DubaiHolic

Introduction
Background:
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The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971, six of these states – Abu Zaby, ‘Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn – merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra’s al Khaymah. The UAE’s per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in the affairs of the region.

Geography
Location:
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Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates:
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24 00 N, 54 00 E
Map references:
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Middle East
Area:
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total: 83,600 sq km
land: 83,600 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area – comparative:
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slightly smaller than Maine
Land boundaries:
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total: 867 km
border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km
Coastline:
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1,318 km
Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:
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desert; cooler in eastern mountains
Terrain:
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flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east
Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m
Natural resources:
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petroleum, natural gas
Land use:
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arable land: 0.77%
permanent crops: 2.27%
other: 96.96% (2005)
Irrigated land:
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760 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
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0.2 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 2.3 cu km/yr (23%/9%/68%)
per capita: 511 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
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frequent sand and dust storms
Environment – current issues:
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lack of natural freshwater resources compensated by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills
Environment – international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography – note:
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strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil

Government
Country name:
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conventional long form: United Arab Emirates
conventional short form: none
local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah
local short form: none
former: Trucial Oman, Trucial States
abbreviation: UAE
Government type:
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federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates
Capital:
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name: Abu Dhabi
geographic coordinates: 24 28 N, 54 22 E
time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
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7 emirates (imarat, singular – imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), ‘Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra’s al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn (Quwayn)
Independence:
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2 December 1971 (from UK)
National holiday:
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Independence Day, 2 December (1971)
Constitution:
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2 December 1971; made permanent in 1996
Legal system:
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based on a dual system of Shari’a and civil courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
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none
Executive branch:
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chief of state: President KHALIFA bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 3 November 2004), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 4 November 2004); Vice President and Prime Minister MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister and Vice President MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers SULTAN bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990) and HAMDAN bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 October 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
note: there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC) composed of the seven emirate rulers; the FSC is the highest constitutional authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation; meets four times a year; Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power
elections: president and vice president elected by the FSC for five-year terms (no term limits); election last held 3 November 2004 upon the death of the UAE’s Founding Father and first President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (next to be held in 2009); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president
election results: KHALIFA bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan elected president by a unanimous vote of the FSC; MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum unanimously affirmed vice president after the 2006 death of his brother Sheikh Maktum bin Rashid al-Maktum
Legislative branch:
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unicameral Federal National Council (FNC) or Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; 20 members appointed by the rulers of the constituent states, 20 members elected to serve two-year terms)
elections: elections for one half of the FNC (the other half remains appointed) held in the UAE on 18-20 December 2006; the new electoral college – a body of 6,689 Emiratis (including 1,189 women) appointed by the rulers of the seven emirates – were the only eligible voters and candidates; 456 candidates including 65 women ran for 20 contested FNC seats; one female from the Emirate of Abu Dhabi won a seat
note: reviews legislation but cannot change or veto
Judicial branch:
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Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Political parties and leaders:
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none
Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA
International organization participation:
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ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
chancery: 3522 International Court NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 243-2400
FAX: [1] (202) 243-2432
consulate(s): New York, Houston
Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d’Affaires Martin R. QUINN
embassy: Embassies District, Plot 38 Sector W59-02, Street No. 4, Abu Dhabi
mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi
telephone: [971] (2) 414-2200
FAX: [971] (2) 414-2603
consulate(s) general: Dubai
Flag description:
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three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a wider vertical red band on the hoist side

