Burkina Faso (2003) | United Arab Emirates (2006) | |
Administrative divisions | 45 provinces; Bale, Bam, Banwa, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Comoe, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Ioba, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komondjari, Kompienga, Kossi, Koulpelogo, Kouritenga, Kourweogo, Leraba, Loroum, Mouhoun, Namentenga, Nahouri, Nayala, Noumbiel, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Tuy, Yagha, Yatenga, Ziro, Zondoma, Zoundweogo | 7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn (Quwayn) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 46.1% (male 3,057,855; female 3,036,705)
15-64 years: 51% (male 3,296,726; female 3,455,817) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 161,914; female 219,443) (2003 est.) |
0-14 years: 24.9% (male 331,012/female 317,643)
15-64 years: 71.2% (male 1,125,286/female 726,689) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 74,700/female 27,383) note: 73.9% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products | cotton, peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock | dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish |
Airports | 33 (2002) | 37 (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 23
over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2006) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 31
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 17 (2002) |
total: 14
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 4 (2006) |
Area | total: 274,200 sq km
land: 273,800 sq km water: 400 sq km |
total: 82,880 sq km
land: 82,880 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than Colorado | slightly smaller than Maine |
Background | Independence from France came to Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. Every year, several hundred thousand seasonal farm workers seek employment in Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana and are adversely affected by instability in those regions. | The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971, six of these states - Abu Zaby, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah. The UAE's per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in the affairs of the region. |
Birth rate | 44.78 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 18.96 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $316 million
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001) |
revenues: $34.93 billion
expenditures: $29.41 billion; including capital expenditures of $3.4 billion (2005 est.) |
Capital | Ouagadougou | name: Abu Dhabi
geographic coordinates: 24 28 N, 54 22 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers | desert; cooler in eastern mountains |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 1,318 km |
Constitution | 2 June 1991 approved by referendum; 11 June 1991 formally adopted | 2 December 1971; made permanent in 1996 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Burkina Faso former: Upper Volta, Republic of Upper Volta |
conventional long form: United Arab Emirates
conventional short form: none local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah local short form: none former: Trucial Oman, Trucial States abbreviation: UAE |
Currency | Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States | - |
Death rate | 18.76 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 4.4 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Debt - external | $1.3 billion (2000) | $34.47 billion (2005 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Anthony HOLMES
embassy: 602 Avenue Raoul Follereau, Koulouba, Secteur 4 mailing address: 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou 01; pouch mail - U. S. Department of State, 2440 Ouagadougou Place, Washington, DC 20521-2440 telephone: [226] 306723 FAX: [226] 303890 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Michele J. SISON
embassy: Embassies District, Plot 38 Sector W59-02, Street No. 4, Abu Dhabi mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi telephone: [971] (2) 414-2200 FAX: [971] (2) 414-2603 consulate(s) general: Dubai |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Tertius ZONGO
chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-5577 FAX: [1] (202) 667-1882 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Saqr Ghobash Said GHOBASH
chancery: 3522 International Court NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 243-2400 FAX: [1] (202) 243-2432 consulate(s): New York, Houston |
Disputes - international | two villages are in dispute along the border with Benin; Burkina Faso border regions have become a staging area for Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire rebels and an asylum for refugees caught in regional fighting; the Ivorian Government accuses Burkina Faso of supporting Ivorian rebels | the United Arab Emirate 2006 Yearbook published a map and text rescinding the 1974 boundary with Saudi Arabia, as stipulated in a treaty filed with the UN in 1993, on the grounds that the agreement was not formally ratified; boundary agreement was signed and ratified with Oman in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah enclaves, but contents of the agreement and maps showing the alignment have not been published; Iran and UAE dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which Iran occupies |
Economic aid - donor | - | since its founding in 1971, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development has given about $5.2 billion in aid to 56 countries (2004) |
Economic aid - recipient | $484.1 million (1995) | - |
Economy - overview | One of the poorest countries in the world, landlocked Burkina Faso has few natural resources, a fragile soil, and a highly unequal distribution of income. About 90% of the population is engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture, which is vulnerable to variations in rainfall. Industry remains dominated by unprofitable government-controlled corporations. Following the African franc currency devaluation in January 1994 the government updated its development program in conjunction with international agencies, and exports and economic growth have increased. Maintenance of macroeconomic progress depends on continued low inflation, reduction in the trade deficit, and reforms designed to encourage private investment. The internal crisis in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire continues to hurt trade and industrial prospects and deepens the need for international assistance. | The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus. Its wealth is based on oil and gas output (about 30% of GDP), and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of those commodities. Since the discovery of oil in the UAE more than 30 years ago, the UAE has undergone a profound transformation from an impoverished region of small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. At present levels of production, oil and gas reserves should last for more than 100 years. The government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up its utilities to greater private sector involvement. Higher oil revenue, strong liquidity, and cheap credit in 2005 led to a surge in asset prices (shares and real estate) and consumer inflation. Any sharp correction to the UAE's equity markets could damage investor and consumer sentiment and affect bank asset quality. In April 2004, the UAE signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with Washington and in November 2004 agreed to undertake negotiations toward a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US. |
