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The United Arab Emirates is located on the southeastern end of the Arabian Peninsula and consists of seven emirates, which are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubayy, Al Fujayrah, Ra's al Khaymah, Shariqah and Umm al Qaywayn. It is bound by the Persian Gulf to the north, Oman to the east, Saudi Arabia to the west and south as well as Qatar to the northwest. The country is an inhospitable desert while the Trucial coast is characterized by shallow seas, reefs, sandbars and islets. The United Arab Emirates has an open economy with a high per capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus.
Area: 83,600 sq km
Population: 2,195,600
Capital: Abu Dhabi
People: Emirati 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% note: less than 20% are UAE citizens
Language: Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
Religion: Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), other (includes Christian, Hindu) 4%
Government: Confederate of Absolute Monarchies
GDP: US$129.4 billion
Major Industries: Aluminum smelting, cement, fish processing, fish meal, natural gas liquefaction, oil production, and steel milling.
Major Trading Partners: Its main trading partners are Japan, France, the Netherlands, the USA, Spain, the UK, Italy and the Netherlands Antilles.
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