United Arab Emirates Passport

[Country Name] The United Arab Emirates.

【 Area 】 83600 square kilometers.

【 Population 】 10.24 million (as of July 2024), with 88% being foreigners, mainly from countries such as India, Pakistan, Egypt, Syria, and Palestine. Most residents believe in Islam and belong to the Sunni sect. Arabic is the official language and English is commonly used.

【 Capital 】 Abu Dhabi.

[Head of State] President Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan succeeded to the presidency in May 2022 after the passing of former President Khalifa.

[Important holiday] National Day: December 2nd.

【 Natural Geography 】 Located in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, bordering the Persian Gulf to the north, with a coastline of 734 kilometers. It borders Saudi Arabia to the west and south, and Oman to the east and northeast. It belongs to the tropical desert climate and is divided into two seasons throughout the year. The hot season is from May to October, and the highest temperature can reach over 50 ℃; From November to April of the following year is the cool season, with the lowest temperature reaching 7 ℃. Occasionally experiencing sandstorms. The average precipitation is about 100 millimeters, mostly concentrated between January and February.

In the 7th century AD, it belonged to the Arab Empire. Since the 16th century, colonialists such as Portugal, the Netherlands, and France have successively invaded. In the early 19th century, Britain invaded the Persian Gulf region and forced seven local emirates to sign a "permanent ceasefire treaty" with it in 1820. Afterwards, each emirate gradually became a protectorate of Britain. On March 1, 1971, the United Kingdom announced the termination of treaties signed with various emirates at the end of the year. On December 2 of the same year, the United Arab Emirates was declared established, with six emirates forming a federal state. In 1972, the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah joined the federation. The country's abbreviation is "United Arab Emirates".

The Federal Supreme Council is composed of chiefs from seven emirates and is the highest authority. Major domestic and foreign policy formulation, federal budget review, and legal and treaty approval are all discussed and decided by the committee. The President concurrently serves as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Except for relatively unified diplomacy and defense, each emirate has considerable independence and autonomy. The federal funding is mainly borne by the two emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

On July 18, 1971, the Federal Supreme Council passed an interim constitution, which was declared effective on December 2 of the same year. In December 1996, the Federal Supreme Council passed a resolution designating the interim constitution as the permanent constitution and designating Abu Dhabi as the permanent capital of the United Arab Emirates.

The Federal National Assembly, established in 1972, is a political advisory body with a term of four years. The parliament is composed of 40 members, with quotas roughly allocated according to the proportion of citizens in each emirate. In December 2005, former President Khalifa announced the implementation of indirect elections for half of the parliament, with half of the members elected through elections and the remaining members still nominated by the chiefs of each emirate and appointed by the president. The Speaker and two Vice Speakers are elected by the Parliament. In October 2019, the United Arab Emirates held its 17th National Assembly elections. In November, Saqr Ghubash was elected as the Speaker of the 17th National Assembly of the United Arab Emirates. In October 2023, the United Arab Emirates will hold its 18th National Assembly elections. In November, Sagar Gubash was re elected as Speaker.

The current government was formed in February 2016 with a total of 37 members, including 9 female members. Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum also serves as the Federal Vice President and Chief of Dubai. In March 2023, President Mohammed decided to appoint one Vice President and appoint his brother, Deputy Prime Minister and Director of the Presidential Office, Mansour. In July 2024, Mohammed's Vice President and Prime Minister's second son, Dubai Crown Prince Hamdan, was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, while Mohammed's brother and current Foreign Minister Abdullah was promoted to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.

The administrative divisions consist of 7 emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman, Fujairah, and Umm Al Quwain.

Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan: President. Born in 1961, the third son of the first President of the United Arab Emirates, Zayed. In November 2004, he was appointed as the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and in December of the same year, he became the Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Committee. Appointed as the Deputy Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces in January 2005. After the passing of former President Khalifa on May 13, 2022, he successively succeeded as the Chief of Abu Dhabi and the Federal President.

