Area
75,150 km˛ (29,016 mi˛)
Population  - Total (2005)  - Density
Ranked 136th 4,041,000 46/km˛
HDI (2003)
0.849 (41st) – high
President
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan
Prime Minister
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Independence declared
2 December 1971
Currency
UAE dirham
Time zone
UTC +4
National anthem
Arabic Emirati Tahiat Alalam
Internet TLD
.ae
Calling code
971
Hotels in United Arab Emirates





United Arab Emirates Information
Politics


Main article: Politics of the United Arab Emirates

Federal institutions
The Supreme Council consists of the individual rulers of the seven emirates. The President and Vice-President are elected by the Supreme Council every five years. Although unofficial, the Presidency is de facto hereditary to the Al-Nahyan clan of Abu Dhabi and the Premiership is hereditary to the Al-Maktoom clan of Dubai. The Supreme Council also elects the Council of Ministers, while an appointed 40-member Federal National Council, drawn from all the emirates, reviews proposed laws. There is a federal court system; all emirates except Dubai and Ras al-Khaimah have joined the federal system; all emirates have secular and Islamic law for civil, criminal, and high courts.
Sheikh Al Nahyan">Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the union's president from the nation's founding until his death on 2 November 2004. His son, Al Nahayan">Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan was elected president the next day.
The 7 Emirates and their present rulers
Emirates of the United Arab Emirates

The UAE comprises the following seven emirates:

Abu Dhabi - Sheikh Al Nahayan">Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan (Arabic: ?????: ????? ?? ???? ?? ?????), since 2004
Ajman - Al Nuaimi">Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi (Arabic:?????: ???? ?? ???? ?? ?????), since 1981
Dubai - Sheikh Al Maktoum">Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Arabic:?????: ???? ?? ???? ?? ?????), since 2006
Al Sharqi">Hamad bin Muhammad Al Sharqi (Arabic:?????: ??? ?? ???? ?? ????), since 1974
Al Qasimi">Sheikh Saqr bin Muhammad Al Qasimi (Arabic:?????: ??? ?? ???? ?? ?????), since 1948
Al Qasimi">Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi (Arabic:???????/?????: ????? ?? ???? ?? ?????), since 1987
Al Mualla">Rashid bin Ahmad Al Mualla (Arabic:?????: ???? ?? ???? ?? ????), since 1981

Human rights and labor issues

It is common practice for employers in the UAE to retain employees' passports for the duration of the employment contract to prevent expatriate employees from changing jobs. This is an illegal practice, but it is almost never investigated, let alone punished by the government. On termination of an employment contract, certain categories of expatriates are banned from obtaining a work permit in the country for six months.
The United States Department of State has cited widespread instances of blue collar labor abuse in the general context of the United Arab Emirates [1].
The government has been criticized by human rights agencies such as Human Rights Watch for its inaction in addressing the discrimination against Asian workers in the emirate. Salary structures based on nationality, sex, age, and race rather than on qualification are common [2].
According to Ansar Burney Trust, an illegal sex industry thrives in the emirates, especially in Dubai. This complements the tourism and hospitality industry, a major part of Dubai's economy [3]. According to Antislavery.org, UAE has been found to use child jockeys in camel racing, violating both human rights laws and child sex laws.
The UAE's human rights record, particularly in relation to migrant workers, was widely criticised during the trials of Sarah Balabagan in 1995.
A website www.mafiwasta.com is campaigning to pressure the government of the UAE into signing up to International Labour Organisation core conventions on freedom of association. Strikes and unions are currently banned in the UAE and many labourers are virtual prisoners, having paid huge agents' fees in order to obtain jobs and visas.

Geography


Main article: Geography of the United Arab Emirates

Map of the United Arab Emirates
Map of the United Arab Emirates
The UAE lies in Saudi Arabia. It is a flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; with mountains in the east. Its strategic location along southern approaches to the Strait of Hormuz makes it a vital transit point for world crude oil. The UAE is considered to be one of the fifteen states that comprise the so-called "Cradle of Humanity".
The border demarcation treaties of Saudi Arabia were never made public. Therefore the exact border of the two countries is only known to their governments.
Exclaves and enclaves
There is an Omani Fujairah road, barely 10 m (33 ft) away. Within the enclave is an UAE exclave called Nahwa, also belonging to the Emirate of Sharjah. It is about 8 km (5 mi) on a dirt track west of the town of New Madha. It consists of about 40 houses with its own clinic and telephone exchange [4].

Technology and telecommunications

Federal Act No. 1[5] of 1976 establishes the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation as the sole telephone and telecommunications provider in the country, however freezones and modern housing developments are exempt from this and utilise a separate telecommunications company.
For the majority of the UAE, Etisalat has a monopoly on business and personal telecommunications services.
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) requires Etisalat to actively censor Internet sites. Material deemed offensive is often blocked.
Recently, a new Telephone company and Internet Service Provider (previously called Sahamnet and now a subsidiary of Dubai Internet City) has launched to serve expatriates who have purchased freehold property within the UAE. The new company competes with Etisalat but its scope of operations is limited and in fact runs on the Etisalat Internet backbone. Although this alternate provider is not censored it operates a stringent firewall that restricts incoming port connections. Dubai Internet City's 100 MBit connectivity makes it a haven for illegal file sharing.

Universities


Ajman University of Science and Technology Network
American University of Sharjah
American University in Dubai
Higher Colleges of Technology
UAE University in Al Ain
Zayed University
The British University in Dubai
University of Wollongong in Dubai
The Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi
University of Sharjah

External links

Find more information on United Arab Emirates by searching one of Wikipedia's sister projects:
Dictionary definitions from Wiktionary
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Quotations from Wikiquote
Source texts from Wikisource
Images and media from Commons
News stories from Wikinews

Government

Government of United Arab Emirates official site
UAE Ministry Of Information

General information

Ras Al Khaimahs Unique Website with Business Clubs in RAK & Dubai
Dubai Business Network largest business forum in the UAE
CIA World Factbook - United Arab Emirates directory category
Open Directory Project - United Arab Emirates directory category
US State Department - United Arab Emirates includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports
Dubai City Guide
The Emirates Network
Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA)

UAE communities and forums

Dubai Forums.com
UAE Expat Portal
Lores of Dubai
UAE Forum.net
UAE Forum.org





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