Compare United Kingdom (2001) - United Arab Emirates (2001)

Compare United Kingdom (2001) z United Arab Emirates (2001)

	United Kingdom (2001)	United Arab Emirates (2001)

Administrative divisions	England - 47 boroughs, 36 counties, 29 London boroughs, 12 cities and boroughs, 10 districts, 12 cities*, 3 royal boroughs**; Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Barnsley, Bath and North East Somerset*, Bedfordshire, Bexley, Birmingham, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bolton, Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Bradford, Brent, Brighton and Hove, City of Bristol***, Bromley, Buckinghamshire, Bury, Calderdale, Cambridgeshire, Camden*, Cheshire, Cornwall, Coventry, Croydon, Cumbria, Darlington, Derby***, Derbyshire, Devon, Doncaster, Dorset, Dudley, Durham, Ealing, East Riding of Yorkshire**, East Sussex, Enfield*, Essex, Gateshead, Gloucestershire, Greenwich, Hackney, Halton, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hampshire, Haringey, Harrow, Hartlepool, Havering*, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Isle of Wight, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea***, Kent, City of Kingston upon Hull***, Kingston upon Thames**, Kirklees, Knowsley, Lambeth, Lancashire, Leeds, Leicester**, Leicestershire, Lewisham*, Lincolnshire, Liverpool*, City of London*, Luton, Manchester, Medway, Merton, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newcastle upon Tyne, Newham, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, North East Lincolnshire**, North Lincolnshire, North Somerset*, North Tyneside, Northumberland, North Yorkshire, Nottingham***, Nottinghamshire, Oldham, Oxfordshire, Peterborough**, Plymouth*, Poole, Portsmouth*, Reading, Redbridge, Redcar and Cleveland, Richmond upon Thames, Rochdale, Rotherham, Rutland, Salford, Shropshire, Sandwell, Sefton, Sheffield**, Slough, Solihull, Somerset, Southampton***, Southend-on-Sea, South Gloucestershire, South Tyneside, Southwark, Staffordshire, St. Helens, Stockport, Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent***, Suffolk, Sunderland**, Surrey, Sutton, Swindon, Tameside, Telford and Wrekin, Thurrock, Torbay, Tower Hamlets, Trafford, Wakefield*, Walsall, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth*, Warrington, Warwickshire, West Berkshire**, Westminster, West Sussex, Wigan, Wiltshire, Windsor and Maidenhead***, Wirral, Wokingham*, Wolverhampton, Worcestershire, York****; Northern Ireland - 24 districts, 2 cities; Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Belfast, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon, Down, Dungannon, Fermanagh, Larne, Limavady, Lisburn, Derry, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane; Scotland - 32 council areas; Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, The Scottish Borders, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow City, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire, Eilean Siar (Western Isles), West Lothian; Wales - 11 county boroughs, 9 counties, 2 cities and counties; Isle of Anglesey, Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff*, Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Swansea*, Torfaen, The Vale of Glamorgan, Wrexham	7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn
Age structure	0-14 years: 18.89% (male 5,778,415; female 5,486,114) 15-64 years: 65.41% (male 19,712,932; female 19,304,771) 65 years and over: 15.7% (male 3,895,921; female 5,469,637) (2001 est.)	0-14 years: 28.86% (male 354,298; female 340,498) 15-64 years: 68.74% (male 1,047,839; female 607,020) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 40,626; female 17,179) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products	cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish	dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish
Airports	489 (2000 est.)	40 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 349 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 162 914 to 1,523 m: 89 under 914 m: 55 (2000 est.)	total: 22 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 4 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 140 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 116 (2000 est.)	total: 18 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Area	total: 244,820 sq km land: 241,590 sq km water: 3,230 sq km note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands	total: 82,880 sq km land: 82,880 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Oregon	slightly smaller than Maine
Background	Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy; it currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside of the European Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. Regional assemblies with varying degrees of power opened in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland in 1999.	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 UAE. They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah. The UAE's per capita GDP is not far below those of the leading West European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed it to play a vital role in the affairs of the region.
