United Arab Emirates

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Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R)
United Arab Emirates Map
The map of Arabian Sea

United Arab Emirates (संयुक्त अरब अमीरात) is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East. Abu Dhabi is the nation's capital, while Dubai, the most populated city, is an international hub. The United Arab Emirates is an elective monarchy formed from a federation of seven emirates, consisting of Abu Dhabi (the capital), Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain.[1]

Variants

  • UAE
  • United Arab Emirates (Arabic: الإمارات العربية المتحدة al-ʾImārāt al-ʿArabiyya l-Muttaḥida)
  • Emirates (Arabic: الإمارات al-ʾImārāt)

Location

It is located at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula and shares borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia, while having maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran.

History

Stone tools recovered reveal a settlement of people from Africa some 127,000 years ago and a stone tool used for butchering animals discovered on the Arabian Coast suggests an even older habitation from 130,000 years ago.[2]

In time lively trading links developed with civilisations in Mesopotamia, Iran and the Harappan culture of the Indus Valley. This contact persisted and became wider, probably motivated by the trade in copper from the Hajar Mountains, which commenced around 3,000 BCE.[3]

Sumerian sources talk of the Magan civilisation, which has been identified as encompassing the modern UAE and Oman.[4]

There are six periods of human settlement with distinctive behaviours in the region before Islam, which include the

  • Hafit period from 3,200 to 2,600 BCE,
  • the Umm Al Nar culture from 2,600 to 2,000 BCE, and the
  • Wadi Suq culture from 2,000 to 1,300 BCE.

From 1,200 BCE to the advent of Islam in Eastern Arabia, through three distinctive Iron Ages and the Mleiha period, the area was variously occupied by the Achaemenids and other forces, and saw the construction of fortified settlements and extensive husbandry thanks to the development of the falaj irrigation system.

In ancient times, Al Hasa (today's Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia) was part of Al Bahreyn and adjoined Greater Oman (today's UAE and Oman). From the second century CE, there was a movement of tribes from Al Bahreyn towards the lower Gulf, together with a migration among the Azdite Qahtani (or Yamani) and Quda'ah tribal groups from south-west Arabia towards central Oman.

The spread of Islam

The spread of Islam to the northeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula is thought to have followed directly from a letter sent by the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, to the rulers of Oman in 630 CE. This led to a group of rulers travelling to Medina, converting to Islam and subsequently driving a successful uprising against the unpopular Sassanids, who dominated the coast at the time.[5] Following the death of Muhammad, the new Islamic communities south of the Persian Gulf threatened to disintegrate, with insurrections against the Muslim leaders. Caliph Abu Bakr sent an army from the capital Medina which completed its reconquest of the territory (the Ridda Wars) with the Battle of Dibba in which 10,000 lives are thought to have been lost.[6]This assured the integrity of the Caliphate and the unification of the Arabian Peninsula under the newly emerging Rashidun Caliphate.

In 637, Julfar (in the area of today's Ras Al Khaimah) was an important port that was used as a staging post for the Islamic invasion of the Sasanian Empire.[7]The area of the Al Ain/Buraimi Oasis was known as Tu'am and was an important trading post for camel routes between the coast and the Arabian interior.[8]

The earliest Christian site in the UAE was first discovered in the 1990s, an extensive monastic complex on what is now known as Sir Bani Yas Island and which dates back to the seventh century. Thought to be Nestorian and built in 600 CE, the church appears to have been abandoned peacefully in 750 CE.[9] It forms a rare physical link to a legacy of Christianity, which is thought to have spread across the peninsula from 50 to 350 CE following trade routes. Certainly, by the fifth century, Oman had a bishop named John – the last bishop of Oman being Etienne, in 676 CE.[10]

Salient Features

  • The United Arab Emirates is an elective monarchy formed from a federation of seven emirates, consisting of Abu Dhabi (the capital), Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain.[11] Each emirate is governed by a ruler and together the rulers form the Federal Supreme Council. The members of the Federal Supreme Council elect a president (as of 14th May 2023, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan) and vice president (Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum) from among their members. In practice, the ruler of Abu Dhabi serves as president while the ruler of Dubai is vice president and also prime minister.[12]

In 2013, the country had a population of 9.2 million, of which 1.4 million were Emirati citizens and 7.8 million were expatriates.[13] As of 2023, the United Arab Emirates has an estimated population of roughly 10.2 million.[14]

Islam is the official religion and Arabic is the official language. The United Arab Emirates' oil and natural gas reserves are the world's sixth and seventh-largest, respectively.[15] Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, ruler of Abu Dhabi and the country's first president, oversaw the development of the Emirates by investing oil revenues into healthcare, education, and infrastructure.[16]

The United Arab Emirates has the most diversified economy among the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.[17]

In the 21st century, the country has become less reliant on oil and gas and is economically focusing on tourism and business.

