MOVING TO THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

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KEY FACTS

Official Name: United Arab Emirates

Capital City: Abu Dhabi

Type of Government: Federation of Emirates

Official Languages: Arabic

Area: 82,880 sq. km/ 32,000 sq. mi

Population: 4.9 million

Religion: Islam

Currency: Dirham (UD or Dh)

Number of Time Zones: 1

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) plus 4 hours; Eastern Standard Time (EST) plus 9 hours

Weights and Measures: Metric system

Country Domain: .ae

Country Tel Code: 971

AT A GLANCE

The discovery of oil was a breakthrough, in the 1960s, for the area in the Arabian Gulf that comprises the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Dramatic development has occurred since. Although there are still camel races and dust storms, and in most places the traditional laws of Islam are strictly interpreted, the sleek and shiny buildings and cars in the cities reflect a new attitude toward the modern international marketplace.

Government

Today, the UAE is a federation of seven autonomous Emirates, each led by its own ruler; each maintains a considerable degree of control over its own laws and customs. Federal authority is vested in a Supreme Council of the Union, consisting of the hereditary rulers of the seven Emirates. The council elects a president from among its members and the president appoints a prime minister and the Union Council of Ministers to run the government.

The Emirates also appoint a 40-member Union National Council, a consultative assembly that functions as a legislature. There are no political parties or popular suffrage. In reality, the sheiks from the two largest and richest Emirates, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, rule the UAE. These two rulers have veto power over Supreme Council decisions.

Economy

Since the 1960s discovery of oil and the union of the rich and powerful sheikdoms of the seven Emirates, this federation of states has achieved one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. The economy is based largely on oil and petroleum products. Conservative estimates predict that oil reserves will last at least 100 years.

Due to the wealth of the UAE, there is no need for national taxes, import duties and other levies on business. International trade – and transit – is therefore relatively easy. The government has heavily supported infrastructure including roads, housing, hospitals, schools, and telecommunications. Roads are good and the most common transportation between the Emirates is by car, although you can fly between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Oil remains the major key to the UAE economy, but the uncertain prices and volatility of the market has caused the government to work toward diversification of the economy.

Dubai, a port city, has become the economic business center of the Gulf. It is a hub for aluminum fabrication and textile manufacturing. Its Jebel Ali Free Trade Zone has the largest man-made harbor in the world.

The UAE is encouraging investment in high technology. Investments in the construction of dams to conserve precious water and in techniques to modernize the country’s farming methods have been made. Finally, the UAE is committed strengthening the private sector.

The cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai are thriving with new investments and construction. Their citizens have come to work, earn, and enjoy the comforts of a very modern civilization. Most expatriates live in one of these two larger cities, although Sharjah has also become popular recently.

First impressions

The Emirates will appear to be somewhat of an anachronism to the expatriate. The visitor will be surprised by the harmony that is achieved between very conservative religious beliefs and liberal business practices. The long traditional robes – white for men, black for women – may at first seem out of place among gleaming skyscrapers and shops filled with luxury western goods. There are many large, expensive cars and limousines in the cities, while in the desert areas four-wheel drive vehicles are essential.

UNDERSTANDING THE PEOPLE

Each of the seven Emirates is governed by its own ruling family, and although now constituted together in a federation, each retains individual identity. Although language, customs and beliefs vary little among the seven Emirates, to be a citizen in Abu Dhabi is a different experience to residing in Sharjah, for example. Nevertheless, many things can be said about the Emirati collectively.

Ethnic makeup

Native citizens of the Emirates represent only about 20 percent of the total population. Roughly one quarter are other Arab and Iranian, one half South Asian, and the remainder other expatriates including Westerners and East Asians. In total, almost 95 percent of the total workforce is expatriate mostly from India, Pakistan and the Philippines.

Cultural traditions

At the very core of the Muslim influence is the omnipresence of God and the virtual oneness of life and religion. Therefore, all aspects of life social, cultural, behavioral and creative are aligned with Allah. And at the heart of this social fabric is the family and its well-being. Literature and the arts are reflections of these beliefs.

Some of the manifestations of these beliefs may seem ultra-conservative, and would be out of place in a different culture. For example, marriages are still made by arrangement between the families of the bride and groom. Cohabitation outside of marriage is prohibited by law. Printed and oral media are subject to censorship by the government immodest depictions of women, and criticisms of government are particular targets. Women play a subordinate role outside the home although opportunities for women in public life are increasing.

Religion

The official and predominant religion of the UAE is Islam, which generally governs the law, and much of life. Other religions are tolerated but not encouraged. A family-centered way of life is prescribed and laws are defined for the behavior of individuals and society. Food, dress, business etiquette, and family relations are all carefully interwoven with the laws of Islam. For instance, the traditional burka, the black face mask covering the entire face except for the eyes, is preferred by many local religious Muslim women.

Most of the indigenous Muslims here are of the Sunni sect.

