United Arab Emirates (2007) | Saint Helena (2004) | |
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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) | 1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha* |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 20.6% (male 467,931/female 447,045)
15-64 years: 78.5% (male 2,558,029/female 932,617) 65 years and over: 0.9% (male 24,914/female 13,475) note: 73.9% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2007 est.) |
0-14 years: 18.9% (male 710; female 689)
15-64 years: 71.4% (male 2,739; female 2,559) 65 years and over: 9.7% (male 319; female 399) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish | corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, crawfish (on Tristan da Cunha) |
Airports | 39 (2007) | 1 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 22
over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2007) |
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 17
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 5 (2007) |
- |
Area | total: 83,600 sq km
land: 83,600 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 410 sq km
land: 410 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Saint Helena Island, Ascension, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha, which consists of Tristan da Cunha Island, Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, and the three Nightingale Islands |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Maine | slightly more than twice 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. | Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, Saint Helena was garrisoned by the British during the 17th century. It acquired fame as the place of Napoleon BONAPARTE's exile, from 1815 until his death in 1821, but its importance as a port of call declined after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Ascension Island is the site of a US Air Force auxiliary airfield; Gough Island has a meteorological station. |
Birth rate | 16.09 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 12.68 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $54.64 billion
expenditures: $34.91 billion (2006 est.) |
revenues: $11.2 million
expenditures: $11 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY92/93) |
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) |
Jamestown |
Climate | desert; cooler in eastern mountains | Saint Helena - tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade winds; Tristan da Cunha - temperate; marine, mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena) |
Coastline | 1,318 km | 60 km |
Constitution | 2 December 1971; made permanent in 1996 | 1 January 1989 |
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: Saint Helena |
Currency | - | Saint Helenian pound (SHP) |
Death rate | 2.16 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 6.47 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $38.31 billion (2006 est.) | NA (1996) |
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 | 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 detailed 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 | - | $12.6 million (1995); note - $5.3 million from UK (1997) |
Economy - overview | The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus. Despite largely successful efforts at economic diversification, about 30% of GDP is still directly based on oil and gas output, 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. The government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up its utilities to greater private sector involvement. 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. Higher oil revenue, strong liquidity, and cheap credit in 2005-06 led to a surge in asset prices (shares and real estate) and consumer inflation. Rising prices are increasing the operating costs for businesses in the UAE and degrading the UAE's allure to foreign investors. Dependence on a large expatriate workforce and oil are significant long-term challenges to the UAE's economy. | The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK, which amounted to about $5 million in 1997 or almost one-half of annual budgetary revenues. The local population earns income from fishing, the raising of livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, 25% of the work force has left to seek employment on Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK. |
Electricity - consumption | 52.62 billion kWh (2005) | 4.65 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 57.06 billion kWh (2005) | 5 million kWh (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,060 m |
Environment - current issues | lack of natural freshwater resources compensated by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills | NA |
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) |
African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25% |
Exchange rates | Emirati dirhams per US dollar - 3.673 (2006), 3.6725 (2005), 3.6725 (2004), 3.6725 (2003), 3.6725 (2002)
note: officially pegged to the US dollar since February 2002 |
Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), |
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 in 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 affirmed vice president after the 2006 death of his brother Sheikh Maktum bin Rashid al-Maktum |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Governor and Commander in Chief David HOLLAMBY (since 1999); Michael CLANCY (taking office in October 2004) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, two ex officio officers, and six elected members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by the monarch |
Exports | 2.54 million bbl/day (2004 est.) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates | fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts |
Exports - partners | Japan 25.8%, South Korea 9.6%, Thailand 5.9%, India 4.5% (2006) | US 26.7%, Tanzania 21.9%, Indonesia 9.4%, UK 8.7%, Japan 7.4%, Netherlands 7.2%, Nigeria 6.8%, Poland 5%, Spain 4.9% (2003) |
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 Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield features a rocky coastline and three-masted sailing ship |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $18 million (1998 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 2%
industry: 62.7% services: 35.2% (2006 est.) |
agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $2,500 (1998 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 8.9% (2006 est.) | NA |
Geographic coordinates | 24 00 N, 54 00 E | 15 56 S, 5 42 W |
Geography - note | strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil | harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns |
Heliports | 5 (2007) | - |
Highways | - | total: 198 km (Saint Helena 138 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 20 km)
paved: 168 km (Saint Helena 118km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km) unpaved: 30 km (Saint Helena 20 km, Ascension 0 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km) (2000) |
