In 2002, the United Arab Emirates was a federation of seven emirates located in the Middle East. The population was approximately 3 million people and its official language was Arabic. The country had a federal presidential system of government with Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan serving as its President since 1971. The economy of the UAE was largely based on oil and gas exports but it also had a growing service sector and tourism industry. Education was free for all citizens up to secondary school level and the literacy rate was estimated to be around 93%. Healthcare services were provided by the government at no cost for all citizens but many suffered from diseases such as malaria due to poor sanitation practices and lack of access to clean water sources. In 2002, the UAE had made some progress in terms of economic development but still had high levels of poverty compared to other countries in the region. According to computerannals, the country also had a very open foreign policy, which saw it joining many international organizations such as OPEC and WTO, while maintaining strong relations with both Western and Arab countries.

Yearbook 2002

United Arab Emirates. According to Countryaah website, national day of United Arab Emirates is every December 2. US Vice President Dick Cheney visited the United Arab Emirates in mid-March during a round trip aimed at supporting the fight against terror and an attack on Iraq. The visit came overshadowed by the violence in the West Bank and Gaza. At the end of March, anti-Israeli demonstrations took place in Abu Dhabi.

Dubai police attacked a number of people suspected of money laundering in June. Among the arrested were Arabs and European citizens, but the police refused to indicate how many were arrested. In November, the United Arab Emirates tightened the rules for transfers through the informal banking system hawala. The United States suspects that the hawala system is being used to pay terrorist groups.

On June 23, the leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Oman signed a border agreement.

In Dubai, some 20 workers died when one of the world’s largest dry docks leaked on March 27. The majority of the 3,500 employees are from Asia. The plant was inaugurated in 1983.

Dubai Brief Guide

Dubai is the most populous emirate in the Union and the second largest in area after Abu Dhabi. Dubai differs from other UAE in that its oil revenues account for only 6% of its GDP. Most of the emirate’s revenue is based on the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZ) economic zone and, increasingly, tourism. Starlight Tours also offers high-quality and versatile meeting and award travel packages to Dubai, ask for more information from our customer service.

• According to ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG, UAE stands for United Arab Emirates.

Physical geography. – The UAE opens at a concave angle on the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, with a low, dune coast, rich in small islands whose abundance, connected with the shallow depth of the coastal waters, makes navigation almost impossible except for the natives who know its steps. This ravine of the coast has always favored piracy. AO the state enters the Rub‛al-Khālī desert without precise borders. The territory appears apparently as a monotonous sandy plateau interrupted only in a short stretch on the Gulf of Oman and near the oasis of Buraimī by rocky spikes. The less superficial layers of soil, which the sandy plateau covers almost entirely, are formed by Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary rocks, often arranged in anticlines, which also appear in the very shallow waters of the Persian Gulf and form the structure of the many islands and numerous cliffs. The UAE, crossed by the Tropic of Cancer, has a hot desert climate, with high temperatures, strong daytime excursions, marked aridity. The territory is scattered with large brackish marshes where the waters of the sparse but violent downpours that pour over the region collect: these are the sebkhe of Hattà, el-Mirfa, Abū Ẓabī, etc. The best climatic conditions are offered by the oasis of Buraimī and by the eastern regions that overlook the Gulf of Oman and lean against the ‘Hagiar range (alt. 3000 m). There is a complete lack of rivers that do not have a uidian character.