This unique imbalance is due to the country’s exceptionally high net migration rate of 21.71, the world’s highest. A 1,200 km (750 mi) country-wide railway is under construction which will connect all the major cities and ports. Due to the announced expansion of Al Maktoum Airport on 28 April 2024, Dubai International Airport will be shut down once Al Maktoum Airport expansion will be completed. Wynn Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah will feature the first casino in the country and will also be the country’s first integrated resort when it opens in March 2027.
In 1906, the British Political Resident, Percy Cox, confirmed in writing to the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan (‘Zayed the Great’), that Khor Al Adaid belonged to his sheikhdom. Under the 1892 treaty, the trucial sheikhs agreed not to dispose of any territory except to the British and not to enter into relationships with any foreign government other than the British without their consent. The following year, Britain and a number of local rulers signed a maritime truce, giving rise to the term Trucial States, which came to define the status of the coastal emirates.
The historic Abu Dhabi–Dubai agreement
Numerous islands are found in the Persian Gulf, and the ownership of some of them has been the subject of international disputes with both Iran and Qatar. Six of the emirates are situated along the Persian Gulf, and the seventh, Fujairah, is on the eastern coast of the peninsula with direct access to the Gulf of Oman. Mindful of the protests in nearby Bahrain, in November 2012 the UAE outlawed online mockery of its government or attempts to organise public protests through social media.
Migrant workers
- Abu Dhabi has an area of 67,340 square kilometres (26,000 square miles), which is 86.7% of the country’s total area, excluding the islands.
- France and the United States have played the most strategically significant roles with defence cooperation agreements and military material provision.
- Due to the announced expansion of Al Maktoum Airport on 28 April 2024, Dubai International Airport will be shut down once Al Maktoum Airport expansion will be completed.
The charge of piracy is disputed by modern Emirati historians, including the current ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Sultan Al Qasimi, in his 1986 book The Myth of Arab Piracy in the Gulf. The harsh desert environment led to the emergence of the “versatile tribesman”, nomadic groups who subsisted due to a variety of economic activities, including animal husbandry, agriculture, and hunting. Individual rights such as the freedoms of assembly, association, expression, and the freedom of the press are severely repressed. The country has the most diversified economy among the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), having become less reliant on natural resources in the 21st century and increasingly focusing on tourism and business. The United Arab Emirates has the world’s seventh-largest oil reserves and seventh-largest natural gas reserves. As of 2024update, the UAE has an estimated population of over 10 million; Dubai is the country’s largest city.
When Dubai’s oil exports commenced in 1969, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, was able to invest the revenues from the limited reserves found to spark the diversification drive that would create the modern global city of Dubai. As oil revenues increased, the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, undertook a massive construction program, building schools, housing, hospitals, and roads. A number of undersea oil surveys were carried out, including one led by the famous marine explorer Jacques Cousteau. The tribal nature of society and the lack of definition of borders between emirates frequently led to disputes, settled either through mediation or, more rarely, force. In 1952, they formed the Trucial States Council, and appointed Adi Al Bitar, Dubai’s Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum’s legal advisor, as secretary general and legal advisor to the council. The British set up a development office that helped in some small developments in the emirates.
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, ruler of Abu Dhabi and the country’s first president (1971–2004), oversaw rapid development of the Emirates by investing revenues from newly found oil into healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Notable international tournaments hosted by the UAE have included the 2014 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, and three editions of the Asia Cup (1984, 1995, and 2018). There are a number of international cricket venues in the UAE, which are frequently used for international tournaments and “neutral” bilateral series due to the local climate and Dubai’s status as a transport hub. The headquarters of the International Cricket Council (ICC) have been located in the Dubai Sports City complex since 2005, including the ICC Academy which was established in 2009. Aside from the national prevalence of falconry, the UAE have played a formative role internationally in the co-ordination of UNESCO’s recognition of falconry as intangible heritage.
- The United Arab Emirates is a federal constitutional monarchy made up from a federation of seven hereditary tribal monarchy-styled political units called Sheikhdoms.
- The UAE uses the title Sheikh instead of Emir to refer to the rulers of individual emirates.
- The non-oil trade has grown to 1.2 trillion AED, a growth by around 28 times from 1981 to 2012.
- 2024 will be the third consecutive year that the UAE holds first place as the world’s leading wealth magnet, as 6,700 wealthy migrants are set to move to the country.
- In January 2008, France and the UAE signed a deal allowing France to set up a permanent military base in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
This growth is mainly due to the influx of foreign workers into the country, making the national population a minority. They continue to face criticism for its ongoing contribution to climate change and human rights abuses, despite participating in these international events. They established a Soft Power Council in 2017 in order to address their international image. The country has been a leading supporter of Israel’s genocide in Gaza as well as funding the genocide in Sudan, through direct support and supply of weapons to the arab supremicist rebel group in the Sudanese civil war. The UAE has expanded its international influence, subsequently committing human rights abuses across national borders.
The issue of sexual abuse among female domestic workers is another area of concern, particularly given that domestic servants are not covered by the UAE labour law of 1980 or the draft labour law of 2007. The Arab Organization for Human Rights obtained testimonies from defendants who claimed being kidnapped, tortured and abused in detention centers; they reported sixteen methods of torture including beatings, threats with electrocution and denial of medical care. One notable example is Ryan Cornelius, a 71-year-old British citizen who has been unlawfully detained in the UAE since 2008.
