United Arab Emirates

Lore & Background

The present-day United Arab Emirates is located within the historical region of Eastern Arabia, which was oriented to maritime trade and seafaring. The Portuguese arrived in the region around 1500 and set up bases on the territory while waging wars against the Persians. By the 19th century, with pearling becoming a major economic activity, piracy became rampant in the gulf, prompting British intervention. Local sheikhdoms formed a pact with the United Kingdom to create the Trucial States, a British protectorate that was effectively shielded from attempted Saudi and Omani suzerainty. The Trucial States remained under British influence until full independence as the United Arab Emirates in 1971. Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, ruler of Abu Dhabi and the country's first president (1971–2004), oversaw rapid development of the Emirates by investing revenues from newly found oil into healthcare, education, and infrastructure.

In Their Own Story

The landscape tells a story of extremes and transitions. South and west of Abu Dhabi, vast rolling sand dunes merge into the Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter) of Saudi Arabia. Here, in the desert area of Abu Dhabi, lie two important oases: the extensive Liwa Oasis near the undefined border with Saudi Arabia, and Al Buraymi Oasis about 200 km (120 miles) to the northeast, which extends on both sides of the Abu Dhabi-Oman frontier. In the north, the Western Hajar Mountains rise to places reaching 2,500 m (8,200 ft), separating the Al-Batinah coast from the rest of the UAE. These mountains begin at the Ras Musandam Peninsula and extend southeastward for about 150 km (93 miles) to the southernmost frontier on the Gulf of Oman. Along this rugged eastern shore, steep slopes run directly to the sea in many places, though small harbors exist at Dibba Al-Hisn, Kalba, and Khor Fakkan.

Reader's Guide

The United Arab Emirates is considered a middle power in global affairs; Dubai serves as an international hub of finance, tourism, and commerce. Only 11% of the population are native Emiratis; the vast majority of inhabitants are expatriates and migrant workers, most of whom are from South Asia. The UAE has the world's seventh-largest oil reserves and seventh-largest natural gas reserves. The UAE has the most diversified economy among the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), having become less reliant on natural resources in the 21st century and increasingly focusing on tourism and business. The UAE is a member of the United Nations, Arab League, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Non-Aligned Movement, World Trade Organization, and BRICS; it is also a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. The Federal Supreme Council, made up of the seven ruling emirs, is the highest state authority. It jointly appoints one member as federal president, who appoints a prime minister, who forms and leads the cabinet. The UAE is an authoritarian state but generally liberal by regional standards. It ranks highly in several social indicators such as housing, healthcare, education and personal safety, as well as the highest regionally in the Human Development Index. Human rights organisations consider the UAE substandard on human rights, ranking low in the human freedom index due to reports of government critics being imprisoned and tortured, families harassed by the state security apparatus, and cases of forced disappearances. Individual rights such as the freedoms of assembly, association, expression, and the freedom of the press are severely repressed.

Did You Know?

• The UAE is named after its seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, and Fujairah.
• Stone tools found in the UAE reveal human settlement from Africa some 127,000 years ago.
• The earliest Christian site in the UAE is a seventh-century monastic complex on Sir Bani Yas Island.
• The UAE has the world's seventh-largest oil reserves and seventh-largest natural gas reserves.

Ancient Origins and Human Dispersal

The United Arab Emirates boasts a profound history of human habitation stretching back an astonishing 125,000 years, serving as a critical corridor for early humans migrating from Africa to populate the globe. These findings, dated via thermoluminescence, suggest that humanity left the African continent much earlier than previously believed. The area later supported diverse communities ranging from Paleolithic nomads to Neolithic pastoralists who thrived until the fourth millennium BCE.

Bronze Age Trade and Cultural Exchange

As local pottery manufacturing emerged around 2800 BCE, the region solidified its role as a center of cultural exchange and economic activity, laying the groundwork for future maritime dominance in the Arabian Gulf.

Islamic Era Commerce and Colonial Encounters

Following Islamization in the 7th century, the UAE re-emerged as a pivotal trade center, with ports like Julfar, Dibba, and Khor Fakkan becoming integral to the Eastern Arab trading network. These locations facilitated an Arab monopoly on commerce between Europe and the East, operating under the influence of the Kingdom of Hormuz. However, this dominance faced severe disruption in the early 16th century when Portuguese forces, led by Afonso de Albuquerque, invaded the region. Their aggression dismantled existing trade networks and sparked regional conflicts that weakened Arab control over Eastern commerce. Subsequent tensions between local maritime communities and British powers culminated in the sacking of Ras Al Khaimah, leading to a series of treaties starting in 1820.

Formation and Independence of the Federation

Prior to withdrawing from the area in 1971, Britain delineated the internal borders among the seven emirates in order to pre-empt territorial disputes that might hamper formation of the federation. In general, the rulers of the emirates accepted the British intervention, but in the case of boundary disputes between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and also between Dubai and Sharjah, conflicting claims were not resolved until after the UAE became independent.