Essay Example on the United Arab Emirates

Introduction

The United Arab Emirates is a country in the Middle East at the end of Arabian Peninsula. In the south, it borders Saudi Arabia, Oman to the east, on the north Iran and Qatar to the west. UAE was formed in December 1971 and consists of seven federal emirates including Abu Dhabi, Ras al-Khaimah, and Umm al-Quwain, Ajman, Fujairah, and Dubai. Abu Dhabi acts as the capital city of the country. Each emirate is governed by a monarch, and one of the monarchs becomes the president of UAE. The official language of the country is Arabic with Islam being the official religion.

People have been occupying the land of Emirates for thousands of years. The country developed together with Iran and Mesopotamia probably due to copper trade which commenced at 3000BCE. Due to the harsh environment, the versatile tribesmen emerged with their primary economic activity being agriculture, animal husbandry, and hunting. Netherlands and Portugal had their holding in the 18thh century but retreated with the entrance of the British naval in the 19th century. The emirates then united to form Trucial Oman. In 1971, after the independence of Qatar and Bahrain, the rulers of Dubai and Abu Dhabi prepared a constitution and formed a union then invited the other five emirate leaders and offered them the opportunity to join the partnership (News, 2017).

The United Arab Emirates borders the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and south of Strait of Hormuz. Of the six emirates, Abu Dhabi is the largest covering about 87% of the whole area and Ajman is the smallest. Dubai is the most populated. The country has a coast with most of it consisting of salt pans and the largest harbor being in Dubai. There are numerous islands in the Persian Gulf (HYoussef & KirkPatrick, 2017). The country also has numerous dunes and oasis, mostly in Abu Dhabi. The climate is subtropical arid with warm winters and hot summers. July and August are the hottest months.

The federation is of hereditary absolute monarchies which are governed by the federal supreme council of the seven monarchs. The president and prime minister are elected by the supreme council but essentially hereditary with the monarch of Abu Dhabi being the president and monarch of Dubai, the prime minister. UAE has diplomatic relations with many countries including UN and OPEC.

After Saudi Arabia, UAE has the largest economy. It has a really good economy and environment regulations. The economy of UAE is reliant on oil except in Dubai. Abu Dhabi is famous for natural gas and petroleum. Another great contributor to the economy of UAE is tourism, with Dubai being the biggest destination in the Middle East. The laws of the country do not allow the formation of trade unions, and collective bargaining and the right to strike are prohibited (USNews, 2017).

The culture of UAE is greatly influenced by Persia, East Africa, and India and based on the Arabian culture. The country has a diverse culture with Ed al Fitr being one of the biggest holidays. According to their culture, men wear kandura while female wear Abaya. Poetry is quite common with great influence from 8th-century Arab scholars. The country has numerous museums that act as tourist attractions. Locally, people sing and dance Lewa, a traditional form of entertainment with its roots from Bantu people.

The United Arab Emirates is a unique country made up of seven emirates. This makes it unique compared with other Middle East countries.

Reference

Youssef, N., & KirkPatrick, D. D. (2017, December 2). United Arab Emirates. New York Times .

News, B. (2017, August 29). United Arab Emirates Country Profile. BBC News .

USNews. (2017). United Arab Emirates. USNews .