The United Arab Emirates is a country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, on the Persian Gulf, a federation of seven emirates that include the capital, Abu Dhabi, and the famous city of Dubai. Within little more than half a century it has been utterly transformed by oil wealth from a sparse society of desert nomads, pearl divers, and fishing villages into one of the richest and most modern nations in the world, home to gleaming cities, soaring skyscrapers, and a population made up overwhelmingly of foreign residents drawn from across the globe.
The coast was long home to Bedouin tribes, fishing communities, and a famous pearling industry, and its waters saw centuries of maritime trade and rivalry. In the nineteenth century the local rulers entered into treaties with Britain, and the area became known as the Trucial States, under British protection. The discovery of vast oil reserves transformed the region's prospects, and when Britain withdrew from the Gulf, six of the emirates united to form the United Arab Emirates in 1971, joined soon after by a seventh, under the founding leadership of Sheikh Zayed of Abu Dhabi.
The United Arab Emirates lies on the Arabian Peninsula, with a long coastline on the Persian Gulf and a short one on the Gulf of Oman. Most of the country is desert, a landscape of vast sand dunes, including part of the great Empty Quarter, broken by oases and, in the east, by the rugged Hajar Mountains near the border with Oman. The climate is hot and arid, with very little rainfall. The coast, where the great cities have grown, is dotted with islands and was the historic centre of pearling and trade, and remains the heart of the nation.
The flag of the United Arab Emirates has a vertical red band at the hoist and three horizontal bands of green, white, and black. These are the pan-Arab colours, symbolising Arab unity, and each is also given a national meaning: the red for the strength, courage, and sacrifice of the people, the green for prosperity and the land, the white for peace and honesty, and the black for the strength of mind and the defeat of enemies, as well as the oil wealth. The flag, adopted at the founding of the union in 1971, expresses the country's Arab identity and unity.
Islam is the official religion of the United Arab Emirates and the foundation of its culture, law, and national identity, with the great majority of Emirati citizens being Sunni Muslims, and Islamic practice shaping the rhythm of daily life and the calendar. Because so much of the population consists of foreign workers from around the world, however, the country is also home to large communities of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and others, and it has become notable in the region for a degree of religious tolerance, permitting churches, temples, and other places of worship for its diverse residents.
Emirati cuisine reflects the country's Bedouin and Gulf heritage, built on rice, meat, fish, and dates, and flavoured with the spices that arrived through centuries of trade. Traditional dishes include machboos, a spiced rice cooked with meat or fish, and harees, a porridge of wheat and meat, while dates and Arabic coffee are central to hospitality. Because of the vast international population, the food culture of the cities is extraordinarily cosmopolitan, with cuisines from every corner of the world, but the traditional Emirati table remains an important expression of national heritage and the famed Arab hospitality.
Agriculture is naturally limited in the United Arab Emirates by the desert climate and scarcity of water, and the country imports most of its food. Yet through irrigation, desalination, and investment, it has developed farming at oases and in greenhouses, growing dates, of which it is a notable producer, along with vegetables and fodder, and date palms are cultivated across the country. Fishing in the Gulf remains traditional and important. The economy, however, rests overwhelmingly on oil and gas, especially in Abu Dhabi, and increasingly on trade, finance, aviation, tourism, and real estate, particularly in Dubai.
The era of pearling and Bedouin life, the period of the Trucial States under British protection, and above all the discovery of oil and the founding of the federation in 1971 under Sheikh Zayed define the nation's history. In the decades since, the country has undergone one of the most rapid transformations in the world, building futuristic cities, the world's tallest building in Dubai, and global hubs of aviation, finance, and tourism. The United Arab Emirates has also become an influential player in regional affairs and, recently, a participant in space exploration.
The United Arab Emirates has a population of around 10 million people, but in a striking feature, Emirati citizens are a small minority, perhaps only a tenth of the total, while the overwhelming majority are foreign residents, including large numbers from South Asia, other Arab countries, the Philippines, and the wider world, drawn by work. Arabic is the official language, though English is very widely used as a common tongue in the diverse society. The population is overwhelmingly urban, concentrated in the great coastal cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