The UAE is considered a middle power.

It is a member of the United Nations, Arab League, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, OPEC, Non-Aligned Movement, and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Geography

The United Arab Emirates is situated in the Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia; it is in a strategic location slightly south of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil.[18]

The UAE lies between 22°30' and 26°10' north latitude and between 51° and 56°25′ east longitude. It shares a 530-kilometre border with Saudi Arabia on the west, south, and southeast, and a 450-kilometre border with Oman on the southeast and northeast. The land border with Qatar in the Khawr al Udayd area is about nineteen kilometres in the northwest; however, it is a source of ongoing dispute.[19]Following Britain's military departure from the UAE in 1971, and its establishment as a new state, the UAE laid claim to islands resulting in disputes with Iran that remain unresolved.[20] The UAE also disputes claim on other islands against the neighboring state of Qatar.[21] The largest emirate, Abu Dhabi, accounts for 87% of the UAE's total area[22] 67,340 square kilometres.[23] The smallest emirate, Ajman, encompasses only 259 km2 .[24]

The UAE coast stretches for nearly 650 km along the southern shore of the Persian Gulf, briefly interrupted by an isolated outcrop of the Sultanate of Oman. Six of the emirates are situated along the Persian Gulf, and the seventh, Fujairah is on the eastern coast of the peninsula with direct access to the Gulf of Oman.[25] Most of the coast consists of salt pans that extend 8–10 km inland.[26] The largest natural harbor is at Dubai, although other ports have been dredged at Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and elsewhere.[27] Numerous islands are found in the Persian Gulf, and the ownership of some of them has been the subject of international disputes with both Iran and Qatar. The smaller islands, as well as many coral reefs and shifting sandbars, are a menace to navigation. Strong tides and occasional windstorms further complicate ship movements near the shore. The UAE also has a stretch of the Al Bāţinah coast of the Gulf of Oman. The Musandam Peninsula, the very tip of Arabia by the Strait of Hormuz, and Madha are exclaves of Oman separated by the UAE.[28]

Roads leading to Jebel Jais, the highest mountain in the UAE (1,892 m), in Ras Al Khaimah. South and west of Abu Dhabi, vast, rolling sand dunes merge into the Rub al-Khali (Empty Quarter) of Saudi Arabia.[29] The desert area of Abu Dhabi includes two important oases with adequate underground water for permanent settlements and cultivation. The extensive Liwa Oasis is in the south near the undefined border with Saudi Arabia. About 100 km to the northeast of Liwa is the Al-Buraimi oasis, which extends on both sides of the Abu Dhabi-Oman border. Lake Zakher in Al Ain is a human-made lake near the border with Oman that was created from treated waste water.[30]

संयुक्त अरब अमीरात

संयुक्त अरब अमीरात मध्यपूर्व एशिया में स्थित एक देश है। सन् 1873 से 1947 तक यह ब्रिटिश भारत के अधीन रहा। उसके बाद इसका शासन लंदन के विदेश विभाग से संचालित होने लगा। 1971 में फारस की खाड़ी के सात शेख राज्यों आबू धाबी, शारजाह, दुबई, उम्म अल कुवैन, अजमान, फुजइराह तथा रस अल खैमा को मिलाकर स्वतंत्र संयुक्त अरब अमीरात की स्थापना हुई। इसमें रास अल खैमा 1972में शामिल हुआ।

19वीं सदी में यूनाइटेड किंगडम और अनेक अरब शेखों के बीच हुई संधि की वजह से 1971 से पहले संयुक्त अरब अमीरात को युद्धविराम संधि राज्य के नाम से जाना जाता था। इसके अलावा क्षेत्र के अमीरात की वजह से 18वीं शताब्दी से लेकर 20वीं शताब्दी के शुरुआत तक इसे पायरेट कोस्ट के नाम से भी जाना जाता था। 1971 के संविधान के आधार पर संयुक्त अरब अमीरात की राजनैतिक व्यवस्था आपस में जुड़े कई प्रबंधकीय निकायों से मिलकर बनी है। इस्लाम देश का राष्ट्रीय धर्म और अरबी राष्ट्रीय भाषा है। तेल भंडार के मामले में दुनिया का छठवां सबसे बड़ा देश संयुक्त अरब अमीरात की अर्थव्यवस्था मध्यपूर्व में सबसे विकसित है।

