border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah
enclaves, but contents of the agreement and detailed maps showing
the alignment have not been published; Iran and UAE dispute Tunb
Islands and Abu Musa Island, which Iran occupies

Illicit drugs:

the UAE is a drug transshipment point for traffickers given its
proximity to Southwest Asian drug-producing countries; the UAE's
position as a major financial center makes it vulnerable to money
laundering; anti-money-laundering controls improving, but informal
banking remains unregulated

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@United Kingdom

Introduction
United Kingdom

Background:

As the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century,
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland played a leading
role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing
literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched
over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th
century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars
and the Irish republic withdraw from the union. The second half
witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself
into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five
permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of
NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to
foreign policy; it currently is weighing the degree of its
integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to
remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union for the time being.
Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. The
Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the
Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999, but the latter
was suspended until May 2007 due to wrangling over the peace process.

Geography
United Kingdom

Location:

Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the
island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North
Sea, northwest of France

Geographic coordinates:

54 00 N, 2 00 W

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 244,820 sq km
land: 241,590 sq km
water: 3,230 sq km
note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries:

total: 360 km
border countries: Irela