United Arab Emirates
The
United Arab Emirates (also the
UAE or the
Emirates) is a
Middle Eastern country situated in the southeast of the
Arabian Peninsula in
Southwest Asia on the
Persian Gulf, comprising seven
emirates:
Abu Dhabi,
Ajmān,
Dubai,
Fujairah,
Ras al-Khaimah,
Sharjah, and
Umm al-Quwain. Before 1971, they were known as the
Trucial States or
Trucial Oman, in reference of a nineteenth-century truce between the
British and some Arab
Sheikhs. It borders
Oman and
Saudi Arabia. The country is rich in
oil.
The seven Trucial Sheikdom States of the
Persian Gulf coast granted the
United Kingdom control of their defence and foreign affairs in nineteenth-century treaties. In 1971, six of these states —
Abu Dhabi,
Ajman,
Fujairah,
Sharjah,
Dubai, and
Umm al-Qaiwain — merged to form the United Arab Emirates. They were joined in 1972 by
Ras Al Khaimah.
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 both secular and Islamic law for civil, criminal, and high courts.
Sheikh
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the union's president from the nation's founding until his death on
2 November 2004. His son,
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan was elected, by the Federal Supreme Council, president the next day.
United Arab Emirates is now the richest country in the
Muslim world [https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2004rank.html]. Though
Current GDP per capita contracted by 42% in the eighties, successful diversification helped register positive growth of 48% in the nineties.
Airlines history
The
national airline of Abu Dhabi was formerly
Gulf Air, operated jointly with
Bahrain and
Oman. On
September 132005, Abu Dhabi announced that they were withdrawing from Gulf Air to concentrate on
Etihad Airways, designated as the new national carrier of the UAE, established in November 2003.
In
1985,
Dubai established its airline
Emirates, which is now one of the fastest growing airlines in the world.
It is a 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. Even though there are court rulings all the government departments are holding their employees' passports. On termination of an employment contract, most categories of expatriates are banned from obtaining a work permit in the country for six months and a no entry stamp will be stamped on their passports.
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 emirates. Salary structures and treatment based on nationality, sex, age, and race rather than on qualification are common [2].
According to
Ansar Burney Trust (ABT), 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]. A 2004 HBO documentary [4] accuses the UAE of illegally using child jockeys in camel racing, where they are also subjected to physical and sexual abuse. Antislavery.org has documented similar allegations.[5] The ABT, which was featured heavily in the
HBO documentary, announced that in 2005 the government of the UAE began actively enforcing a ban on child camel jockeys, and that the issue "may finally be resolved". [6].
The UAE's human rights record, particularly in relation to migrant workers, was widely criticized during the trials of
Sarah Balabagan in 1995.
A website is campaigning to pressure the government of the UAE into signing up to International Labour Organization core conventions on freedom of association (see [
1]). Strikes and unions are currently banned in the UAE and many laborers are virtual prisoners, having paid huge agents' fees in order to obtain jobs and visas.
Migrant workers
Migrant workers, sometimes unskilled or skilled, comprise a large portion of UAE's workforce. A 2003 Human Rights Watch report estimates up to 90 percent of the country's 1.7 million workers are migrants. These migrants, drawn to wages often more than they could make in their home countries, have helped UAE's endless construction projects proceed rapidly. However, unlike many other countries, these foreign workers (also known as expatriates) do not have a claim to UAE citizenship and thus cannot be naturalized. This is generally only possible through marriage to a UAE or GCC citizen. People from neighboring Arab countries or Iran who entered the country illegally during the 1950's and 60's, however, are full UAE citizens, due to the fact that poor border controls existed at that time.
Migrant workers in UAE face many challenges. As mentioned above, disparities in salaries and treatment occur for different races, with Arabs and Westerners getting better pay than their Asian or non-Arab counterparts. Even among Asians there are disparities. For example, a worker from South Asia, China or Philippines may receive lower pay and worse treatment than one from Japan or Singapore.
As far as prisons are concerned, conditions are worse. Arab or Western inmates suffer little or no flogging for their crimes, but Asians are routinely flogged, not only for their offenses but also for refusing to comply with the policemen in charge. Health care is generally reserved only for Arabs, but should an Asian fall sick, he will be left to look after himself, unless his situation is grave. Al-Wathba prison is a prison complex located outside Abu Dhabi city in close proximity to the Abu Dhabi International Airport. It is one of the main prisons in the UAE and houses inmates awaiting execution and deportation and also those who have been handed life sentences. It consists of living quarters, detention center and execution grounds. Executions(a rarity) are carried out by firing squad.
|
Map of the United Arab Emirates |
The UAE lies in
Southwest Asia, bordering the
Gulf of Oman and the
Persian Gulf, between
Oman and
Saudi Arabia. It is a flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; with mountains in the east. Desert land covers over 90% of the country [
2]. Its strategic location along southern approaches to the
Strait of Hormuz makes it a vital transit point for world crude oil.
