United Arab Emirates (2006) | Anguilla (2006) | |
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Administrative divisions | 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) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Age structure | 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.) |
0-14 years: 22.8% (male 1,557/female 1,510)
15-64 years: 70.4% (male 4,878/female 4,608) 65 years and over: 6.9% (male 412/female 512) (2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products | dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish | small quantities of tobacco, vegetables; cattle raising |
Airports | 37 (2006) | 3 (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | 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) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | 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) |
total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2006) |
Area | total: 82,880 sq km
land: 82,880 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 102 sq km
land: 102 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Maine | about half the size of Washington, DC |
Background | 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. | Colonized by English settlers from Saint Kitts in 1650, Anguilla was administered by Great Britain until the early 19th century, when the island - against the wishes of the inhabitants - was incorporated into a single British dependency, along with Saint Kitts and Nevis. Several attempts at separation failed. In 1971, two years after a revolt, Anguilla was finally allowed to secede; this arrangement was formally recognized in 1980, with Anguilla becoming a separate British dependency. |
Birth rate | 18.96 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 14.17 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $34.93 billion
expenditures: $29.41 billion; including capital expenditures of $3.4 billion (2005 est.) |
revenues: $22.8 million
expenditures: $22.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
Capital | name: Abu Dhabi
geographic coordinates: 24 28 N, 54 22 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
name: The Valley
geographic coordinates: 18 13 N, 63 04 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | desert; cooler in eastern mountains | tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds |
Coastline | 1,318 km | 61 km |
Constitution | 2 December 1971; made permanent in 1996 | Anguilla Constitutional Order 1 April 1982; amended 1990 |
Country name | 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 |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Anguilla |
Death rate | 4.4 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 5.34 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Debt - external | $34.47 billion (2005 est.) | $8.8 million (1998) |
Dependency status | - | overseas territory of the UK |
Diplomatic representation from the US | 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 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | 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 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | 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 | none |
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 | - | $9 million (2004 est.) |
Economy - overview | 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. | Anguilla has few natural resources, and the economy depends heavily on luxury tourism, offshore banking, lobster fishing, and remittances from emigrants. Increased activity in the tourism industry, which has spurred the growth of the construction sector, has contributed to economic growth. Anguillan officials have put substantial effort into developing the offshore financial sector, which is small, but growing. In the medium term, prospects for the economy will depend largely on the tourism sector and, therefore, on revived income growth in the industrialized nations as well as on favorable weather conditions. |
Electricity - consumption | 38.32 billion kWh (2002) | 42.6 million kWh |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2004) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2004) | - |
Electricity - production | 45.12 billion kWh (2004) | NA kWh |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Crocus Hill 65 m |
Environment - current issues | lack of natural freshwater resources compensated by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills | supplies of potable water sometimes cannot meet increasing demand largely because of poor distribution system |
Environment - international agreements | 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 | 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) |
black (predominant) 90.1%, mixed, mulatto 4.6%, white 3.7%, other 1.5% (2001 Census) |
Exchange rates | 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 |
East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001)
note: fixed rate since 1976 |
Executive branch | 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 |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Andrew N. GEORGE (since 10 July 2006)
head of government: Chief Minister Osbourne FLEMING (since 3 March 2000) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from among the elected members of the House of Assembly elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor |
Exports | 2.5 million bbl/day (2004 est.) | $14.56 million (2005 est.) |
Exports - commodities | crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates | lobster, fish, livestock, salt, concrete blocks, rum |
Exports - partners | Japan 24.6%, South Korea 9.8%, Thailand 5.6%, India 4.3% (2005) | UK, US, Puerto Rico, Saint-Martin (2004) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a wider vertical red band on the hoist side | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Anguillan coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts three orange dolphins in an interlocking circular design on a white background with blue wavy water below |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 4%
industry: 58.5% services: 37.5% (2002 est.) |
agriculture: 4%
industry: 18% services: 78% (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 8.8% (2005 est.) | 10.2% (2004 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 24 00 N, 54 00 E | 18 15 N, 63 10 W |