Birth rate	11.54 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)	18.11 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget	revenues: $555.2 billion expenditures: $510.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $37.7 billion (FY00)	revenues: $6.5 billion expenditures: $7.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Capital	London	Abu Dhabi
Climate	temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast	desert; cooler in eastern mountains
Coastline	12,429 km	1,318 km
Constitution	unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice	2 December 1971 (made permanent in 1996)
Country name	conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland conventional short form: United Kingdom abbreviation: UK	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	British pound (GBP)	Emirati dirham (AED)
Death rate	10.35 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)	3.79 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external	$NA	$12.6 billion (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Philip LADER embassy: 24/31 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A1AE mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040 telephone: [44] (0) 207499-9000 (switchboard) FAX: [44] (171) 409-1637 consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh	chief of mission: Ambassador Theodore H. KATTOUF embassy: Al-Sudan Street, Abu Dhabi mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi; American Embassy Abu Dhabi, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-6010 (pouch); note - work week is Saturday through Wednesday telephone: [971] (2) 4436691 FAX: [971] (2) 4435441 consulate(s) general: Dubai
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Sir Christopher J. R. MEYER chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-6500 FAX: [1] (202) 588-7870 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco consulate(s): Dallas, Denver, Miami, Orlando (reports to Atlanta), San Juan, and Seattle	chief of mission: Ambassador Asri Said Ahmad al-DHAHIRI chancery: Suite 700, 1255 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 955-7999
Disputes - international	Northern Ireland issue with Ireland (historic peace agreement signed 10 April 1998); Gibraltar issue with Spain; Argentina claims Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); Argentina claims South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Mauritius and the Seychelles claim Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory); Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark and Iceland; territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory) overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean claim; disputes with Iceland, Denmark, and Ireland over the Faroe Islands continental shelf boundary outside 200 NM	location and status of boundary with Saudi Arabia is not final, de facto boundary reflects 1974 agreement; boundary with Oman has not been bilaterally defined; northern section in the Musandam Peninsula is an administrative boundary; claims two islands in the Persian Gulf occupied by Iran: Lesser Tunb (called Tunb as Sughra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek in Persian by Iran) and Greater Tunb (called Tunb al Kubra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg in Persian by Iran); claims island in the Persian Gulf jointly administered with Iran (called Abu Musa in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Abu Musa in Persian by Iran) - over which Iran has taken steps to exert unilateral control since 1992, including access restrictions and a military build-up on the island; the UAE has garnered significant diplomatic support in the region in protesting these Iranian actions
Economic aid - donor	ODA, $3.4 billion (1997)	-
Economic aid - recipient	-	$NA
Economy - overview	The UK, a leading trading power and financial center, deploys an essentially capitalistic economy, one of the quartet of trillion dollar economies of Western Europe. Over the past two decades the government has greatly reduced public ownership and contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with only 1% of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to decline in importance. The economy has grown steadily, at just above or below 3%, for the last several years. The BLAIR government has put off the question of participation in the euro system until after the next election, in June of 2001; Chancellor of the Exchequer BROWN has identified some key economic tests to determine whether the UK should join the common currency system, but it will largely be a political decision. A serious short-term problem is foot-and-mouth disease, which by early 2001 had broken out in nearly 600 farms and slaughterhouses and had resulted in the killing of 400,000 animals.	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 33% of GDP), and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of those commodities. Since 1973, 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. Despite higher oil revenues in 1999-2000, the government has not drawn back from the economic reforms implemented during the 1998 oil price depression. The government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up its utilities to greater private-sector involvement.