References

  1. ↑ "The Federal Boundaries of the United Arab Emirates" (PDF).
  2. ↑ Pennington, Roberta (5 February 2014). "UAE archaeologist discovers the Swiss Army knife from 130,000 years ago". The National.
  3. ↑ "Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS)". Adias-uae.com.
  4. ↑ Woolley, Leonard (1963). The Early History of Civilisation. UNESCO. p. 611.
  5. ↑ Bey, Frauke (1996). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates. Longman. UK. p. 127. ISBN 978-0582277281.
  6. ↑ Bey, Frauke (1996). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates. Longman. UK. pp. 127–128. ISBN 978-0582277281.
  7. ↑ Ibrahim Abed; Peter Hellyer (2001). United Arab Emirates, a New Perspective. Trident Ltd. pp. 83–84. ISBN 978-1-900724-47-0.
  8. ↑ Bey, Frauke (1996). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates. Longman. UK. pp. 22–23. ISBN 978-0582277281.
  9. ↑ Thomas, Jen (12 December 2012). "Ancient secrets of Sir Bani Yas unveiled". The National. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
  10. ↑ Hawley, Donald (1971). The Trucial States. Allen & Unwin. UK. pp. 48–51. ISBN 978-0049530058.
  11. ↑ "The Federal Boundaries of the United Arab Emirates" (PDF).
  12. ↑ "United Arab Emirates's Constitution of 1971 with Amendments through 2004" (PDF). ConstituteProject.org.
  13. ↑ "United Arab Emirates country profile". BBC News. 28 September 2016.
  14. ↑ "United Arab Emirates Population (2022)". www.worldometers.info.
  15. ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics,
  16. ↑ "United Arab Emirates profile". BBC News. 14 November 2012.
  17. ↑ "IMF Data Mapper". Imf.org.
  18. ↑ "UAE Oil and Gas". Uae.gov.ae. 19 June 1999.
  19. ↑ "Saudi-UAE Disputes". Arabmediawatch.com. 21 August 1974.
  20. ↑ "UAE official calls for international action to end "Iranian occupation" of disputed islands". Middle East Institute.
  21. ↑ "UAE Disputes, International UAE Disputes, UAE Boundary Dispute, UAE National Disputes, UAE Emirate Disputes, Claims Three Islands, Abu Musa Island, Greater & Lesser Tumb, The History of Islands, Human Resources UAE, Arab Emirates". www.uaeprison.com.
  22. ↑ Oxford Business Group (2016). The Report: Abu Dhabi 2015. Oxford Business Group. p. 17. ISBN 978-1910068250.
  23. ↑ Brinkmann, Robert; Garren, Sandra J. (2018). The Palgrave Handbook of Sustainability: Case Studies and Practical Solutions. Springer. p. 806. ISBN 978-3319713892.
  24. ↑ Brinkmann, Robert; Garren, Sandra J. (2018). The Palgrave Handbook of Sustainability: Case Studies and Practical Solutions. Springer. p. 806. ISBN 978-3319713892.
  25. ↑ D'Avanzo, Carolyn (2008). Mosby's Pocket Guide to Cultural Health Assessment. Elsevier Health Sciences. p. 751. ISBN 978-0323086042.
  26. ↑ Schulz, Stephan; Horovitz, Marcel; Rausch, Randolf; Michelsen, Nils; Mallast, Ulf; Köhne, Maximilian; Siebert, Christian; Schüth, Christoph; Al-Saud, Mohammed; Merz, Ralf (1 December 2015).
  27. ↑ iContainers (4 April 2020). "Top 5 Ports in United Arab Emirates". iContainers.
  28. ↑ Lancaster, William; Lancaster, Fidelity (2011). Honour is in Contentment: Life Before Oil in Ras Al-Khaimah (UAE) and Some Neighbouring Regions. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-022339-2.
  29. ↑ "Empty Quarter". earthobservatory.nasa.gov. 31 August 2008.
  30. ↑ "The accidental lake: Birdwatcher's oasis or ecological disaster?". CNN. 14 March 2013.
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