United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates, 1971 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), also known simply as the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, situated at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. The UAE is a federal semi-constitutional monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as its national capital. 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. The Federal Supreme Council, made up of the seven ruling emirs, is the highest state authority.
Seat of power: Abu Dhabi
Rulers
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
President of the United Arab Emirates, 1971–2004
Zayed served as the governor of Eastern Region from 1946 until he became the ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966, and served as the first president of the United Arab Emirates from its independence on 2 December 1971 until his death in 2004. He is referred in the United Arab Emirates as the Father of the Nation for being the principal driving force behind the unification of the United Arab Emirates.
Portrait of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan: National Archives of the United Arab Emirates, Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Public domain, file
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Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
President of the United Arab Emirates, 2004–2022
He succeeded his father as the ruler of Abu Dhabi on 2 November 2004, and the Federal Supreme Council elected him as president of the UAE the following day. During Khalifa's presidency, the United Arab Emirates became a regional economic powerhouse and its non-oil economy grew.
Portrait of Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan: Helene C. Stikkel, Public domain, file
Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan
President of the United Arab Emirates, 2022 to today
Following Sheikh Khalifa's death in May 2022, Mohamed became the ruler of Abu Dhabi and was elected president of the UAE by the Federal Supreme Council. He was the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates from 2014 to 2022, ruling for his brother Sheikh Khalifa.
Portrait of Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, CC BY 4.0, file
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Culture
- 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.
- 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.
Picture
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is the country's largest mosque.
Image: Wikiemirati, CC-BY-SA-4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.