About the UAE

INTRODUCTION TO THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The United Arab Emirates (Arabic: الإمارات العربية المتحدة), often abbreviated as “Emirates” or the “UAE”, is a country located in the Middle East with a shared border with Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the Arabian Gulf. Despite its young age, the UAE has witnessed remarkable development and growth since it achieved independence on 2 December 1971 from the United Kingdom. The UAE is composed of a federation of seven Emirates, as follows:

• Abu-Dhabi;
• Dubai;
• Sharjah;
• Ajman;
• Umm Al Quwain;
• Ras Al Khaimah; and
• Fujairah

Abu-Dhabi is the capital city, while Dubai is the most populous city of the UAE. Although Arabic is the official language, English is widely spoken and understood.

GEOGRAPHY AND INDUSTRY

The United Arab Emirates (“UAE”) occupies an area of 83,600 square kilometers along the south-eastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. The land size of the United Arab Emirates is about the size of the State of Maine in the United States of America. Qatar lies to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the southwest, the Arabian Gulf to the north, and Oman to the south.

The UAE currently has a diverse economy. Oil revenues have been used over the years to create and develop a world-class infrastructure in order to stimulate economic growth. In addition, government policies have promoted business and free markets by limiting government involvement and reducing red tape.

Although a high percentage of government revenues are attributable to non-oil revenues, the UAE remains a major oil and gas producer and exporter.

HISTORY

The UAE federation was established on December 2, 1971, which is now the annually celebrated National Day of the UAE. On 2 December 2016, the UAE turned 45 years old.

GOVERNMENT AND LEGAL SYSTEMS

Since the establishment of the federation in 1971, the UAE has had a federal political system with each of the seven emirates retaining its judicial identity, unless otherwise provided by the Constitution or laws of the federal government. The UAE’s unique system has been one of the driving pillars behind the country’s success, while maintaining the traditional values and identity of the individual emirates.

POPULATION

The total population of the UAE was approximately 4.8 million in 2005; however, it should be noted that this estimate is based on the results of the last official 2005 census by the UAE government. Updated population estimates have forecasted that the population of the UAE has risen above 10 million.

NATIONAL LANGUAGE

Arabic is the national and official language of the UAE and is also the language of government. Official documents such as university diplomas frequently require translation into Arabic; however, English is widely spoken and frequently used in business and commerce between enterprises.

ECONOMY

On 6 June 1966, prior to the establishment of the UAE, oil was first discovered by the Dubai Petroleum Company at Fateh, approximately 60 miles from Dubai. Since then, the UAE has been working on a long-term vision of economic diversification and has been working on reducing the portion of GDP based on oil and gas output. The country has transformed dramatically from a small trading hub and fishing port to a modern country with a high standard of living. Part of this transformation was driven by the government’s spending on job creation, infrastructure development, tourism initiatives, and the government’s reduction of red tape to ease the efficiency of commerce. All of this was done in line with the UAE’s long-term vision to diversify from oil revenues and become the country of choice for doing business in the Middle East.

One of the most prominent incentives for entrepreneurs and investors to establish in the UAE is the several Free Trade Zones, such as the Jebel Ali Free Zone and the Dubai International Financial Centre, that were developed throughout the country, which allows 100% foreign ownership, among other benefits to foreign investors.

Commonly noted challenges to continued economic growth of the UAE that have been cited by economists in the region are the country’s dependence on oil. The UAE’s strategic plan for the foreseeable future focuses on diversification of the economy. Furthermore, the UAE is focused on using its oil revenues to create new industries such as aviation, tourism, and manufacturing to help the economy diversify from its dependence on oil.

The UAE has had success in developing its strategy to create a business environment that is conducive to economic growth. This has contributed to the world-renowned status of the UAE as an international center for trade, finance and services, and has attracted numerous multi-national global companies to set up their Middle East operations in the UAE as the premier business, logistics, and tourism hub in the Middle East.

EDUCATION

All schools in the UAE are supervised and regulated by the Ministry of Education, which regularly inspects schools to verify that rules and regulations are being complied with.

There are a number of private schools in the UAE that have adopted a variety of educational systems, such as the British, French, Indian, and American educational curriculums. There are also several universities and colleges in the UAE with American, Australian, and European affiliates offering degree and diploma courses.   Universities and colleges are regulated by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Several educational institutions have opted to set up in Knowledge Village, which is part of a free zone based in Dubai and was founded in 2002. Knowledge Village seeks to accelerate the development of the region’s human capital by providing an infrastructure and environment for a variety of educational institutions to create and disseminate knowledge.