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Simple Facts
Country made up of seven emirates: AbuDhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah Area
83000 sq. km. includes approx. 2000 islands Location
Bordered in the North by Arabian Gulf, to the east by The Gulf of Oman and Sultanate of Oman, to the South by the Sultanate of Oman and Saudi Arabia, and to the West by Quatar and Saudi Arabia.
Lies between Latitudes 22 & 26,5 North and Longitudes 51& 56,5 East Population
Almost 2,5 milion |
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Religion
The dominate religion is Islam Language
The official language is Arabic. English, Hindi, Urdu and Farsi are widely spoken |
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Currency
Dirhams, 1 Dh = 100 files, 1 US$=3,67 Dh |
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Climate
Between November and March warm sunny days with average temperature of 26 C (79F) and cool nights with average temperature of 16 C (58 F). Summer months are hot and humid with temperatures up to 41 C (105 F) |
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Visas
Most visitors to the UAE need an entry visa. This is the best obtained through a sponsor within the UAE. British passport holders with the right to abide in Great Britain may obtain a visa at the airport upon arrival. Transit visas are valid for 14 days, tourist ones for 30 days and visit visas for 30 days but can be renewed for up total 100 days. Citizens of GCC countries may enter without a visa. Persons travelling on Israeli passport or who have Israeli stamped passport will be denied entry. The fine for overstaying is 100 Dh. per one day.
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Duty Free Allowances
Visitors are allowed 2000 cigarettes or 400 cigars or 2 kg of tobacco and reasonable quantity of perfume. Customs There is no restriction of the amount of currency that can be brought into the UAE and no customs duty on personal effects. |
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| GETTING ARROUND |
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Car rentals
There are car rental offices in each of the emirates offering all makes and sizes of cars. Cars can either be rented alone or with driver. Rates vary but are around Dh 120 a day for a small car and up to Dh. 1000 a day for a chauffeur driven limousine. You will need to provide a copy of your passport and driver's license if payment is by credit card. |
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Driving license
Individuals from the following countries do not need an international license: ECC countries, Canada, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Turkey and USA. |
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Helicopter hire
Helicopters and fixed wing aircraft can be hired in AbuDhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. You need a license from the authorities to access the airport and must submit a flight plan. Rates range from US$ 1200 to US$ 6000 per hour. |
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Transportation
Taxis form a common means of getting around town. AbuDhabi and Dubai have plenty of metered taxis that can be hired for Dh 5-20. There are many unmetered taxis as well, so it is best to agree upon the fare in advance. For long distance journeys, it is common to share taxis.
Utilities |
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Electricity
The electricity supply is 220/240 volts at 50 Hz. Visitors from Europe can use their appliances although outlet adapters may be necessary. Appliances from the USA will need transformers. |
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Water
Water comes from desalination plants and is safe to drink. Many people still prefer to drink bottled water that is available in shops and restaurants. |
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Telecommunications
Telephone service is excellent through the UAE. Calls within cities are free. There is small charge for calls within the rest of the country. Pay phones are operated with a phone card that is issued by the Telecommunication Company in various amounts and is then used as a debit card. These are generally available at a variety of outlets in the town. Major hotels have fax and telex services and can arrange for modem access if necessary. |
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Television
There are nine television stations in the UAE. Some broadcast in Arabic, some in English and some have special programs in Urdu, Hindi, and French. Several additional stations are available via satellite and cable. |
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Radio
Stations broadcasting in Arabic and English transmit 24 hours a day. |
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Shopping-Business hours
Shops are generally open from 9.30 am to 1 PM. And from 4.30 PM to 9.30 pm on Saturday through Thursday. Many shops in the malls are open all day, which offers, foe shopping without crowds. On Friday, the Islamic holiday shops do not generally open until 2.00 PM or later. |
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Bargaining
Part of the tradition of shopping in the UAE is bargaining over the price. In other shops except for truly fixed prices stores a bit of negotiating will bring a reduction of price. If you have to ask for the price of something it means the price is not fixed. Credit Cards Most hotels and finer restaurants accept credit cards such as American Express, Visa, MasterCard and diner Club. Some larger shops do as well. |
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| HEALTH MATTERS |
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Immunization
No health certificate or special immunizations are required when travelling to the UAE unless you have been in cholera or yellow Fever affected area 14 days prior to visiting. It is wise to check with your travel agent before traveling, however, should the situation change. |
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Coping with the heat
For eight months of the year the Emirates is hot and along the coast humid. It is important that the visitor take precautions not to over exert. All hotels and restaurants are air conditioned as are most shops but outside it's still hot. Try to limit going in and out of the air conditioning and make sure to drink plenty of fluids when outside for a long time. |
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Clothing
Local dress for both men and women loosely covers the head, arms and legs. Fabrics are lightweight and of natural fibbers. There are no restrictions of a dress code for visitors. Summer clothing is suitable all year around with sweaters or light jackets being needed at night in the winter months. |
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Medical care
Even the smallest emirate is now equipped with a modern hospital so there is no need to worry about the availability of health care. Most major cities have several hospitals and abundance of private clinics, should you be in need. |
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| HISTORY |
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Pre 20th Century History
The earliest significant settlements in the UAE date from the Bronze Age. In the 3rd century BC, a culture known as Umm an-Nar's arose near the site of modern Abu Dhabi and its influence extended well into the interior and along the coast of what is now Oman. The Greeks were the next major cultural influence and ruins showing strong Hellenistic features have been found at Meleiha, about 50km (30mi) from Sharjah, and at Al-Dour, in the emirate of Umm al-Qaiwan. During the Middle Ages, much of the region was part of the kingdom of Hormuz, which controlled the entrance to, and most of the trade in, the Gulf.
