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:

25.9% (male 333,661; female 320,368)

15-64 years:

70.9% (male 1,103,385; female 685,281)

65 years and over:

3.2% (male 58,862; female 22,358) (2004 est.)

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.61 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

2.63 male(s)/female

total population:

1.46 male(s)/female (2004 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

local short form:

none

former:

Trucial Oman, Trucial States

abbreviation:

UAE

• 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 system;
• all emirates have secular courts to adjudicate criminal, civil, and commercial matters and Islamic courts to review family and religious disputes

chief of mission:

Ambassador Asri Said Ahmad al-DHAHIRI

chancery:

3522 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 243-2400

FAX:

[1] (202) 243-2432

note: also a consulate or representative office in New York, NY

chief of mission:

Ambassador Michele 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) 414-2469

consulate(s) general:

Dubai

lowest 10%:

NA

highest 10%:

NA

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

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

total:

1,088 km

paved:

1,088 km (including 253 km of expressways)

unpaved:

0 km (1999 est.)

• condensate 469 km;
• gas 2,655 km;
• liquid petroleum gas 300 km;
• oil 2,936 km;
• oil/gas/water 5 km (2004)

total:

59 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 578,477 GRT/739,823 DWT

by type:

cargo 12, chemical tanker 5, container 7, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 21, roll on/roll off 8, short-sea/passenger 4, specialized tanker 1 (2004 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 in direct talks and solicit 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 controls improving