The border demarcation treaties of 1974 and 1977 between the United Arab Emirates and 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
enclave inside UAE territory, known as
Wadi Madha. It is located halfway between the
Musandam peninsula and the rest of Oman, on the
Dubai-
Hatta road in the Emirate of
Sharjah. It covers approximately 75 km² (29
mi²) and the boundary was settled in 1969. The north-east corner of Madha is closest to the
Khor Fakkan-
Fujairah road, barely 10 m (33 ft) away. Within the enclave is a 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 [
3].
Federal
Act No. 1[
4] 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 called 'Du' has been established. Du includes the telecommunications arm of Emaar properties, previously called 'Sahm'. Sahm as a telecomms operator for Emaar, a commercial and residential real estate developer, was in competition with the state-run Etisalat, and was arbritarily absorbed into Dubai Holding Company/TECOM/Dubai government prior to the formation of Du. As such, Du services are predominantly only available in Dubai Holding Company/ Emaar properties at present.
Distribution of Nationalities>| Origin | | | Emaratis (local Arabs) | | 19% |
| Other Arabs | | 23% |
| South Asians | | 45% |
| Western & east Asian | | 13% |
|
About 88% of the population of the United Arab Emirates is urban. The remaining live in tiny towns scattered throughout the country or many of the desert oilfield camps. [
5].
Rooted in
Islamic culture, the UAE has strong ties with the rest of the
Arab world. The government is committed to preserving traditional forms of art and culture, primarily through the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation. Change is very apparent in social life however - attitudes toward women are shifting, and new sports are becoming popular alongside traditional
camel racing, including golf, with two
European Tour events in the country (the
Dubai Desert Classic and the
Abu Dhabi Golf Championship) and the world's richest horse race, the
Dubai World Cup, held annually in March. [
6] Due to the predominant Muslim religious beliefs, pork and alcohol are not commonly served in the area.
While media is one of the first industries that the emirate of Dubai has sought to develop through a number of micro-cities, there remain major issues concerning freedom of speech throughout the UAE.
Dubai Media City has helped to make Dubai the media hub for the region, encompassing both the creation of media, from print through television and new media, and the advertising and marketing industry.
A number of international news organizations, including Reuters, Associated Press, Agence France Press, Bloomberg, Dow Jones Newswires, CNN and the BBC, all have a presence in Dubai Media City, and enjoy complete freedom to report on local and regional events. However, local media operate under a number of restrictions, and are strictly forbidden from criticizing the royal family.
The leading English-language newspapers in the UAE are:
*
Gulf News, the highest circulating broadsheet*
7DAYS, the highest circulating tabloid*
Khaleej Times, the second-highest circulating broadsheet*
Emirates Today, a government-owned newspaper*
Communications in the United Arab Emirates*
Foreign relations of the United Arab Emirates*
List of cities in the United Arab Emirates*
List of UAE companies*
Prominent UAE Citizens*
Schools in the UAE*
Military of the United Arab Emirates*
Transportation in the United Arab Emirates*
Dubai Ports World controversy*
Gay rights in the United Arab Emirates*
Emirates Scout Association* UAE Autocross Championship
Government*
Government of United Arab Emirates official site
*
UAE Ministry Of InformationGeneral information*
Ras Al Khaimahs Unique Website with Business Clubs in RAK & Dubai
*
Dubai Business Network largest business forum in the UAE
*[https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ae.html CIA World Factbook -
United Arab Emirates] directory category
*
Arab Links - United Arab Emirates directory category in Arabic
*
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 United Arab Emirates Information Guide - The Emirates Network
*
Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA)UAE communities and forums*
UAE Community (includes UAE IT forum)*
Dubai Forums.com*
UAE Expat Portal*
Lores of Dubai*
UAE Forum.netNon-governmental organisations*
Ansar Burney Trust - working on human rights and human trafficking issues in the Middle East; and against the use of children for slavery for
camel racing in the UAE
*
MAFIWASTA - working on workers' rights issues
Media*
Sport of Sheikhs - Emmy and duPont award winning documentary on child slavery in the UAE
*
Dubai - pearl of the middle east
*
Panoramic views of UAESport*
UAE Football Association - The official website of the association
Shopping*
UAE Free Community Classifieds - UAE Free Community Classifieds
U.A.E. based News Papers*
Gulf News*
Khaleej Times*
Emirates Today*
7 Days*
Gulf Today