Geography - note | strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil | the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles |
Heliports | 4 (2006) | - |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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 | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe |
Imports | 0 bbl/day (2004) | $129.9 million (2005 est.) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food | fuels, foodstuffs, manufactures, chemicals, trucks, textiles |
Imports - partners | UK 10%, China 9.7%, US 9.4%, India 9.2%, Germany 5.9%, Japan 5.4%, France 4.7%, Singapore 4.1% (2005) | US, Puerto Rico, UK (2004) |
Independence | 2 December 1971 (from UK) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 4% (2000) | 3.1% (1997 est.) |
Industries | petroleum and petrochemicals; fishing, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, commercial ship repair, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, textiles | tourism, boat building, offshore financial services |
Infant mortality rate | 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.) |
total: 20.32 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 26.67 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 10.5% (2005 est.) | 5.3% |
International organization participation | 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 | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS (associate), UPU |
Irrigated land | 760 sq km (2003) | NA |
Judicial branch | Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) | High Court (judge provided by Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court) |
Labor force | 2.8 million (2005 est.) | 6,049 (2001) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 7%
industry: 15% services: 78% (2000 est.) |
agriculture/fishing/forestry/mining 4%, manufacturing 3%, construction 18%, transportation and utilities 10%, commerce 36%, services 29% (2000 est.) |
Land boundaries | total: 867 km
border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0.77%
permanent crops: 2.27% other: 96.96% (2005) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mostly rock with sparse scrub oak, few trees, some commercial salt ponds) (2005) |
Languages | Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu | English (official) |
Legal system | 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 | based on English common law |
Legislative branch | 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 |
unicameral House of Assembly (11 seats total, 7 elected by direct popular vote, 2 ex officio members, and 2 appointed; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 21 February 2005 (next to be held 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - AUF 38.9%, ANSA 19.2%, AUM 19.4%, APP 9.5%, independents 13%; seats by party - AUF 4, ANSA 2, AUM 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 75.44 years
male: 72.92 years female: 78.08 years (2006 est.) |
total population: 77.28 years
male: 74.35 years female: 80.3 years (2006 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 77.9% male: 76.1% female: 81.7% (2003 est.) |
definition: age 12 and over can read and write
total population: 95% male: 95% female: 95% (1984 est.) |
Location | Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico |
Map references | Middle East | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | 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 |
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
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) |
registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2006) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | Army, Navy (includes Marines and Coast Guard), Air and Air Defense Force, paramilitary forces (includes Federal Police Force) | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $1.6 billion (FY00) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 3.1% (FY00) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 2 December (1971) | Anguilla Day, 30 May |
Nationality | noun: Emirati(s)
adjective: Emirati |
noun: Anguillan(s)
adjective: Anguillan |
Natural hazards | frequent sand and dust storms | frequent hurricanes and other tropical storms (July to October) |
Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas | salt, fish, lobster |
Net migration rate | 0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 6.9 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 | none | Anguilla United Movement or AUM [Hubert HUGHES]; The Anguilla United Front or AUF [Osbourne FLEMING, Victor BANKS], a coalition of the Anguilla Democratic Party or ADP and the Anguilla National Alliance or ANA; Anguilla Progressive Party or APP [Roy ROGERS]; Anguilla Strategic Alternative or ANSA [Edison BAIRD] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 2,602,713 (July 2006 est.) | 13,477 (July 2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 23% (2002) |
Population growth rate | 1.52% (2006 est.) | 1.57% (2006 est.) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 13, FM 8, shortwave 2 (2004) | AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004) |
Religions | Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4% | Anglican 29%, Methodist 23.9%, other Protestant 30.2%, Roman Catholic 5.7%, other Christian 1.7%, other 5.2%, none or unspecified 4.3% (2001 Census) |
Sex ratio | 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.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
Suffrage | none | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | 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 |
general assessment: NA
domestic: modern internal telephone system international: country code - 1-264; microwave radio relay to island of Saint Martin (Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 1.237 million (2005) | 6,200 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 4.535 million (2005) | 1,800 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 15 (2004) | 1 (1997) |
Terrain | flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east | flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone |
Total fertility rate | 2.88 children born/woman (2006 est.) | 1.73 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 2.4% (2001) | 8% (2002) |