Economy United Arab Emirates Top of Page
Economy – overview:
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The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus. Despite largely successful efforts at economic diversification, nearly 40% of GDP is still directly based on oil and gas output. Since the discovery of oil in the UAE more than 30 years ago, the UAE has undergone a profound transformation from an impoverished region of small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. The government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up utilities to greater private sector involvement. In April 2004, the UAE signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with Washington and in November 2004 agreed to undertake negotiations toward a Free Trade Agreement with the US. The country’s Free Trade Zones – offering 100% foreign ownership and zero taxes – are helping to attract foreign investors. Higher oil revenue, strong liquidity, housing shortages, and cheap credit in 2005-07 led to a surge in asset prices (shares and real estate) and consumer inflation. Rising prices are increasing the operating costs for businesses in the UAE and adversely impacting government employees and others on fixed incomes. Dependence on oil and a large expatriate workforce are significant long-term challenges. The UAE’s strategic plan for the next few years focuses on diversification and creating more opportunities for nationals through improved education and increased private sector employment.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$167.3 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
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$192.6 billion (2007 est.)
GDP – real growth rate:
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7.4% (2007 est.)
GDP – per capita (PPP):
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$37,300 (2007 est.)
GDP – composition by sector:
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agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 59.3%
services: 38.9% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
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3.065 million (2007 est.)
Labor force – by occupation:
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agriculture: 7%
industry: 15%
services: 78% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate:
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2.4% (2001)
Population below poverty line:
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19.5% (2003)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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11% (2007 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
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21.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
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revenues: $58.88 billion
expenditures: $38.06 billion (2007 est.)
Public debt:
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22.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Agriculture – products:
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dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish
Industries:
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petroleum and petrochemicals; fishing, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, commercial ship repair, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, textiles
Industrial production growth rate:
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4.3% (2007 est.)
Electricity – production:
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57.06 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity – consumption:
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52.62 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity – exports:
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0 kWh (2005)
Electricity – imports:
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0 kWh (2005)
Oil – production:
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2.54 million bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil – consumption:
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372,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil – exports:
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2.54 million bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil – imports:
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137,200 bbl/day (2004)
Oil – proved reserves:
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97.8 billion bbl (2007 est.)
Natural gas – production:
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45.07 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas – consumption:
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39.56 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas – exports:
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6.848 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas – imports:
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1.343 billion cu m (2005)
Natural gas – proved reserves:
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5.823 trillion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
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$41.67 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
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$156.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports – commodities:
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crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates
Exports – partners:
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Japan 23.4%, South Korea 10.3%, Thailand 5%, India 4.8% (2006)
Imports:
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$101.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports – commodities:
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machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food
Imports – partners:
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China 13.1%, India 10.2%, US 8.9%, Japan 6.2%, Germany 6.1%, Italy 4.7% (2006)
Economic aid – donor:
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since its founding in 1971, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development has given about $5.2 billion in aid to 56 countries (2004)
Economic aid – recipient:
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$5.36 million (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$76.62 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt – external:
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$57.52 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment – at home:
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$44.37 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment – abroad:
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$14.14 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
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$138.5 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
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Emirati dirham (AED)
Exchange rates:
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Emirati dirhams per US dollar – 3.673 (2007), 3.673 (2006), 3.6725 (2005), 3.6725 (2004), 3.6725 (2003)
note: officially pegged to the US dollar since February 2002
Fiscal year:
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calendar year

Transnational Issues
Disputes – international:
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boundary agreement was signed and ratified with Oman in 2003 for entire border, including Oman’s Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah enclaves, but contents of the agreement and detailed maps showing the alignment have not been published; Iran and UAE dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which Iran occupies
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
the UAE is a drug transshipment point for traffickers given its proximity to Southwest Asian drug-producing countries; the UAE’s position as a major financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering; anti-money-laundering controls improving, but informal banking remains unregulated

I have noticed a lot of middle eastern countries right now are going through aggressive construction projects. I happen to run into this one in saudi arabia called “king abdullah economic city”