The Portuguese arrived in 1498 and by 1515 had occupied Julfar near Ras al-Khaimah, building a customs house that taxed the Gulf's flourishing trade with India and the Far East. The Portuguese stuck around until 1633 and were followed by the Brits, who began exercising their naval power in the Gulf in the mid-18th century. The British came into conflict with the Qawasim tribal confederation, a seafaring clan whose influence extended to the Persian side of the Gulf. The British dubbed the area the Pirate Coast and launched raids against the Qawasim. In 1820, a British fleet systematically destroyed or captured every Qawasim ship it could find, imposed a General Treaty of Peace on nine Arab sheikhdoms in the area and installed a garrison in the region. As life quietened down, Europeans took to calling the area the Trucial Coast, a name it retained until 1971.
Throughout this period, the main power among the Bedouin tribes of the interior was the Bani Yas tribal confederation, made up of the ancestors of the ruling families of modern Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The Bani Yas were originally based in Liwa, an oasis on the edge of the Empty Quarter, but moved to Abu Dhabi in 1793. They engaged in the traditional Bedouin activities of camel herding, small-scale agriculture, tribal raiding and extracting protection money from caravans passing through their territory. After the British outlawed slavery along the coast, the Bani Yas took over the slave trade and Buraimi became eastern Arabia's main slave market - a position it held right up until the 1950s.
The British were not particularly interested in what the Bedouin got up to; they were focussed on securing their line of communication to India and keeping European competitors, such as France and Russia, out of the region. They formally established a protectorate over the Trucial Coast in 1892 but let the area remain a backwater of fisherpeople, pearl divers and Bedouin until the early 20th century. For most of this colonial period, Sharjah was the most populous and powerful of the emirates but it lost influence to Abu Dhabi as the 19th century drew to a close; Abu Dhabi was later overshadowed by Dubai. |
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Modern History
The prospect of oil eventually changed the Brits' laissez-faire approach. Before oil concessions could be granted, boundaries between the various sheikhdoms had to be determined. Since none of the local rulers could agree, it was left to the Brits to demarcate the borders of the seven emirates that would eventually make up the UAE. The first oil concessions were granted in 1939 but oil wasn't found for another 14 years. Exports from Abu Dhabi began in 1962, eventually turning the poorest of the emirates into the richest. Meanwhile, Dubai concentrated its energies on cementing its reputation as the region's busiest trading post. It was already a successful entrepôt in 1966, when it was found to have oil of its own. The other sheikhs were not so lucky and began to turn to Abu Dhabi for subsidies.
Britain's announcement in 1968 that it intended to leave the Gulf in 1971 came as a shock to most of the ruling sheikhs. The Brits original plan was to form a single state consisting of Bahrain, Qatar and the Trucial Coast, but this collapsed almost immediately. Negotiations eventually led to the independence of Bahrain and Qatar and the formation of a new federation - the United Arab Emirates - in 1971. At the time many outsiders dismissed the UAE as a loosely assembled, artificial and largely British creation. While there was some truth to this, it was also true that the emirs of the smaller and poorer sheikhdoms knew their territories had no hope of surviving as independent states. Despite the doomsayers, the UAE became a major international business centre and one of the most stable and untroubled countries in the Arab world.
Not that political life in the UAE has been devoid of controversy. Border disputes among the emirates continued throughout the 1970s, and the degree to which integration among the seven sheikhdoms should be pursued has been a subject of constant debate. The UAE contributed troops to the anti-Iraq coalition in 1990-91, and foreign soldiers were stationed there during the months before the liberation of Kuwait. The result was a strengthening of the countries already strong ties with the West, though this has not stopped the UAE - Dubai in particular - from maintaining good relations with Iran. In early 1998, the UAE had to cope with plummeting oil prices. The price of the black sticky stuff fell 35% in the first three months of the year, affecting the UAE's government revenues, 70% of which come from oil. |
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Recent History
In a fairy-tale solution to rivalry between the sheikhdoms, the crown prince of Dubai married the daughter of Abu Dhabi's sovereign (and president of the UAE) in 1999, bringing the two emirates together publicly and privately.
The federation has resolved to shape its future using undeniably modern methods, however: a stock market and other economic reforms are in the works, and 2000 marked the fifth anniversary of the Dubai Shopping Festival, where shoppers from all over the world can peruse souks and squares of stuff on sale. Foreign workers now make up three-quarters of the UAE population, making it one of the most liberal and pluralistic countries in the Gulf region.
The government pulled off a tricky double-act in 2003 by opposing the US-led invasion of Iraq, including refusing to give any assistance to the operations, while maintaining good relations with the US and UK. Future prosperity may be threatened by a more basic problem: water. The UAE is the highest consumer of water per capita in the world, and the groundwater levels have fallen 30m (100ft) in 30 years. |
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