Destination United Arab Emirates, a Nations Online country profile of the independent state on the Arabian Peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf (Arab Gulf) and the Gulf of Oman.
The United Arab Emirates, sometimes simply called the Emirates or UAE, is a federation of seven emirates (states): Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, and Fujairah.
The country's landscape consists mostly of gravel plains and sand dunes desert; its main cities and urban centres are located mainly along its coasts.
Border countries are Oman and Saudi Arabia.
The country covers an area of 83,600 km², compared it is about the size of Austria or slightly smaller than the US State of Maine.
The UAE has a population of about 9.9 million people, including foreigners (in 2020). The male population of the country is twice as large as the female population.
The capital city is Abu Dhabi, the country's largest city is, a metropolis of a strange shisha dream, a playground for international architects. The city is a mirage in the desert with huge shopping malls and extravagant entertainment attractions, including the world's highest skyscraper (Burj Khalifa), and palm-shaped artificial islands. Spoken languages are Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, and Urdu.
The United Arab Emirates is known for the tallest human-made structure, the Burj Khalifa, and the Burj Al Arab, one of the tallest hotel building in the world. The UAE is famous for several artificial islands like the Palm Jumeirah island, the World, and The Universe archipelagos. The contemporary art museums of the Louvre of Abu Dhabi and the planned Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. The UAE is known for its Grand Mosques, The Dubai Mall, oil, a lot of sand, oil, oases, date palms, sand, dune bashing, falconry, pearl hunting, robot jockey camel racing, and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The country's staple food is Shawarma (UAE Doner kebab), meat, fish, and rice, and the rare stuffed camel dish. The emirates are also famous for all the fantastic things you can buy or build with petro-dollars.
Religion
Islam is the official religion of United Arab Emirates and there are a large number of mosques throughout the city. Other religions are respected.
Currency
The unit of currency is UAE Dirham (AED 1 = US$ 3.65), which is divided into 100 Fils. Notes are available in denominations of AED 1000, 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 Dirhams. Coins are also in use for units under one 1 Dirham those are Dirham, 50 & 25 Fils.
ATM Machines
Can be found at convenient locations throughout the country including the arrival hall at the Airport.
Local Time
The United Arab Emirates is given by Gulf Standard Time, being 4 hours ahead of GMT/UTC (UTC+04:00) and is co-linear with neighbouring Oman. The UAE does not change clocks for daylight saving time.
Alcohol
Non-Muslims are permitted to bring in two liters of alcohol by air only. Care must be taken not to cause offence through the use of alcohol. In particular, alcohol should not be consumed in public places apart from licensed premises, such as hotels & restaurants. It is illegal to carry liquor in your car. In addition, the police take a serious view of traffic offences in which alcohol is involved and fines may be imposed.
Greetings
The people of UAE offer a very warm welcome to guests. You will find that traditional Arab greetings are still widely observed and it is good manners to exchange greetings and handshakes when meeting Emaratis. These courtesies should be observed in commercial dealings (e.g. shopping in the souq) and on a personal level.
Average Weather
From October to March, the weather is cool. May through August is usually hot and humid with September & April being warm. Temperatures in the interior regions are both higher and lower than the averages reported for the coastal areas. Average monthly temperatures brackets are roughly as these: March to May - 24°C to 32°C, June to Sept – 32°C to 40°C, October to February - 12°C to 24°C.
Clothing
Light wear summer clothing is suitable for most of the year, but pullovers or jackets may be needed for the winter months especially in the evenings or in desert or on Mountains. A Conservative dress sense is an advantage in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, especially for women, who should avoid wearing overly revealing clothing. Men should always wear a shirt or top in public. At the poolside or beaches, trunks, swim suits and bikinis are quite acceptable. Good quality sunglasses are advised and photo chrome lenses for those who wear spectacles. Hats or some sort of protection for the head are advisable when in direct sunlight
Language
The official language is Arabic but English is widely spoken and understood. Both languages are commonly used in business and commerce.
Electricity
Is 220-240 Volts at 50 cycles AC.
Business Hours & Working Week
- The weekend is on Friday and Saturday.
- Shop hours are generally from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and then 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. from Saturday to Thursday and from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Friday.
- Banking hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. from Saturday to Wednesday and from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m on Thursday.
Shopping
Various traditional Souq are in different cities selling souvenirs and some of popular Souqs of Dubai are Gold and Spice Souq in Deira, Central (Blue) Souq in Sharjah, Date market in Abu Dhabi. In addition to traditional Souqs, there are different shopping malls in different cities and hypermarkets like Lulu, Carrefour, Union-Corp, Spinneys etc are found in different parts of cities.
Cultural Considerations
UAE is primarily an Islamic country. Moslem women often cover their arms, legs and hair. Western women, however, are not subject to these customs but very revealing clothing is not appropriate in public.
Internet Email
This facility is available in most hotels and Cyber Café’s are located all over the Emirates.
Litter
Remove all your litter when leaving a picnic or campsite.
Photography
Do not take photographs of individuals without their permission. Women in particular, do not like being photographed. It is forbidden to take pictures of military facilities, borders and airports. Observe ‘NO PHOTOGRAPHY’ signs.
Ramadan (12th April to 12th May-2021, 1st April-2022 to 30th April-2022 & 22nd March to 20th April-2023)
During the holy month of Ramadan all Muslims fast from sunrise until sunset daily. The fixed hours of prayer are observed and during daylight no Muslims will eat, drink or smoke. All tourists are requested to avoid eating, drinking or smoking in the presence or sight of a Muslim. Eating, drinking or smoking in public places during daylight is forbidden. Hotel’s coffee shops remain open. Bars / Mini bars do not serve alcohol, though it can be ordered through room service after sunset only.
Telephone
There are local and international direct dialing facilities available from public call booths, hotels and from the General Telecommunications Organization (GTO). Telephone cards are easily available in Supermarkets and Hotel outlets.
Village Etiquette
Drive slowly through villages to avoid raising too much dust. Watch out for children & animals. Be courteous to villagers - a few words of greetings or a smile is only polite. Do not go into a home without being invited. Remember certain areas of the village may be restricted to women only. This must be strictly observed.
Water/Swimming
The falaj is usually a vital source of water for nearby villages. Do not foul, block or damage falaj walls or dams. Do not swim or allow your children to play in water immediately above a village, as it may be the village’s drinking water. One can take the opportunity to swim at the beaches. Driving on beaches is prohibited.