I will post a quote about it

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Overview
With a total development area of 173 km² (66.8 sq mi), the city is located along the coast of the Red Sea, around 100 km north of Jeddah, the commercial hub of the kingdom, the city is also going to be approximately an hour away from the holy Islamic cities of Mecca and Medina by car. And as reportedly an hour away of all Middle Eastern capital cities by plane. The total cost of the city is $80 billion (around SR 300 billion), with the project being built by Emaar, The Economic City. A Tadawul-listed company created from Emaar Properties, a Dubai-based Public Joint Stock Company and one of the world’s largest real estate companies, and SAGIA (Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority) which is the main facilitator of the project.
The city, along with other five economic cities, is a part of an ambitious “10×10″ program to place Saudi Arabia among the world’s top ten competitive investment destinations by the year 2010, planned by SAGIA. The first stage of the city is planned to be completed in 2010, while the whole city is going to be fully completed by 2020. The city will help diversify the oil-based economy of the kingdom by bringing direct foreign and domestic investments. The city also will help create up to one million jobs for the youthful population of the country, where 40% of the population are under 15.

City Components
Industrial Zone
The Industrial Zone is estimated to cover 63 million m². The 4,400 hectares of land will be dedicated to industrial and light manufacturing facilities – identified as key growth drivers for the Saudi economy – and can now host 2,700 industrial tenants. The jobs created estimated to be in industrial and light industries (330,000); research and development (150,000); business and office (200,000); services (115,000); hospitality (60,000) and education and community services (145,000). The “Plastics Valley” planned within the zone will use raw materials readily available in Saudi Arabia to produce high-end plastics used in automotive, biomedical, construction and food packaging industries.

Sea Port
The Sea Port is estimated to cover 13.8 million sq meters, it will be the largest in the region with a capacity of over 10 million*twenty-foot equivalent units*(TEU) of containers per year. The port will have facilities to handle cargo and dry bulk, and will be equipped to receive the world’s largest vessels. Another key component of the Port will be a custom-built Hajj Terminal with a capacity to handle up to 300,000 pilgrims on their way to Mecca and Medina, the holy Muslim cities.

Residential Areas
The residential area is planned to include 260,000 apartments and 56,000 villas. It will be divided into smaller residential, commercial, and recreational areas. Parks and green spaces will be used extensively throughout the residential area. The area is estimated to be home for around half a million residents, and another ten thousand tourists. Each district would feature its own public amenities, such as mosques, shops and recreational venues.

Sea Resort
The Resorts Area will be designed to feature services and amenities, hoping to draw both local and international tourists. Set to become a major destination on the map of Saudi Arabia and the map of the Middle East as a whole. It will include hotels, shopping centers and other recreational facilities. The number of hotel rooms and suites are proposed to be 25,000 hotel rooms in more than 120 hotels. Among the tourist draws at the resort is an 18-hole golf course, with training facilities and driving range. An equestrian club, yacht club and a range of water sports will also be constructed.

Educational Zone
The Educational Zone is a part of plan to bring the Saudis capabilities and aspirations in technology to globally competitive levels. The Educational Zone is planned to consist of multi-university campus flanked by two Research & Development parks. The multi-university campus is designed to accommodate 18,000 students, and a 7,500 faculty and staff members.

Central Business District
The Central Business District (CBD) is planned to offer 3.8 million m² of office space, hotels and mixed-use commercial space. The Financial Island, within the CBD, has now been doubled in area to cover 14 hectares of land, which will be the largest regional financial nerve center for the world’s leading banks, investment houses and insurance groups.

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This project cost 80 billion dollars! That is a lot of money. Do you guys think this is a good way to make the economy grow

Dear Everyone,

First of all thnkx for solving my last problm of hara and malaz, now i can understand y i havnt found hara on map of riyadh actually i found many adds for accomodation in hara but couldnt locate it on the map

Now plz respond to these questions too.

1) what is the distance b/t riyadh and mekkah, by road, in terms of time and KMs (distance) and wht are the fares of bus for this journey.

2) what is the distance b/t riyadh and dubai, by road, and if i have employemnt visa of KSA whether or not i can travell among other GCC countries. Will i get the visa of other member countries,like dubai, on border.

