The United Arab Emirates (UAE) (Arabic: دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة, Dawlat al-Imārāt al-‘Arabīyah al-Muttaḥidah, short-name:The Emirates, local short-name:Al Emarat الامارات) is a federation of seven emirates situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia while Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Iran lies north within thePersian Gulf. The UAE consists of seven states, termed emirates, which are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah.
The capital and second largest city of the United Arab Emirates is Abu Dhabi. It is also the country’s center of political, industrial, and cultural activities.
Before 1971, the UAE was known as the Trucial States or Trucial Oman, in reference to a 19th century truce between the United Kingdom and several Arab Sheikhs. The name Pirate Coast was also used in reference to the area’s emirates from the 18th to the early 20th century.
The political system of the United Arab Emirates, based on the 1971 Constitution, is composed of several intricately connected governing bodies. Islam is the official religion, and Arabic is the official language.
The United Arab Emirates has the world’s seventh largest oil reserves and possesses one of the most developed economies in West Asia. It is currently the thirty-sixth largest economy at market exchange rates, and has a high per capita gross domestic product, with a nominal per capita GDP of $46,584 as per the IMF.
The country is fourteenth largest in purchasing power per capita and has a relatively high Human Development Index for the Asian continent, ranking 35th globally. The United Arab Emirates is classified as a high income developing economy by the IMF.
The form of government used in UAE is a constitutional monarchy with a presidential system of government. It is a founding member of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, and a member state of the Arab League. It is also a member of the United Nations, Organisation of the Islamic Conference, the OPEC, and the World Trade Organization.
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