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 | - |
Imports | 137,200 bbl/day (2004) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food | food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts |
Imports - partners | US 11.5%, China 11%, India 9.9%, Germany 6.2%, Japan 5.8%, UK 5.6%, France 4.1%, Italy 4% (2006) | UK 29.1%, South Africa 24.7%, Spain 16.4%, Italy 8.8%, Tanzania 8.2%, US 5.8% (2003) |
Independence | 2 December 1971 (from UK) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 4% (2000) | NA |
Industries | petroleum and petrochemicals; fishing, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, commercial ship repair, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, textiles | construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing |
Infant mortality rate | total: 13.52 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 15.77 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
total: 19.85 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 23.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 13.5% (2006 est.) | 3.2% (1997 est.) |
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, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | ICFTU, UPU |
Irrigated land | 760 sq km (2003) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) | Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court; Small Debts Court; Juvenile Court |
Labor force | 2.968 million (2006 est.) | 3,500
note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 7%
industry: 15% services: 78% (2000 est.) |
agriculture and fishing 6%, industry (mainly construction) 48%, services 46% (1987 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: 12.9%
permanent crops: 0% other: 87.1% (2001) |
Languages | Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu | English |
Legal system | based on a dual system of Shari'a and civil courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | NA |
Legislative branch | unicameral Federal National Council (FNC) or Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; 20 members appointed by the rulers of the constituent states, 20 members elected to serve two-year terms)
elections: elections for one half of the FNC (the other half remains appointed) held in the UAE on 18-20 December 2006; the new electoral college - a body of 6,689 Emiratis (including 1,189 women) appointed by the rulers of the seven emirates - were the only eligible voters and candidates; 456 candidates including 65 women ran for 20 contested FNC seats; one female from the Emirate of Abu Dhabi won a seat note: reviews legislation but cannot change or veto |
unicameral Legislative Council (16 seats, including the speaker, 3 ex officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 June 2001 (next to be held NA June 2005) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 15 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 75.69 years
male: 73.16 years female: 78.35 years (2007 est.) |
total population: 77.57 years
male: 74.67 years female: 80.61 years (2004 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 20 and over can read and write
total population: 97% male: 97% female: 98% (1987 est.) |
Location | Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia | islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between South America and Africa |
Map references | Middle East | Africa |
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: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total: 60 ships (1000 GRT or over) 617,519 GRT/858,519 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 10, chemical tanker 5, container 6, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 25, roll on/roll off 5, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 11 (Greece 3, Kuwait 8) registered in other countries: 281 (Bahamas 20, Belize 4, Cambodia 2, Comoros 5, Cyprus 10, Georgia 1, Gibraltar 2, Hong Kong 1, India 2, Iran 1, Jordan 15, North Korea 4, Liberia 22, Malta 10, Marshall Islands 14, Mexico 1, Mongolia 5, Norway 1, Panama 108, Philippines 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Sierra Leone 7, Singapore 8, Somalia 1, St Kitts and Nevis 22, St Vincent and The Grenadines 12, Turkey 1, unknown 5) (2007) |
none |
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 - percent of GDP | 3.1% (2005 est.) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 2 December (1971) | Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926) |
Nationality | noun: Emirati(s)
adjective: Emirati |
noun: Saint Helenian(s)
adjective: Saint Helenian |
Natural hazards | frequent sand and dust storms | active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha |
Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas | fish |
Net migration rate | 26.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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 | none |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 4,444,011
note: estimate is based on the results of the 2005 census that included a significantly higher estimate of net inmigration of non-citizens than previous estimates (July 2007 est.) |
7,415 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 19.5% (2003) | NA |
Population growth rate | 3.997% (2007 est.) | 0.62% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Georgetown (on Ascension), Jamestown |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 13, FM 8, shortwave 2 (2004) | AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Religions | Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), other (includes Christian, Hindu) 4% | Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.047 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 2.743 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.849 male(s)/female total population: 2.19 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | none | NA years of age |
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: can communicate worldwide
domestic: automatic network international: country code - 290; HF radiotelephone from Saint Helena to Ascension Island, which is a major coaxial submarine cable relay point between South Africa, Portugal, and UK; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 1.31 million (2006) | 2,200 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 5.519 million (2006) | 0 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 15 (2004) | 0
note: television programs are received in Saint Helena via satellite and distributed by cable (2002) |
Terrain | flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east | Saint Helena - rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains
note: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin |
Total fertility rate | 2.43 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 1.54 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 2.4% (2001) | 14% (1998 est.) |