United Arab Emirates

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

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

0-14 years:

25.3% (male 331,269; female 317,977)

15-64 years:

71.1% (male 1,115,826; female 707,058)

65 years and over:

3.6% (male 66,404; female 24,678) (2005 est.)

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.58 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

2.691 male(s)/female

total population:

1.442 male(s)/female (2005 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: consulates in New York and Houston

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:

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

by type:

bulk carrier 1, cargo 11, chemical tanker 5, container 6, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 21, roll on/roll off 7

foreign-owned:

14 (Greece 2, Kuwait 6)

registered in other countries:

200 (2005)

• because the treaties have not been made public, the exact alignment of the boundary with Saudi Arabia is still unknown;
• 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;
• 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