The uniqueness of the country’s natural desert life, especially with the Bedouins, also facilitates the country’s tourist industry. The country’s major tourist attraction includes the famous Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the tallest tower in the world; The World archipelago and Palm Jumeirah also in Dubai; Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi; Al Hajar Mountains in Fujairah. The state oil firm was alleged of exploiting the UAE’s COP28 presidency to pursue oil and gas deals. The Barakah nuclear power plant is the first on the Arabian peninsula and expected to reduce the carbon footprint of the country. Although the oil and gas sector continues to be significant to the UAE economy, these efforts have yielded great resilience during periods of oil price fluctuations and economic turbulence. The UAE leadership initiated economic diversification efforts even before the oil price crash in the 1980s, resulting in the UAE having the most diversified economy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region at present.
British era and discovery of oil
Literature and other written works by modern Emiratis are not well known globally because the majority of writers in country do not publish in English, women are restricted from participating in traditional literary groups, and freedom of expression is surpessed. Abu Dhabi nationals were brought under the scheme from 1 June 2008 and Dubai followed for its government employees. In February 2008, the Ministry of Health unveiled a five-year health strategy for the public health sector in the northern emirates, which fall under its purview and which, unlike Abu Dhabi and Dubai, do not have separate healthcare authorities. The education system through secondary level is administered by the Ministry of Education in all emirates except Abu Dhabi, where it falls under the authority of the Department of Education and Knowledge. Dubai International Airport became the busiest airport in the world by international passenger traffic in 2014, overtaking London Heathrow. The northern emirates are rapidly following suit, providing major incentives for developers of residential and commercial property.
This requirement is derived from Sharia law and has been federal law since 2005. Since September 2020, corporal punishment is no longer a legal form of punishment under UAE federal law. The UAE is also producing weapons and ammunition through Caracal International, military transport vehicles through Nimr LLC, and unmanned aerial vehicles collectively through Emirates Defence Industries Company. The UAE has begun production of a greater amount of military equipment, in a bid to reduce foreign dependence and help with national industrialisation. The UAE intervened in the Libyan Civil War in support of General Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army in its conflict with the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA). Gulf Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates, showed interest in engaging with the Syrian transitional government to promote political transition and address regional concerns following the fall of the Assad regime.
Culture
The United Arab Emiratesb (UAE), also known simply as the Emirates,c is a country in West Asia, situated at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. Sharjah declared a ‘Child- and Family-Friendly” emirate Economically, the nation has travelled far beyond its early dependence on oil, with non-oil sectors now contributing over three-quarters of GDP. What began in 1971 as a bold political experiment between seven small Emirates has grown into a stable, secure and globally influential country. The UAE remains the only successful federal system in the Arab world to have endured and flourished over time. The country became officially known as Dawlat Al Imarat Al Arabiyya Al Muttahida – the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Human rights organisations consider the UAE substandard on human rights, ranking low in the human freedom index due to reports of government critics being imprisoned and tortured, families harassed by the state security apparatus, and cases of forced disappearances. The Federal Supreme Council, made up of the seven ruling emirs, is the highest state authority; it jointly appoints one member as federal president, who appoints a prime minister, who in turn forms and leads the cabinet. The UAE is considered a middle power in global affairs; Dubai serves as an international hub of finance, tourism, and commerce. It consisted of 152 articles, setting out the structure of the federal government while allowing individual Emirates to retain local authority.
The Trucial States and British Protection before the UAE
Public schools in the country are free for citizens of the UAE, while the fees for private schools vary. The public schools are government-funded and the curriculum is created to match the United Arab Emirates’ development goals. Other religions also exist in the United Arab Emirates, including Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Judaism, Baháʼís, and Druze.
In 2023, the country held its largest mass trial where defendants were not given fair treatment. In a mass trial in 2013, human rights activist and lawyer, Salim al-Shehhi claimed he was held in solitary confinement and forced to give a confession to crimes he was accused of. The state security apparatus in the UAE has been accused of human rights abuses including forced disappearance, arbitrary arrests and torture. Protests by foreign workers have been suppressed, and protesters imprisoned without due process; including in 2008, 2012, and most recently in 2023. Additionally, the kafala system, or sponsorship for work results in a significant cost to migrant workers and conditions comparable to indentured servitude.
UAE National Day: 7 key facts about how the UAE was formed
Dubai has an area of 3,885 square kilometres (1,500 square miles), which is equivalent to 5% of the country’s total area, excluding the islands. Abu Dhabi has an area of 67,340 square kilometres (26,000 square miles), which is 86.7% of the country’s total area, excluding the islands. The Emirate of Dubai is the most populous emirate with 35.6% of the UAE population. The country was ranked 91 out of 137 states and is far below the average scoring for development towards a democracy, and is the third least democratic country in the Middle East. The UAE ranks poorly in freedom indices measuring civil liberties and political rights. The UAE also has a National Youth Council, which is represented in the UAE cabinet by the Minister of Youth.
Foreign relations
The growing interest in playing a role in the international entertainment industriy is an attempt to scour the country’s image of its ongoing human rights violations. The country’s judicial system lacks any form of transparency or independence, and international organizations have called on the UN to form an independent committee to review all allegations of torture, incommunicado detention, and unfair trials. In 2025, the country ranked 18 out of 100 in terms of the freedom index, due to a lack of free elections, lack of government transparency and accountability, and a lack of free media and independent judicial system, and low scores against other metrics. The United Arab Emirates has a federal court system, and the emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Ras Al Khaimah also have local court systems. In 2025, multiple reports exposed the UAE for supplying the arab supremacist with weapons, in violation of international sanctions, and used to commit genocide in the region. All responsibilities not granted to the federal government are reserved to the individual emirate.
Two months later, in March, the government announced the closure of shopping malls, schools, and places of worship, in addition to imposing a 24-hour curfew, and suspending all Emirates passenger flights. In January 2006, Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the prime minister of the UAE and the ruler of Dubai, died, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum assumed both roles. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan succeeded Sheikh Khalifa as crown prince of https://chickenroadapp.in/ Abu Dhabi. On 2 November 2004, the UAE’s first president, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, died.