Electricity - consumption | 259.6 million kWh (2001) | 38.32 billion kWh (2002) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2004) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2004) |
Electricity - production | 279.2 million kWh (2001) | 45.12 billion kWh (2004) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 69.9%
hydro: 30.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m
highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m |
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m |
Environment - current issues | recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation | lack of natural freshwater resources compensated by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
Ethnic groups | Mossi over 40%, Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani | Emirati 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982)
note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982) |
Exchange rates | Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.7 (1999), 589.95 (1998) | Emirati dirhams per US dollar - 3.6725 (2005), 3.6725 (2004), 3.6725 (2003), 3.6725 (2002), 3.6725 (2001)
note: officially pegged to the US dollar since February 2002 |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987)
head of government: Prime Minister Ernest Paramanga YONLI (since 6 November 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 15 November 1998 (next to be held NA 2005); in April 2000, the constitution was amended reducing the presidential term from seven to five years, enforceable as of 2005, and allowing the president to be reelected only once; it is unclear whether this amendment will be applied retroactively or not; prime minister appointed by the president with the consent of the legislature election results: Blaise COMPAORE reelected president with 87.5% percent of the vote note: President COMPAORE faces an increasingly well-coordinated opposition; recent charges against a former member of his Presidential Guard in the 1998 assassination of a newspaper editor signify an attempt to defuse chronic areas of dissatisfaction |
chief of state: President KHALIFA bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 3 November 2004), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 4 November 2004); Vice President and Prime Minister MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister and Vice President MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers SULTAN bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990) and HAMDAN bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 October 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president note: there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC) composed of the seven emirate rulers; the FSC is the highest constitutional authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation; meets four times a year; Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power elections: president and vice president elected by the FSC for five-year terms (no term limits); election last held 3 November 2004 upon the death of the UAE's Founding Father and first President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (next to be held 2009); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president election results: KHALIFA bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan elected president by a unanimous vote of the FSC; MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum unanimously reaffirmed vice president |
Exports | NA (2001) | 2.5 million bbl/day (2004 est.) |
Exports - commodities | cotton, livestock, gold | crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates |
Exports - partners | Singapore 14.7%, Italy 11.3%, Colombia 8.6%, France 7.7%, India 6.9%, Ghana 6%, Japan 4.4%, Thailand 4.3% (2002) | Japan 24.6%, South Korea 9.8%, Thailand 5.6%, India 4.3% (2005) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a yellow five-pointed star in the center; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia | three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a wider vertical red band on the hoist side |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $14.51 billion (2002 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 35%
industry: 17% services: 48% (2001) |
agriculture: 4%
industry: 58.5% services: 37.5% (2002 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2002 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.6% (2002 est.) | 8.8% (2005 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 13 00 N, 2 00 W | 24 00 N, 54 00 E |
Geography - note | landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers of the Black, Red, and White Voltas | strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil |
Heliports | - | 4 (2006) |
Highways | total: 12,506 km
paved: 2,001 km unpaved: 10,505 km (1999) |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 46.8% (1994) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | the UAE is a drug transshipment point for traffickers given its proximity to Southwest Asian drug producing countries; the UAE's position as a major financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering; anti-money-laundering controls improving, but informal banking remains unregulated |
Imports | NA (2001) | 0 bbl/day (2004) |
Imports - commodities | capital goods, foodstuffs, petroleum | machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food |
Imports - partners | France 27.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 23%, Togo 4.3% (2002) | UK 10%, China 9.7%, US 9.4%, India 9.2%, Germany 5.9%, Japan 5.4%, France 4.7%, Singapore 4.1% (2005) |
Independence | 5 August 1960 (from France) | 2 December 1971 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 14% (2001 est.) | 4% (2000) |
Industries | cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold | petroleum and petrochemicals; fishing, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, commercial ship repair, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, textiles |
Infant mortality rate | total: 99.78 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 107.87 deaths/1,000 live births female: 91.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
total: 14.09 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 16.57 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.5% (2001 est.) | 10.5% (2005 est.) |
International organization participation | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2002) | - |
Irrigated land | 250 sq km (1998 est.) | 760 sq km (2003) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Appeals Court | Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) |
