Some facts about UAE

United Arab Emirates or Al-Imarat al-'Arabiyyah al-Muttahidah (الإمارات العربية المتحدة) is a country comprising seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain. Formerly known as the Trucial States, the seven emirates decided to form a union in 1971 after the exit of British forces from the Middle East. Each of the emirate has its own ruler. The Ruler of Abu Dhabi is the President of UAE (Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan) while the Ruler of Dubai is the Prime Minister of UAE (Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum).

The population of the country is largely overwhelmed by foreigners. Only about 11% of the existing population are Emiratis. More than 50% of the population is now made up of South Asians, particulary Indians. The main thrust of the economy is of course oil in which Abu Dhabi is the main contributor. Abu Dhabi which is the largest of all the emirates in land size is also the richest with most of the country's oil mined in this emirate. Abu Dhabi is comparatively conservative and not as vibrant as Dubai. However, Dubai has very little oil resources and it has to diversify its economy in order to reach what it is now. One of the biggest concerns of residents in UAE now is the high inflation rate and rising cost of living. This is a result of extremely rapid economic growth in the past couple of years. It is extremely expensive to live in UAE with one-room apartment in Dubai fetching rents up to Dh5000 and a normal meal easily costing Dh20. It still remains to be seen how UAE will tackle such problems in order to maintain its phenomenal rise as an economic power.