United Arab Emirates (also known as the UAE or the Emirates). They are a country in the Middle East, located in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula, in the southwest of Asia, on the Gulf of Persia, and it is made up of seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Ajmān, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain.
Geography
As a country located in Middle East according to LOCALTIMEZONE.ORG, the United Arab Emirates is a flat and barren coastal department, with large sand dunes and huge deserts, with mountains to the east of the country. The desert covers 90% of the country. Its strategic location in the south of the Strait of Hormuz makes it a vital transit point for the global oil trade. It has Natural Wonders such as the Bu Tinah Islands, which constitute an archipelago of the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve, in the waters of Abu Dhabi, and is protected as a private nature reserve.
Economy
The Emirates are rich in oil and natural gas, although they lack many other natural resources, and they hope that the recent economic diversification will attract more financial and economic firms. The United Arab Emirates is a very prosperous country thanks in large part to the foreign investments that financed the desert and the coastal nation in the 1970s.
Its main industries with petroleum, fishing industry, petrochemicals, building materials, small ship yards, handicrafts and the pearl industry. Agriculture in dates, vegetables, and watermelons also stands out; poultry (eggs) and dairy products.
Sports
The football is the national sport of the United Arab Emirates. The most popular football clubs are Al Ain Sports and Cultural Club, Al Wasl FC, Al-Shabab, Sharjah FC, Al-Wahda (Abu Dhabi) and Al-Ahli Football Club who have a long-standing reputation in regional championships. [10] Rivalries between sports fans cause the streets to swarm with people when their favorite team is victorious. The United Arab Emirates Football Federation was founded in 1971 and since then it has devoted enormous efforts to promoting the sport by organizing youth leagues and improving the capacity not only of its players, but also of the officials and coaches who participate with its regional teams. The United Arab Emirates National Soccer Team qualified for the 1990 Soccer World Cup and, together with the Egypt Soccer Team, it was the third consecutive time that two Arab nations qualified for a world cup since the United Arab Emirates National Soccer Team. Kuwait and Algerian football did so in 1982 and Iraq and Algeria in the 1986. [11] The United Arab Emirates also won the Gulf Nations Cup, held in Abu Dhabi in January 2007, of which it was the host. [12]
The cricket is another popular sport in the UAE, largely because of the expatriate population from the Indian subcontinent. The Cricket Association of the stadium in Sharjah has organized four international matches (Test match) so far. [13] The Sheikh Zayed Stadiums and the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, both in Abu Dhabi, have been the international venues for the international cricket match. Dubai has two cricket grounds (Dubai Cricket Ground No. 1 and No. 2) and a third, the ‘S3’ currently under construction as part of the Dubai Sports City. This city is also the headquarters of the International Cricket Council. The UAE national cricket team has qualified for the 1996 Cricket World Cup and came close to qualifying for the 2007 Cricket World Cup.
Other popular sports include camel racing, falconry, endurance riding, and tennis [10] .
Territorial organization
The United Arab Emirates is a federation consisting of seven emirates (independent states). Each state has its own ruler. The boundaries between the different emirates are quite complicated, with many enclaves of some within the borders of others. The largest emirate is Abu Dhabi, which is listed as the nation’s capital. Five emirates have one or more exclaves, in addition to the main territories. The seven emirates that make up the country and their respective rulers are listed below [14] .
- Abu Dhabi: SA Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, since 2004
- Dubai: SA Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rachid al Maktoum, since 1990
- Sharjah: SA Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qassimi, since 1987
- Ajmnn: SA Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, since 1981
- Fujairah: SA Sheikh Hamad bin Muhammad Al Sharqi, since 1974
- Ras al-Khaimah: SA Sheikh Saqr bin Muhammad Al Qassimi, since 1948
- Umm al-Quwain: SA Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmad Al Mualla, since 1981
There are two areas that are under joint control. One of them is jointly controlled by Oman and Ajman, the other by Sharjah and Fujairah.