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum: Vice President and Prime Minister, Sheikh of Dubai. Born in 1949, the younger brother of former Vice President and Prime Minister, Dubai Sheikh Maktoum. Appointed as the Federal Minister of Defense in 1971; In 1995, he was appointed as the Crown Prince of Dubai; In January 2006, he took over as the Sheikh of Dubai and in February of the same year, he became the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. Starting from July 2024, he will no longer concurrently serve as the Minister of National Defense.

Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan: Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister, Director of the Presidential Office. Born in 1970, the younger brother of President Mohammed. Appointed as Minister of Presidential Affairs in 2004; Appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs in 2009; In March 2023, appointed as Vice President and Vice Premier, and Director of the Presidential Office.

The economy is mainly based on oil production and petrochemical industry. While developing the petrochemical industry, the government prioritizes the development of diversified economy, expanding trade, and increasing the proportion of non oil income in the gross domestic product. Efforts are made to develop industries such as cement, aluminum refining, plastic products, building materials, clothing, and food processing, and to attach importance to the development of agriculture, animal husbandry, and fisheries; Make full use of various financial resources and focus on developing cultural, educational, and health services. In recent years, efforts have been made to develop a knowledge-based economy centered on information technology, while also focusing on the research and development of renewable energy. Abu Dhabi, the capital, became the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency in June 2009.

Main economic data (2023):

Gross Domestic Product: 457.4 billion US dollars

Per capita Gross Domestic Product: 50600 US dollars

Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate: 2.4%

Currency name: Dirham

Exchange rate: 1 US dollar ≈ 3.67 dirhams

Oil and natural gas resources are very abundant. The proven oil reserves are about 13 billion tons, accounting for approximately 5.6% of global reserves and ranking eighth in the world. The proven natural gas reserves are 4.24 billion tons, accounting for approximately 3.2% of global reserves and ranking ninth in the world.

The main industry is the petrochemical industry. In addition, there are industries such as natural gas liquefaction, aluminum refining, plastic products, building materials, clothing, and food processing.

Agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry, and fisheries are underdeveloped. The total arable land area in China is 320000 hectares, with 270000 hectares already cultivated. The main agricultural products include dates, corn, vegetables, lemons, etc. Grain dependence on imports; Fishery products and dates can basically meet domestic demand; The scale of animal husbandry is very small, and the main meat products rely on imports. In recent years, the government has adopted policies to encourage agriculture, providing free seeds, fertilizers, and interest free loans to farmers, and implementing package sales for all agricultural products to ensure farmers' income and promote the development of agriculture.

There are modern highways connecting the various emirates in terms of transportation and communication. There are two railways built within the territory: one is the freight railway from Habshan to Luvis, with a total length of 266 kilometers; The other is the Federal Railway connecting the east and west ends of the UAE, integrating passenger and freight functions. The first phase, with a total length of 264 kilometers, was put into operation in 2014, and the second phase, with a total length of 650 kilometers, was put into operation in October 2022.

Highway: With a total length of approximately 4080 kilometers, the road quality ranks among the top in the world.

Water transportation: There are 12 major seaports with an annual cargo throughput of 105 million tons. The container throughput capacity is 26.5 million TEUs per year. Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi is the most automated port in the Middle East. Dubai's Jebel Ali Port is the world's largest man-made port and the largest port in the Middle East.

Air freight: There are a total of 39 airports within the country, including 7 international airports such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In the competitive ranking of global airlines, Emirates Airlines ranks first among Arab countries. Bilateral aviation agreements have been signed with 156 countries, including China, and over 110 airlines from around the world have scheduled flights to various airports in the United Arab Emirates.

The banking industry is well-developed, with 23 domestic banks and over 100 foreign banks and other financial institutions. Foreign exchange is not restricted, currencies can freely enter and exit the country, and exchange rates are stable. The federal government's fiscal revenue comes from the oil or trade revenue of each emirate.

The United Arab Emirates joined the World Trade Organization in 1995. Foreign trade occupies an important position in the economy. Mainly exporting petroleum, natural gas, petrochemical products, aluminum ingots, and a small amount of local specialty products; Mainly importing grain, machinery, and consumer goods. The foreign trade situation in recent years is as follows (in billions of US dollars):

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