United Arab Emirates Overview
United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven independent Arab states in southwestern Asia. These states lie along the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, at the south end of the Persian Gulf. From west to east, they are Abu Dhabi, Dubayy (also spelled Dubai), Ash Shariqah, Ajman, Umm al Qaywayn, Ras al Khaymah, and Al Fujayrah. The capital city of each state has the same name as the state.
These Cities, particularly Dubai and Abu Dhabi, combine the latest in modern architecture, the most luxurious in hotels and the ultimate in limousines. But these are not sterile places.
The Emirates has seen such expansion in the last twenty years that huge numbers of Egyptians, Yemenis, Indians, Philippinos and Europeans have moved in to help run the enterprise that is the UAE, bringing their own cultures with them.
Worth singling out amongst natural landmarks are the mountains at Al Ain, the desert wadis (dried up rivers), and of course the creek at Dubai, still populated with Arab dhows.
The United Arab Emirates has a hot climate with little rainfall. The humidity is often high along the coast, but the inland desert regions are dry. The mountainous areas are generally cooler and receive more rainfall than the rest of the country. Summer temperatures in the UAE average more than 90 °F (32 °C) and often reach 120 °F (49 °C). In winter, temperatures in the UAE seldom drop below 60 °F (16 °C).
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
CAPITAL: Abu Dhabi
POPULATION: 4.6 million
LANGUAGE: Arabic, Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
CURRENCY: United Arab Emirates Dirham
ELECTRIC CURRENT: 220V, 50Hz. To power any electrical item an international adapter or either a two or three pin plug is required.
COUNTRY CODE: UE
COUNTRY DIALLING CODE: +971
TIME ZONE: GMT/UTC +4
There is a high threat from terrorism. We believe terrorists may be planning to carry out attacks in the UAE. Attacks could be indiscriminate and could happen at any time, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers. You should maintain a high level of security awareness, particularly in public places.
Information provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK www.fco.gov.uk