United Arab Emirates

• lack of natural freshwater resources compensated by desalination plants;
• desertification;
• beach pollution from oil spills

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified:

Law of the Sea

0-14 years:

26.7% (male 338,245; female 324,866)

15-64 years:

70.4% (male 1,087,927; female 661,349)

65 years and over:

2.9% (male 52,059; female 20,372) (2003 est.)

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.65 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

2.56 male(s)/female

total population:

1.47 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

noun:

Emirati(s)

adjective:

Emirati

conventional long form:

United Arab Emirates

conventional short form:

none

local long form:

Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah

abbreviation:

UAE

former:

Trucial Oman, Trucial States

local short form:

none

• federal court system introduced in 1971;
• all emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah are not fully integrated into the federal system;
• all emirates have secular and Islamic law for civil, criminal, and high courts

chief of mission:

Ambassador Asri Said Ahmad al-DHAHIRI

FAX:

[1] (202) 243-2432

telephone:

[1] (202) 243-2400

chancery:

3522 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20037

chief of mission:

Ambassador Marcelle M. WAHBA

embassy:

Al-Sudan Street, Abu Dhabi

mailing address:

P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi

telephone:

[971] (2) 4436691

FAX:

[971] (2) 4435441

consulate(s) general:

Dubai

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

• dates, vegetables, watermelons;
• poultry, eggs, dairy products;
• fish

general assessment:

modern system 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

total:

1,088 km

paved:

1,088 km (including 253 km of expressways)

unpaved:

0 km (1999 est.)

• condensate 383 km;
• gas 1,765 km;
• liquid petroleum gas 186 km;
• oil 1,266 km (2003)

total:

61 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 815,428 GRT/1,207,346 DWT

ships by type:

cargo 12, chemical tanker 4, container 7, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, petroleum tanker 25, roll on/roll off 6, short-sea passenger 4, specialized tanker 1

note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Greece 2, Italy 1, Kuwait 2 (2002 est.)

• because the treaties have not been made public, the exact alignment of the boundary with Saudi Arabia is still unknown and labeled approximate;
• boundary agreement signed and ratified with Oman in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah enclaves;
• UAE engage direct talks and Arab League support to resolve disputes over Iran's occupation of Lesser and Greater Tunb islands and Abu Musa island

• 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 legislation was signed into law by the president on 25 January 2002