Electricity - consumption	333.012 billion kWh (1999)	34.131 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports	265 million kWh (1999)	0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports	14.5 billion kWh (1999)	0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - production	342.771 billion kWh (1999)	36.7 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 69.38% hydro: 1.55% nuclear: 26.68% other: 2.39% (1999)	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Fenland -4 m highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m	lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m
Environment - current issues	continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (has meet Kyoto Protocol target of a 12.5% reduction from 1990 levels and hopes to reduce even more); small particulate emissions, largely from vehicular traffic, remain a problem; solid waste continues to rise and recycling is very limited	lack of natural freshwater resources being overcome by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills
Environment - international agreements	party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups	English 81.5%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%, Ulster 1.8%, West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8%	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	British pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996)	Emirati dirhams per US dollar - central bank mid-point rate: 3.6725 (since 1998); 3.6711 (1997), 3.6710 (1995-96)
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948) head of government: Prime Minister Anthony C. L. (Tony) BLAIR (since 2 May 1997) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the prime minister is the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons (assuming there is no majority party, a prime minister would have a majority coalition or at least a coalition that was not rejected by the majority)	chief of state: President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (since 2 December 1971), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 6 August 1966) and Vice President MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai) head of government: Prime Minister MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai); Deputy Prime Minister SULTAN bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president note: there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC) which is composed of the seven emirate rulers; the council is the highest constitutional authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation, Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power; meets four times a year elections: president and vice president elected by the FSC (a group of seven electors) for five-year terms; election last held NA October 1996 (next to be held NA October 2001); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president election results: ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan reelected president; percent of FSC vote - NA, but believed to be unanimous; MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum elected vice president; percent of FSC vote - NA%, but believed to be unanimous
Exports	$282 billion (f.o.b., 2000)	$46 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities	manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco	crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates
Exports - partners	EU 58% (Germany 12%, France 10%, Netherlands 8%), US 15% (1999)	Japan 30%, India 7%, Singapore 6%, South Korea 4%, Oman, Iran (1999)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	calendar year
Flag description	blue with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) and which is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland); known as the Union Flag or Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including other Commonwealth countries and their constituent states or provinces, as well as British overseas territories	three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a thicker vertical red band on the hoist side
GDP	purchasing power parity - $1.36 trillion (2000 est.)	purchasing power parity - $54 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 1.7% industry: 24.9% services: 73.4% (1999)	agriculture: 3% industry: 52% services: 45% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $22,800 (2000 est.)	purchasing power parity - $22,800 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	3% (2000 est.)	4% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates	54 00 N, 2 00 W	24 00 N, 54 00 E
Geography - note	lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and now linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters	strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
Heliports	11 (2000 est.)	2 (2000 est.)
Highways	total: 371,603 km paved: 371,603 km (including 3,303 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1998 est.)	total: 4,835 km paved: 4,835 km unpaved: 0 km (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 27.3% (1991)	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the European market; major consumer of synthetic drugs, producer of limited amounts of synthetic drugs and synthetic precursor chemicals; major consumer of Southwest Asian heroin; money-laundering center	growing role as heroin transshipment and money-laundering center due to its proximity to southwest Asian producing countries and the bustling free trade zone in Dubai
Imports	$324 billion (f.o.b., 2000)	$34 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities	manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs	machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food
Imports - partners	EU 53% (Germany 14%, France 9%, Netherlands 7%), US 13%, Japan 5% (1999)	Japan 9%, US 8%, UK 8%, Italy 6%, Germany, South Korea (1999)
Independence	England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the union between England and Wales was enacted under the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284; in the Act of Union of 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanent union as Great Britain; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927	2 December 1971 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	2% (2000)	4% (2000)
Industries	machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, and other consumer goods	petroleum, fishing, petrochemicals, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, pearling
Infant mortality rate	5.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)	16.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2.4% (2000 est.)	4.5% (2000 est.)
International organization participation	AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC	ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	245 (2000)	1 (2000)
Irrigated land	1,080 sq km (1993 est.)	50 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch	House of Lords (highest court of appeal; several Lords of Appeal in Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for life); Supreme Courts of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (comprising the Courts of Appeal, the High Courts of Justice, and the Crown Courts); Scotland's Court of Session and Court of the Justiciary	Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Labor force	29.2 million (1999)	1.4 million (1998 est.) note: 75% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 1%, industry 19%, services 80% (1996 est.)	services 60%, industry 32%, agriculture 8% (1996 est.)
Land boundaries	total: 360 km border countries: Ireland 360 km	total: 867 km border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km
Land use	arable land: 25% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 46% forests and woodland: 10% other: 19% (1993 est.)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 2% forests and woodland: 0% other: 98% (1993 est.)
Languages	English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)	Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
Legal system	common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; no judicial review of Acts of Parliament; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; British courts and legislation are increasingly subject to review by European Union courts	federal court system introduced in 1971; all emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah have joined the federal system; all emirates have secular and Islamic law for civil, criminal, and high courts
Legislative branch	bicameral Parliament comprised of House of Lords (consists of approximately 500 life peers, 92 hereditary peers and 26 clergy) and House of Commons (659 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms unless the House is dissolved earlier) elections: House of Lords - no elections (some proposals for further reform include elections); House of Commons - last held 7 June 2001 (next to be held by NA May 2006) election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Labor 412, Conservative and Unionist 166, Liberal Democrat 52, other 29 note: in 1998 elections were held for a Northern Ireland Parliament (because of unresolved disputes among existing parties, the transfer of power from London to Northern Ireland came only at the end of 1999 and was rescinded in February 2000); in 1999 there were elections for a new Scottish Parliament and a new Welsh Assembly	unicameral Federal National Council or Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; members appointed by the rulers of the constituent states to serve two-year terms) elections: none note: reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 77.82 years male: 75.13 years female: 80.66 years (2001 est.)	total population: 74.29 years male: 71.84 years female: 76.86 years (2001 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling total population: 99% (1978 est.) male: NA% female: NA%	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79.2% male: 78.9% female: 79.8% (1995 est.)
