Land area : 83,600 sq km
Population : 2,522,315
Type of government : Federation of Emirates
Government Leader :
Sheikh Zaid bin Sultan Al Nahayan, President
Official Language : Arabic
Major Religion : Islam
Unlike Saudi Arabia, the UAE allows the practice of other religions and, consequently, there are churches in the country.
Currency : UAE Dirham, divided into 100 fils
($1 = 3.66 dirhams)
International dialling code :
00971
The climate is hot and dry. The mean January temperature is 18°C (65°F.) and the mean temperature in July is 33°C (92°F). The average annual rainfall is 152mm (6in). The major natural resource is petroleum.
Temperatures from May to September are frequently in the low 40s C with high humidity common in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In the cities of Fujairah and Khor Fakkan the climate is more pleasant and also in the mountains above Ras al-Khaimah.
During the winter, the entire country generally experiences very good weather though it is often quite windy. Cold weather is not unknown and in the desert around Al-Ain, temperatures sometimes drop as low as 10°C. Winter in the inland desert is usually pleasantly brisk.
Environment
To a casual observer, the environment of the UAE may seem so forbidding that there is little to study and less to conserve. The reverse, however, is the case. Precisely because of its forbidding environment, great care must be taken to preserve it, for on such terrain as this life itself is very delicately balanced.
In the past few years, knowledge of the UAE's environment and of its natural history has grown by leaps and bounds. Both scientists and dedicated amateurs have studied the country's flowers, animals, birds and the very land itself, from desert to mountain valley, from gravel plains to coastal beaches and inlets.
Much of the vegetation of the UAE originated in Africa millions of years ago before the formation of the Red Sea. The various kinds of plants have managed to survive despite the harsh climate -- though of course they have adapted over the years.
Over the centuries, they developed new techniques in order to conserve water and stay alive. In some, the annual life cycle has been condensed into a few weeks. After a slight rain they rush to complete the transformation from seeds to flowering to the casting of seeds for another season before the soil once again grows dry.
Flowers are often small but they bloom in profusion for a short time, adding a welcome splash of colour to the monochromatic desert landscape.
Along the coast of the UAE stands of mangrove provide breeding places for fish and birds. In the Arabian Gulf, the wood was used for the building of both houses and boats.
In the UAE, unlike in many other countries, the mangrove forests are increasing in size due to an extensive programme of planting and cultivation and to the careful monitoring of marine pollution and coastal development. One large stand of mangroves adjacent to the island of Abu Dhabi has been declared a nature reserve and can no longer be visited except for scientific study.
With the help of the Al Ain-based Emirates University, areas of the desert have been fenced to protect vegetation from being grazed by livestock. At the same time, this will increase awareness and understanding of the country's vegetation and of the effect of man and his animals on the environment.
Almost as soon as the oil revenues began to pour into the UAE, the government began a programme of afforestation and planting of gardens and parks. Always an oasis, the city of Al Ain, for example, now has greenery covering over a hundred square kilometres.
Abu Dhabi itself is so well endowed with parks and gardens that it has earned the name "Garden City of the Gulf". This programme is slowly changing the face of the country and also providing new habitats for plants, animals and birds.
The oil industry
First exported in 1962, petroleum dominates the economy of the UAE. At one time an underdeveloped area, by 1985 the region had the highest per capita income in the world -- $19,120.
The immense wealth has been invested in capital improvements and social services in all seven of the emirates. Petroleum production is centred in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Industrial development is essentially petroleum related and is limited by a lack of trained personnel and raw materials. The desert supports limited irrigation for agriculture; in addition, fishing, sheep herding and poultry provide domestic food sources. The UAE enjoys a large trade surplus because of its petroleum exports.
The seven constituent parts of the UAE are Abu Dhabi, the largest and richest in terms of oil, Dubai, the commercial centre, Sharjah, Ras al-Khaimah, Fujairah, Umm al Qawain and Ajman. The main cities and towns of each emirate are all on the southern shores of the Arabian Gulf except for Fujairah which is a coastal strip on the Gulf of Oman outside the Strait of Hormuz.
Abu Dhabi is the only one of the seven emirates to qualify as an oil state in the same sense as Kuwait or Qatar. Like those two, Abu Dhabi has diversified into petrochemicals and other oil-related industries. Dubai is the second-richest emirate. Its oil income is now about one-quarter of Abu Dhabi's; however in the years before Abu Dhabi became rich, Dubai supported itself as the main trading and smuggling port in the region. In addition to being one of the main business centres of the Gulf today, it also has a huge dry-dock complex, one of the Middle East's busiest airports and a large free trade zone at Jebel Ali.
Sharjah receives a modest income from oil and it also has a very busy airport, Dubai's nearness notwithstanding. It is the main entry point for tourists visiting the UAE. Sharjah's airport and its seaport derive considerable income from cargo.
The most northern of the emirates, Ras al-Khaimah, is also dependent upon its oil income. It has also invested heavily in tourism. Fujairah, the only one of the seven emirates without a coastline on the Gulf, is also seeking tourists but it remains primarily a cargo port. Fujairah, Umm al-Qawain and Ajman all receive substantial subsidies from the federal government.