Language

Arabic is the official language. Farsi (Persian), Hindi and Urdu are spoken by many expatriates. English is widely spoken and understood, especially in business.

Common attitudes

Toward power structure and hierarchy

Although most large firms in the UAE appear to be structured like those in the West, it is rarely the case. The family that owns the company truly runs the show, making all the important decisions and investments. The high-ranking executive who appears to be in the driver’s seat is rarely as powerful as his Western counterpart. There is usually a high-ranking family member in charge, who makes the decisions, but who in turn is generous in rewarding hard work, self-discipline, honesty – and loyalty.

What Westerners negatively term “nepotism” is a fact of life and a part of the Islamic tradition of family loyalty. It can be, in fact, a positive influence when everyone gets along well with one another.

Toward foreigners

The basis of Islamic hospitality dictates a warm welcome for foreigners. The pressure brought to bear by the way in which these states have been thrust into the modern world is troublesome to many, however, and some Western ways are scorned, such as drinking, especially in excess. The basic code of Islam is very conservative and hard to reconcile with Western freedoms.

The history of oases in the desert, which received all visitors with comfort and kindness, has lain a tradition of exceptional and easy hospitality for all travelers.

CITIES

Each of the seven Emirates has a city of the same name in which most of its citizens dwell. Abu Dhabi and Dubai are the largest of the Emirates, and their cities are the busiest and liveliest in the region.

Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi City is the capital of the UAE. The city represents about 90 percent of the Emirates area. Its downtown is a bustling commercial center with manicured parks and tall high rise buildings. Most of the country’s oil is pumped here, on a flat island connected to the mainland by bridges.

Built on the remains of a small oil-company town, this bustling city was founded just 200 years ago when a well of sweet water was found on the island. Its fortunes have risen and fallen with the pearl trade and the oil boom and although the first attempt at building a modern city was a failure, today’s sleek, modern high-rise buildings, softened by date palm gardens, are impressive to the visitor.

Approximately 25 percent of Abu Dhabi residents are nationals. The rest are expatriates from all over the world, mainly India, Pakistan, the Philippines and the neighboring Arab-speaking countries.

Ajman

Ajman is the smallest of the states with a sort of suburban setting where many of the people who work in neighboring Sharjah and Dubai live. Its economy is based on fishing and boat building, and it boasts the country’s largest yard for building the huge dhow sailboats.

Al Ain

Al Ain is an oasis in the eastern part of the Abu Dhabi Emirate, near the Omani mountains, near the border with Oman. Once an important caravan crossroads at the oasis, today it is home to over 100,000 people, one of the fastest growing populations in the Emirates. It is the site of the UAE University and two technical colleges, which employ a large number of western expatriates. In contrast, there are thousands of date palm trees, ancient city walls and a camel market.

Dubai

The life and energy of the UAE’s most populous city lend a very different atmosphere than that of Abu Dhabi. Dubai is smaller, but building a reputation instead as the commercial capital of the Gulf. The city offers all kinds of activities. There is golf, swimming and sailing, polo, ice-skating and nightclubs. The lifestyle here is more liberal than in some of the neighboring Emirates.

Divided by Dubai Creek, the city has a modern, more commercial personality in Deira on the East bank, and a more historical, residential character in Dubai Town on the west bank.

Fujairah

Located on the Strait of Hormuz, Fujairah is the only Emirate not on the Gulf proper. It has wonderful beaches, rich farmland and lots of fresh water. Agriculture is its most important industry. It is a delightful contrast of old and new sights: a futuristic farm with computer controlled greenhouses, and a centuries-old castle where the last battle fought against the British took place.

Ras al-Khaimah

Ras al-Khaimah is the fourth largest of the Emirates. There is a museum and a port where dhow sailboats are still made by hand. Camel races take place on Fridays.

This fertile Emirate is UAE’s food basket, supplying the federation with fruit, vegetables, livestock, and tobacco. It also has a small offshore oil field.

Sharjah

In Sharjah you will find beautiful beaches on both the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf. The city is the third largest in the Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Sharjah City has a rich cultural heritage, and is known for its two large souks and elegant mosques.

Umm al-Qaiwain

Northwest of Fujairah is Umm al-Qaiwain (Umm al Qaywayn), whose main livelihood is fishing, animal herding and some farming. Sailing is also popular here.

This small Emirate sits on a peninsula where there is an old fort, a mosque and some watchtowers.

CLIMATE

From October to May the climate in the UAE is delightful, with warm days and cool nights. However, summers are exceptionally hot, with high humidity near the coast and temperature frequently exceeding 38 C / 100 F. January is coolest; mean temperatures are about 16 C /60 F in Abu Dhabi.

Rainfall is generally low or non-existent, although there are occasional short, torrential storms toward the end of winter. There are also occasional sandstorms, and hot, dry winds called shamals that blow off the Saudi Arabian desert.

Many people leave Abu Dhabi island during the most grueling days for relief in cooler climates.

Information provided in association with Living Abroad