Regional Background

The United Arab Emirates are made up of seven states (or emirates) which were formerly independent sheikdoms: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm AlQaiwain, Ras Al- Khaimah and Fujairah

Population:
around 4 million

Capital:
Abu Dhabi

Languages:
Arabic (official), English is also spoken, along with Hindi, Tagalog, Malayalam, Russian, Tamil and others.

Currency:
Dirham ( 1 Dirham= 100 Fils)

Timezone:
+ 4 GMT

The United Arab Emirates are generally recognized as the most cosmopolitan and ‘Westernised’ of the Middle East countries and the expat population is growing rapidly. In fact, less than 50% of the population of the UAE are Arabs.  However, 95% of the population are Muslims and Islam is the official religion. Burj Khalifa is the tallest Tower of the World located in Dubai