The UAE was never purely and simply a desert. Today it has become a place where greenery can be seen in both urban and rural areas. Twenty years of dedicated commitment have made the point that the process of desertification is reversible. And given time and money, that is exactly what has happened and is continuing to happen.
Visas
Citizens of GCC countries (Gulf Cooperation Council: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the Sultanate of Oman) and British nationals with the right of abode in the UK do not need visas to enter the UAE. GCC nationals can stay more or less as long as they like. Britons can stay for a month and can then apply for a visa for a further two months.
For others, the easiest and most common way to enter the UAE is on a hotel-sponsored visa. This means either a 15-day transit visit or a 30-day visit visa. The difference is that the transit visas cannot be extended. The visit visa can be extended for another 30 days by the hotel that initially acted as sponsor.
To get a visa, you must first telephone or fax the hotel making a reservation and requesting a visa. Normally the hotel will require you to stay from one to three nights. You must also fax the hotel a copy of your passport along with the reason for your visit -- tourism is an acceptable reason -- and your arrival date. Make sure the hotel faxes you a copy of the visa when it is ready or the airline may not allow you to board the flight. The time needed to process a visa usually ranges from two days to three weeks.
Whatever kind of visa you request, it will be deposited at the airport for you to collect upon arrival. Transit visas cost Dh 120 and visit visas Dh 60, but the normal hotel charge for the service is about Dh 180. If your passport shows any sign of travel to Israel, you will be denied entry to the UAE.
Population
The UAE has grown at an extremely rapid pace since its foundation.
The population has increased from about 180,000 to its present 2.5 million while the revenues from oil have enabled the government to undertake a massive construction programme: housing, schools, hospitals, roads, seaports, airports and telecommunications facilities.
The poverty of the past has been swept away but not the customs and traditions of the people.
The Dubai Museum
Al-Fahidi Fort, built in 1800, is home to the Dubai Museum, and is thought to be Dubai's oldest building.
In the past the fort was used to defend the town from warlike neighbouring tribes. It has also served, at various times throughout history as the seat of government, the ruler's residence, a store for ammunition, and a jail.
The walls of the fort are built from coral and shell rubble from the sea, and are cemented together with lime. Wooden poles called handel support the upper floor, and the ceiling is made of palm fronds, mud and plaster. A massive, iron-studded door stands at the entrance, and its battle-scarred walls and towers bear witness to the conflicts of the past.
When the Museum was opened by the ruler of Dubai in 1971, its main aim was to furnish a record of the Emirate's traditional life, much of which is fast disappearing. Local antiquities have been collected and stored, along with artefacts from many African and Asian countries, trading partners with the Emirate, throughout its long commercial history.
At the Museum's entrance, the visitor can browse through a collection of old maps of the Gulf and the Emirates, together with aerial photographs showing Dubai's considerable urban expansion between 1960 and 1980.
Inside, a treasure trove awaits. A large section is devoted to musical instruments, with displays of drums, flutes, lyres, bagpipes made of goatskin and other locally-made instruments used in performances on festive occasions.
On a less peaceful note, displays of deadly weaponry are enough to curdle the blood. The curved daggers known as hanjars are much in evidence, and the display also includes swords, spears, bows and arrows, shields made of sharkskin, pistols and axes.
A model of a wind-tower room is an interesting feature of the architecture section, with diagrams and photographs showing different types of wind-towers from the older areas of Dubai city.
Narish Khyma, situated close to the Museum, is a typical Arab summer-house, with an interesting collection of local boats. These include a replica of the famous abra -- the ferry boats used for transporting passengers across Dubai's river creek
Traditional music in the Emirates.
The music precedes the players, as the throb of drum beats beckons through the twilight. A steadily increasing stream of people, attracted by the sound and the beat, move towards the gaily coloured lights, which mark the site of the celebration. The melody grows louder, the beat more insistent. Now it is not just the sound of one drum, but of several. The steady thumping of a bass drum is now overlaid with the higher pitched tattoo of smaller drums.
As they come into view, the singers are accompanied by the wailing, treble melody of the flute. The dancers and singers are white-robed men, moving together slowly and rhythmically. Their voices rise and fall in a chorus as repetitive as the waves breaking on the sandy beaches of the Gulf shore. These entertainers may continue for half an hour or more without interruption, slowly dancing around in a circle, surrounded by a crowd of spectators. The musicians maintain their relentless rhythm, lending a totally hypnotic effect to the whole event.
But this is not only a night-time spectacle, nor is being part of the audience merely a chance encounter. Groups of these folk singers, dancers and musicians performing traditional music are increasingly common in the United Arab Emirates, and can be found at almost any celebration.
A sheikh's wedding, for example, with its accompanying celebrations on a grand public scale, will bring together several troupes of musicians and dancers from all around the Emirates. Each troupe will perform on a wide variety of instruments, and will present an equally wide variety of dances.