Location	Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France	Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Map references	Europe	Middle East
Maritime claims	continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM	contiguous zone: 24 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine	total: 200 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,934,776 GRT/3,760,240 DWT ships by type: bulk 4, cargo 31, chemical tanker 11, combination ore/oil 1, container 47, liquefied gas 3, passenger 14, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 52, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 19, short-sea passenger 10, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 2 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 1 (2000 est.)	total: 70 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,094,256 GRT/1,421,333 DWT ships by type: cargo 16, chemical tanker 3, container 17, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 24, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1 (2000 est.)
Military branches	Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air Force	Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense, paramilitary (includes Federal Police Force)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$36.884 billion (FY97)	$1.6 billion (FY00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	2.7% (FY97)	3.1% (FY00)
Military manpower - availability	males age 15-49: 14,599,199 (2001 est.)	males age 15-49: 778,842 note: includes non-nationals (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	males age 15-49: 12,139,930 (2001 est.)	males age 15-49: 420,484 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age	-	18 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	-	males: 25,482 (2001 est.)
National holiday	Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, celebrated on the second Saturday in June (1926)	Independence Day, 2 December (1971)
Nationality	noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural) adjective: British	noun: Emirati(s) adjective: Emirati
Natural hazards	NA	frequent sand and dust storms
Natural resources	coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, silica, arable land	petroleum, natural gas
Net migration rate	1.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)	1.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines	crude oil (almost all insignificant) 933 km; petroleum products 2,993 km; natural gas 12,800 km	crude oil 830 km; natural gas, including natural gas liquids, 870 km
Political parties and leaders	Conservative and Unionist Party [William HAGUE]; Democratic Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Rev. Ian PAISLEY]; Labor Party [Anthony (Tony) Blair]; Liberal Democrats [Charles KENNEDY]; Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru) [Ieuan Wyn JONES]; Scottish National Party or SNP [John SWINNEY]; Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS]; Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [John HUME]; Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [David TRIMBLE]	none
Political pressure groups and leaders	Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Confederation of British Industry; National Farmers' Union; Trades Union Congress	NA
Population	59,647,790 (July 2001 est.)	2,407,460 note: includes 1,576,472 non-nationals (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line	17%	NA%
Population growth rate	0.23% (2001 est.)	1.59% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors	Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover, Falmouth, Felixstowe, Glasgow, Grangemouth, Hull, Leith, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Peterhead, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Scapa Flow, Southampton, Sullom Voe, Tees, Tyne	'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Das Island, Khawr Fakkan, Mina' Jabal 'Ali, Mina' Khalid, Mina' Rashid, Mina' Saqr, Mina' Zayid, Umm al Qaywayn
Radio broadcast stations	AM 219, FM 431, shortwave 3 (1998)	AM 13, FM 7, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios	84.5 million (1997)	820,000 (1997)
Railways	total: 16,878 km broad gauge: 342 km 1.600-m gauge (190 km double track); note - all 1.600-m gauge track, of which 342 km is in common carrier use, and is in Northern Ireland standard gauge: 16,536 km 1.435-m gauge (4,928 km electrified; 12,591 km double or multiple track) (1996)	0 km
Religions	Anglican 27 million, Roman Catholic 9 million, Muslim 1 million, Presbyterian 800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 400,000, Hindu 350,000, Jewish 300,000 (1991 est.)	Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.73 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 2.36 male(s)/female total population: 1.5 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	none
Telephone system	general assessment: technologically advanced domestic and international system domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optic systems international: 40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large international switching centers	general assessment: modern system consisting of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai domestic: microwave radio relay and coaxial cable international: 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	34.878 million (1997)	915,223 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular	13 million (yearend 1998)	1 million (1999)
Television broadcast stations	228 (plus 3,523 repeaters) (1995)	15 (1997)
Terrain	mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast	flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east
Total fertility rate	1.73 children born/woman (2001 est.)	3.23 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate	5.5% (2000 est.)	NA%
Waterways	3,200 km	none

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