ABU DHABI — The
UAE, which turns 50 on December 2, is
a wealthy Gulf oil state and economic hub that has turned into one of the
region's most influential countries.
اضافة اعلان
Expat majority
The UAE is a federal state of seven emirates: Abu Dhabi,
Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Sharjah Umm Al-Qaiwain, and Ras al-Khaimah.
Ninety percent of its 10 million inhabitants are foreigners.
The capital Abu Dhabi, and above all Dubai, are extremely
well-connected air hubs and also home to the regional headquarters of thousands
of companies.
The UAE has in recent years relaxed its residency
regulations to boost its economy and attract more foreign investment.
Economic powerhouse
With an economy second only to
Saudi Arabia in the Gulf, the
Emirates is one of the easiest countries in the world to do business, according
to the World Bank.
One of the top oil producer in
OPEC, the federation's rapid
growth since the 1970s has been driven by its oil and gas wealth.
But having diversified its economy over the decades, it
relies less and less on petrol, with revenues now making up only 30 percent of
its GDP.
In August, the UAE joined the nuclear club, with the Barakah
nuclear power station, the first in the Arab world, coming on line.
It also has one of the most vaccinated population in the
world against COVID-19, according to official sources.
Transformation
With little oil but the most diversified economy in the
Gulf, Dubai has gone from a fishing village to a major financial, transport and
media hub in the space of a few decades.
Known for its glitzy shopping centres and its forest of
skyscrapers, including the tallest in the world, the Burj Khalifa, it has
become a major tourist destination.
Abu Dhabi is home to a branch of the Louvre, with its art
collection housed in a spectacular museum designed by French architect
JeanNouvel.
Expo 2020 Dubai opened its doors in October after being
postponed because of the COVID pandemic.
The first time one of the world fairs has been held in the
Arab world, it is expected to attract millions of visitors before it closes on
March 31.
Regional force
The Emirates and Gulf ally Bahrain last year normalized
their relations with Israel amid rising tensions with Iran, which they have
accused in the past of stoking tensions in the region.
The UAE and Teheran have been at loggerheads since 1971 over
three disputed islands in the Gulf that Iran occupied.
The Emirates also rowed back diplomatic ties with Tehran in
2016 as rivalry between its neighbor Saudi Arabia and the Islamic republic
escalated.
Despite the tensions, the two states have maintained
business links.
Earlier this month the UAE drew criticism from its US allies
when its chief diplomat
Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan met Syrian President
Bashar Al-Assad in the first official visit to Damascus since the 2011 start of
Syria's civil war.
Space missions
The Emirates also aims to become a major science and
technology player, sending its first astronaut into space in 2019 for eight
days aboard the
International Space Station.
In February 2021, the UAE sent a probe named
"Amal" (Hope) into orbit around Mars, the first Arab country to pull
off such a feat.
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