United Arab Emirates: About the United Arab Emirates - Part 1
From ExecutivePlanet.com
Perhaps no other country in the Middle East better encapsulates the romantic concept of Shaikh-ruled desert oases than the seven independent and internally self-governing states comprising the United Arab Emirates. Originally, all seven were just that; oases settled by Bedouin tribes in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Each of the seven tribal chiefs [shaikhs], therefore, naturally evolved into a head of state. British influence in the area dates back to a treaty of 1820. In 1892, they became the Trucial States, giving Britain control of foreign and defence policies but remaining otherwise independent and self-governing. This arrangement lasted until the formation of the United Arab Emirates in 1971. Initially, the UAE consisted of only six out of the seven former Trucial States: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah [Shariqa], Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain and al-Fujairah but the seventh, Ras al-Khaimah, joined the following year. Only six of the UAE are on the Arabian Gulf. Al-Fujairah is across the Musandan Peninsula on the Gulf of Oman. Occupying some 87% of the overall territory, Abu Dhabi is by far the largest member in area, whereas Dubai is traditionally largest in population. Ajman is the smallest in both area and population, being basically an enclave of Sharjah, albeit with its own coastline. Today, the UAE is a land of gleaming modern commercial metropolises and extensive tourist resorts, making it difficult for first-time visitors to visualise the traditional past.
Government and Economy
Each of the seven United Arab Emirates is a sovereign principality ruled by the head of the leading family of the tribe that first settled there. The ruling families are: An-Nahayan (Abu Dhabi), al-Maktum (Dubai), an-Nuami (Ajman), al-Mualla (Umm al-Qaiwain), ash-Sharqi (al-Fujairah) and al-Qassimi (Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah). Although different branches of the same family (al-Qassimi) rule Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah, the two emirates (principalities) are independent of each other, the rulers being cousins. Each ruler has the title of emir (prince or commander) but the style of shaikh (chief). Members of ruling families bear the title His/Her Highness, with no distinction of title peculiar to the ruler. Head of the UAE is HH Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed an-Nahayan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi. Ministers are appointed from among all the ruling families with the prime minister traditionally being the Ruler of Dubai, at present HH Shaikh Muhammad bin Rashid al-Maktum. The discovery of oil in 1958 brought immediate wealth to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, which enriched all of the emirates over the ensuing decades. Prior to that, Dubai had been the only reasonably prosperous Trucial State owing to being both a trading port and pearl diving centre. The traditional significance of pearl diving to the local economy is still so jealously guarded that cultured pearls remain the only forbidden import. Tourism has recently become an important part of the economy, particularly in Dubai. Currency is the stable but freely traded Dirham.
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