Music and dance are inextricably linked in the traditional Arab world, and each musical instrument plays for a specific style of dance. Among the most popular today are the Ayyalah, a stylised performance of a battle scene; the Liwa, which was brought to the Gulf by East African traders; and the Noban, which, as its name indicates, had its origin in Nubia, a southern region of Upper Egypt.
The Ayyalah is accompanied solely by drums. The leader of the ensemble is the big drum, known as Al-Ras. Its solid, deep voice sets the beat for the three smaller Takhamir drums. Tambourines are sometimes used, too; these are known as Duffuf or Tiran. The ensemble is sometimes completed by the use of copper cymbals.
Sticks of palm wood are used by Ayyalah drummers, while other types of drum are played with the hands, or with sticks and hands together. Drums can be prepared before the performance by kindling small fires which heat the drumheads and tambourines, tightening the leather to give a more melodious sound. Manual tuning is used for the big drums, by means of the ropes which hold the drumhead in place.
Although Ayyalah dancing is found throughout the Gulf, there are small variations according to region. In the UAE, the dance is performed by at least 25 men, and sometimes by as many as 200. They stand in two rows, facing each other, arms linked. As they wave camel sticks in front of them, they sway back and forth to the beat and each row sings, in a declaration of challenges and boasts to the opposite side.
The Liwa is danced to African-style music and features a pipe-flute called the Mizmar (known in Kuwait as the Sirnai). The three backing drums for this dance are the Shindo, the Jabwah, and the Jasser. More recently, a fourth drum -- known as the Peeper -- was added. This drummer plays a dominant role, which gives him plenty of opportunity for a virtuoso performance.
The Mizmar has an oboe-like sound and produces a haunting melody, which is lent particular poignancy by the eastern tonic scale to which it is tuned. Like the oboe, it is made in two pieces, with a double reed fitted into the second piece. The best instruments these days are made of African hardwood in Mombasa and Dar Es Salaam. Their cost can be as high as $2,000.
The Liwa begins with a Mizmar solo of about six minutes in slow tempo. The drums join in, followed by the ten dancers/singers, and gradually the pace increases to reach a spectacular swirl of activity. The whole dance takes about 25 minutes and both men and women can be involved in a performance.
The singing is always performed in Swahili -- the native language of Tanzania and Zanzibar. These were both major trading partners with the Gulf in centuries past, and have lent their language and culture to influence this fascinating dance.
Festive occasions often see the use of two other traditional instruments. The Tamboura (called the Simsimia in Saudi Arabia) and the Manior (the Kashkoosh in Kuwait), are both used to accompany the Noban.
The Tamboura is perhaps a relative of early harps found in other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures. It is a fairly sophisticated stringed instrument, with five horsegut strings held in tension between its wooden base, covered with camel-skin, and its wooden, bow-shaped neck. The strings are plucked with sheep's horns, which have been specially cleaned and treated for the purpose. The sound of the Tamboura is rough and strangely resonant, something akin to a bass violin.
In contrast, the Manior is far less sophisticated. It is a true example of ingenuity and of 'making-do' with whatever materials come to hand. This is a percussion instrument which, quite literally, needs to be worn in order to be played! It is made of thick cotton covered with hundreds of loosely-stitched, dried goats' hoofs. The player wraps the instrument around him like a skirt, and by twisting as he dances, he can produce a clapping sound to the beat of the Tamboura and the ubiquitous drums.
An instrument similar to the Scottish and Northumbrian bagpipes is often heard at wedding ceremonies in the Gulf today. This is the Alhaban (known as the Girbah in both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia), and features a tanned goatskin on which three pipes are fixed in a somewhat ungainly fashion. One pipe blows air into the goatskin, one plays a drone note, and the third has the melody.
The Arabian bagpipes are also interesting in that the air sack, or bladder, still retains an undeniable goat shape. This, of course, makes it a somewhat awkward armful for the player, and also lends it an air of drollery, which contributes greatly to the spirit of the performance, adding much to the general gaiety and goodwill for which these entertainments are famous.
The music of the Gulf is music for the people by the people -- a celebration of the joy of living. Long may it continue.
The United Arab Emirates is a constitutional federation of seven emirates:
Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah.
The federation was formally established on 2 December 1971.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan - Ruler of Abu Dhabi was elected as President in 1971, a post to which he has been re-elected by the Supreme Council at successive five year intervals.
The term of elected office for the Vice-President is also five years, and the post is presently held by Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The federal system of government includes:
The Supreme Council is made up of the rulers of each emirate, along with the Crown Princes and deputies of each ruler.
The Council of Ministers or Cabinet - headed by the Prime Minister, is the executive authority for the federation.
The Federal National Council - has both a legislative and supervisory role, and is a member of the International Parliamentary Union, as well as the Arab Parliamentary Union.
The Federal Judiciary - includes the Supreme Court and the Courts of First Instance.
Each of the seven emirates has its own local government - the complexity of which differs according to the size and population of each emirate. Each follows a general pattern of municipalities and departments.
The relationship between the Federal and Local Governments - is laid down in the Constitution, and allows for a degree of flexibility in the distribution of authority.
