nb, and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek or Lesser Tunb); claims island in
the Persian Gulf jointly administered with Iran (Jazireh-ye Abu Musa or Abu
Musa); in 1992, the dispute over Abu Musa and the Tumb islands became more
acute when Iran unilaterally tried to control the entry of third country
nationals into the UAE portion of Abu Musa island, Tehran subsequently
backed off in the face of significant diplomatic support for the UAE in the
region
Climate:
desert; cooler in eastern mountains
Terrain:
flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert
wasteland; mountains in east
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas
Land use:
arable land:
0%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
2%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
98%
Irrigated land:
50 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
frequent dust and sand storms; lack of natural freshwater resources being
overcome by desalination plants; desertification

*United Arab Emirates, Geography

Note:
strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital
transit point for world crude oil

*United Arab Emirates, People

Population:
2,657,013 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
5.06% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
28.4 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
3.07 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
25.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
22.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
72 years
male:
69.91 years
female:
74.2 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.67 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Emirian(s) adjective:
Emirian
Ethnic divisions:
Emirian 19%, other Arab 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes
Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982)
note:
less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982)
Religions:
Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4%
Languages:
Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
Literacy:
age 10 and over can read and write (1980)
total population:
68%
male:
70%
female:
63%
Labor force:
580,000 (1986 est.)
by occupation:
industry and commerce 85%, agriculture 5%, services 5%, government 5%
note:
80% of labor force is foreign

*United Arab Emirates, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
United Arab Emirates
conventional short form:
non