Labor force | 5 million
note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (2002) |
2.8 million (2005 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 90% (2000 est.) | agriculture: 7%
industry: 15% services: 78% (2000 est.) |
Land boundaries | total: 3,193 km
border countries: Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Ghana 549 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km |
total: 867 km
border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km |
Land use | arable land: 12.43%
permanent crops: 0.18% other: 87.39% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 0.77%
permanent crops: 2.27% other: 96.96% (2005) |
Languages | French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population | Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu |
Legal system | based on French civil law system and customary law | federal court system introduced in 1971; applies to all emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah, which are not fully integrated into the federal judicial system; all emirates have secular courts to adjudicate criminal, civil, and commercial matters and Islamic courts to review family and religious disputes |
Legislative branch | unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (111 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly election last held 5 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CDP 57, RDA-ADF 17, PDP/PS 10, CFD 5, PAI 5, others 17 |
unicameral Federal National Council (FNC) or Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; members appointed by the rulers of the constituent states to serve two-year terms)
elections: President KHALIFA in December 2005 announced that indirect elections would be held in early 2006 for half of the seats in the FNC; the other half would be filled by appointment note: reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 44.46 years
male: 43.02 years female: 45.94 years (2003 est.) |
total population: 75.44 years
male: 72.92 years female: 78.08 years (2006 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 26.6% male: 36.9% female: 16.6% (2003 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 77.9% male: 76.1% female: 81.7% (2003 est.) |
Location | Western Africa, north of Ghana | Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia |
Map references | Africa | Middle East |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
Merchant marine | - | total: 58 ships (1000 GRT or over) 656,003 GRT/891,837 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 7, chemical tanker 5, container 6, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 20, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 10 (Greece 2, Kuwait 8) registered in other countries: 259 (Bahamas 16, Barbados 1, Belize 5, Cambodia 1, Comoros 6, Cyprus 11, Dominica 2, Georgia 1, Hong Kong 2, India 6, Iran 1, Jordan 11, Kiribati 1, North Korea 6, Liberia 18, Malta 5, Marshall Islands 3, Mexico 1, Mongolia 5, Norway 1, Panama 105, Philippines 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 19, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 11, Saudi Arabia 1, Sierra Leone 3, Singapore 7, Somalia 1, Sri Lanka 2, Syria 1, unknown 5) (2006) |
Military branches | Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police, People's Militia | Army, Navy (includes Marines and Coast Guard), Air and Air Defense Force, paramilitary forces (includes Federal Police Force) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $45.83 million (FY02) | $1.6 billion (FY00) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.4% (FY02) | 3.1% (FY00) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 2,957,710 (2003 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 1,506,944 (2003 est.) | - |
National holiday | Republic Day, 11 December (1958) | Independence Day, 2 December (1971) |
Nationality | noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural)
adjective: Burkinabe |
noun: Emirati(s)
adjective: Emirati |
Natural hazards | recurring droughts | frequent sand and dust storms |
Natural resources | manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc, silver | petroleum, natural gas |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Pipelines | - | condensate 520 km; gas 2,580 km; liquid petroleum gas 300 km; oil 2,950 km; oil/gas/water 5 km; refined products 156 km (2006) |
Political parties and leaders | African Democratic Rally-Alliance for Democracy and Federation or RDA-ADF [Herman YAMEOGO]; Confederation for Federation and Democracy or CFD [Amadou Diemdioda DICKO]; Congress for Democracy and Progress or CDP [Roch Marc-Christian KABORE]; Movement for Tolerance and Progress or MTP [Nayabtigungou Congo KABORE]; Party for African Independence or PAI [Philippe OUEDRAOGO]; Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Joseph KI-ZERBO]; Union of Greens for the Development of Burkina Faso or UVDB [Ram OVEDRAGO] | none |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Burkinabe General Confederation of Labor or CGTB; Burkinabe Movement for Human Rights or MBDHP; Group of 14 February; National Confederation of Burkinabe Workers or CNTB; National Organization of Free Unions or ONSL; watchdog/political action groups throughout the country in both organizations and communities | NA |
Population | 13,228,460
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2003 est.) |
2,602,713 (July 2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 45% (2001 est.) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 2.6% (2003 est.) | 1.52% (2006 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 3, FM 17, shortwave 3 (2002) | AM 13, FM 8, shortwave 2 (2004) |
Railways | total: 622 km
narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge note:: another 660 km of this railway extends into Cote D'Ivoire (2002) |
- |
Religions | indigenous beliefs 40%, Muslim 50%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10% | Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.55 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 2.73 male(s)/female total population: 1.43 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
Suffrage | universal | none |
Telephone system | general assessment: all services only fair
domestic: microwave radio relay, open-wire, and radiotelephone communication stations international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai
domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber optic and coaxial cable international: country code - 971; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia |
Telephones - main lines in use | 53,200 (2000) | 1.237 million (2005) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 25,200 (2000) | 4.535 million (2005) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (2002) | 15 (2004) |
Terrain | mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast | flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east |
Total fertility rate | 6.34 children born/woman (2003 est.) | 2.88 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA% | 2.4% (2001) |
Waterways | none | - |