Country Facts - United Arab

The People

Nationality

Emirati(s)

Ethnic Composition

South Asian	50%
Arab and Iranian	23%
Emiri	19%
Other	8%

Religious Composition

Sunni Muslim	80%
Shi'a Muslim	16%
Christian, Hindu, other	4%

Languages Spoken

Arabic (official), Farsi, English, Hindi, and Urdu

Education and Literacy

Education is compulsory from ages 6 to 12. The national literacy rate stands at 79.2 percent for those citizens over the age of 15.

Labor Force

Total: 1.6 million (2000)
By occupation:

Services	78%
Industry	15%
Agriculture	7%

Note: 73.9% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 2002)

Geography

Land Mass Total

32,000 sq mi (82,880 sq km)

Land

32,000 sq mi (82,880 sq km)

Land Boundaries

Total: 538 mi (867 km)

Border countries: Oman 254 mi (410 km), Saudi Arabia 283 mi (457 km)

Coastline

818 mi (1,318 km)

Maritime claim

Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate/Weather

Desert; cooler in eastern mountains.

Terrain

Flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east.

Elevation extremes

Lowest: Persian Gulf 0 ft (0 m)
Highest: Jabal Yibir 5,009 ft (1,527 m)

Natural Resources

Petroleum, natural gas

Land use

Arable land	0%
Permanent crops	%
Other	99%

(1998)

Natural hazards

Frequent sandstorms and dust storms.

Environment - current issues

Lack of natural freshwater resources being overcome by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills.

Geography Note

Strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil.

Demographics

Population

2,445,989 (July 2002)
Note: includes 1,576,472 non-nationals

Age structure

0-14 years:	27.7%	Male: 345,077	Female: 331,545
15-64 years:	69.7%	Male: 1,069,443	Female: 635,275
65 years and over:	2.6%	Male: 45,989	Female: 18,660

(2002)))

Growth Rate

1.58% (2002)

Life Expectancy

74.52 years (2002)
Female: 77.1 years
Male: 72.06 years

GDP Per Capita

Purchasing power parity
US$21,100 (2001)

Infant Mortality

16.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)

Sex ratio

At birth:	1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years:	1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:	1.68 male(s)/female
65 years and over:	2.46 male(s)/female
Total population:	1.48 male(s)/female

(2002)

Net migration rate

1.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)

Economy & Trade

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 33% of GDP), and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of those commodities. Since 1973, 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. Growth in real GDP had slowed to 1.8 percent in 2001 due to reduced oil export revenues, but it recovered to 2.5 percent for 2002. It is expected to reach 3.3 percent for 2003. Growth in the non-oil sectors of the economy is expected to outpace the oil sector over the next several years resulting from an increase in capital investment and the proactive governmental monetary policy.

Unemployment

N/A

Inflation Rate

4.5% (2000)

Industries

Petroleum, fishing, petrochemicals, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, pearling

Exports

US$47.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000)

Imports

US$28.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$51 billion (2001)

Top Export Partners

Japan 30%, India 7%, Singapore 6%, South Korea 4%, Oman, Iran (1999)

Top Import Partners

Japan 9%, UK 8%, US 8%, Italy 6%, Germany, South Korea (1999)

Top Exports

Crude oil 45%, natural gas, re-exports, dried fish, dates

Top Imports

Machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food

Debt - external

US$12.6 billion (2001)

Economic aid

N/A

Fiscal Year:

Calendar year

Business Workweek

	Saturday - Wednesday (Islamic workweek)	Friday
Offices	8a.m. to 6p.m. Some offices may break for four hours during the day (1p.m. to 5p.m.) and remain open until 8p.m.	Closed Thursdays, many offices close at 1p.m.
Retail	9a.m. to 1p.m. and 4p.m. to 9p.m. Large retail centers may be open from 10a.m. to 10p.m.; some supermarkets open 24 hours	Most shops and shopping centers are open, except between 11:30a.m. to 1:30p.m. for prayer.
Banks	8a.m. to 1p.m. Thursdays 8a.m. to 12 noon. Some banks are also open Saturday to Wednesday from 4:30p.m. to 6p.m.	Closed
Government	7:30a.m. to 2:30p.m.	Closed mid-day Thursday to Saturday morning.

Note: All private and government businesses will have slightly shorter hours during the month of Ramadan and on Thursdays.

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Festival of Sacrifice (Eid Al Adha)¹	February 12	February 2	January 21
Islamic New Year²	March 5	February 22	February 10
Birthday of Prophet Mohammad (Mawlid an Nabi)³	May 14	May 2	April 21
Accession of HH Sheikh Zayed	August 6	August 6	August 6
Start of Ramadan*¹	October 27	October 15	October 4
National Day	December 2	December 2	December 2
End of Ramadan (Eid Al Fitr)*²	November 26	November 14	November 3

¹	Culmination of the Hajj or Holy Pilgrimage.
²	The lunar Islamic Hijra calendar is made up of 12 months, each month alternating between 29 and 30 days per month, culminating in a total of 354 days per year. The Hijra calendar is based on the cycles of the moon and annually moves 11 days backward through the seasons.
³	The Birthday of the Prophet Mohammad is celebrated on the twelfth day in the month of Rabi'l of the Islamic calendar.
*¹	Ramadan (the month of fasting) begins with the first appearance of the new moon in the ninth month of the lunar Islamic Hijra calendar, and lasts 30 days. Dates for the start of Ramadan will vary from country to country, depending on the first appearance of the moon.
*²	Feasting that officially marks the end of Ramadan, and commonly lasts for three days.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press