AntiquityДўnd century BCE era jar found in Mleiha Archaeological site in Sharjah. Six emirates joined the UAE in 1971 the seventh, Ras Al Khaimah, joined the federation on 10 February 1972. This arrangement ended with independence and the establishment of the United Arab Emirates on 2 December 1971 following the British withdrawal from its treaty obligations. ДЇollowing decades of maritime conflict, the coastal emirates became known as the Trucial States with the signing of the General Maritime Treaty with the British in 1820 (ratified in 1853 and again in 1892), which established the Trucial States as a British protectorate. The maritime dominance of the Persian Gulf by Emirati traders led to conflicts with European powers, including the Portuguese Empire and the British Empire. The UAE' history of trade led to the emergence of Julfar, in the present-day emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, as a regional trading and maritime hub in the area. The Islamic age of the UAE dates back to the expulsion of the Sasanians and the subsequent Battle of Dibba. The ensuing Wadi Suq period and three Iron Ages saw the emergence of nomadism as well as the development of water management and irrigation systems supporting human settlement in both the coast and interior. Known as Magan to the Sumerians, the area was home to a prosperous Bronze Age trading culture during the Umm Al Nar period which traded between the Indus Valley, Bahrain and Mesopotamia as well as Iran, Bactria and the Levant. Burial sites dating back to the Neolithic Age and the Bronze Age include the oldest known such inland site at Jebel Buhais. Human occupation has been traced back to the emergence of anatomically modern humans from Africa some 124,000 BCE through finds at the Faya-2 site in Mleiha, Sharjah. Main article: History of the United Arab Emirates According to human rights organizations, there are systematic human rights violations, including the torture and forced disappearance of government critics. The UAE is described as an authoritarian state. The UAE is a member of the United Nations, the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, OPEC, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

The UAE is recognised as a regional and a middle power.

The UAE government does not levy income tax, although there is a corporate tax in place and a 5% value-added tax was established in 2018. The country has become less reliant on oil and gas, and is economically focusing on tourism and business. The UAE's economy is the most diversified of all the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, while its most populous city, Dubai, is a global city and international hub. Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, ruler of Abu Dhabi and the country's first president, oversaw the development of the Emirates by investing oil revenues into healthcare, education, and infrastructure. The UAE's oil and natural gas reserves are the sixth- and seventh-largest in the world, respectively. Islam is the official religion and Arabic is the official language.

In 2013, the UAE's population was 9.2 million, of which 1.4 million were Emirati citizens and 7.8 million were expatriates the estimated population in 2020 was 9.89 million.

Each emirate is governed by a Sheikh and, together, they form the Federal Supreme Council one of them serves as President of the United Arab Emirates. The UAE is an elective monarchy formed from a federation of seven emirates, consisting of Abu Dhabi (where the federal capital, Abu Dhabi, is located), Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain. It borders Oman and Saudi Arabia, and has maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran. The United Arab Emirates ( UAE Arabic: Ш§Щ„ШҐЩ…Ш§Ш±Ш§ШЄ Ш§Щ„Ш№Ш±ШЁЩЉШ© Ш§Щ„Щ…ШЄШШЇШ©вЂЋ al-КѕImДЃrДЃt al-КїArabД«yah al-MuttaбёҐidah) or the Emirates ( Arabic: Ш§Щ„ШҐЩ…Ш§Ш±Ш§ШЄвЂЋ al-КѕImДЃrДЃt), is a country in Western Asia located at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula.

Icad abu dhabi location map