3) Also, tell me plz whether there is any Lu Lu centre in riyadh or not

Actually i m coming to riyadh for employment within a month or so and doesnt feel it resonable to ask these questions frm my employer at this stage:), thats y i approached you people.

RUSH: Brian in Tampa, I’m glad you waited, sir. You are next on the EIB Network. Hi.

CALLER: Mr. Limbaugh, after your last call, I’m not sure: are you for or against this?

RUSH: (Laughing.) My instincts are to be a little bit suspicious of this, but I don’t think my opinion on it matters. We’re beyond that. If this goes down anything like the Dubai Ports Deal went down, it doesn’t matter what anybody thinks. It’s dead.

CALLER: Okay. Well, the thing is, I think all the countries — the consortium of governments — that own this, I think it will be better because it won’t be one person owning it. As we know, All-American businesses that are –

RUSH: Well, wait a minute. Wait. One person doesn’t own it now.

CALLER: But they’re all Americans.

RUSH: Well, not necessarily, got investors all over the world.

CALLER: Yeah, okay, the CEO, the board, they’re all Americans, and Americans always — large American corporations always screw over the shareholders. But my point is, is every country owning it doesn’t have a reason to hate us. The only reason that Iran and all them hate us is because we oppress them, and we don’t oppress any of those countries that are going to be owning it.

RUSH: You don’t understand militant Islam. You don’t understand the objectives of people who hijacked that religion. You look at Saudi Arabia, and you’re talking about Wahabiism. There’s plenty here to be concerned about. Your theory is something I said during the Dubai Ports Deal, that they’re not going to blow up their own port if they own it.

CALLER: Well, no, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying we American does not — America does not oppress those governments, the ones you read off, they don’t have any reason to hate us –

RUSH: We are not –

CALLER: — unlike Iran.

RUSH: Wait a second. Wait a minute. We’re not hated because we oppress Iran. The Iranians don’t hate us because we oppress them.

CALLER: Yes, they do! That’s why they act like that. They’re just… Look, they’re helpless. They would not act like that.

RUSH: You don’t understand the Islamic revolution in 1979. They hate us because we’re alive; they hate us because we’re not them; they hate us because we don’t subscribe to their religion. You gotta understand that first and foremost. We don’t oppress people anyway.

CALLER: Mr. Limbaugh, get serious. Come on.

RUSH: Who are we oppressing?

CALLER: (sputtering) You’re telling me that they would actually just (sputtering) be angry at us for no reason except that (sputtering). We oppress them. That is why. If we stopped it, it would stop.

RUSH: I’m not telling you, they are. Listen to them. They’re the ones who are threatening to blow us off the map along with Israel!

CALLER: Yeah, because we sanction that.

RUSH: Listen to bin Laden, listen to Zawahiri, listen to Ahmadinejad. Don’t listen to me. Listen to them! That’s what scares me. Nobody is believing what these people say. George Bush is the biggest enemy to some people in this country.

CALLER: Because he is.

RUSH: These people are swearing our extermination and we’re not listening to them.

CALLER: (Deep breath.) Mr. Limbaugh, look at all of the Arab countries. The ones that we’re on friendly terms with are not terrorists. They only do that because they have no other way to speak out!

RUSH: Oh, come on! This is like saying ACTUP is justified throwing condoms around St. Patrick’s Cathedral because it’s the only way they can be heard.

CALLER: (Deep breath.)

RUSH: You liberals are going to have to get over this silly notion that everybody is entitled to dump on us because we discriminate against people. The only way they can be heard? Why can’t they just be happy and live amongst themselves? Why do they have to be on this massive effort to convert the whole world or wipe out those who refuse to go along with them? You gotta understand what this threat is about! I’m not even talking about the Dow Chemical deal now. I’m speaking specifically to your nonsensical assertion that countries that we don’t oppress, don’t hate us. Islamofascists don’t even really have a country other than the Iranians, and they hate us — and we don’t oppress them. We haven’t done anything to them. We didn’t do anything to bin Laden. We didn’t do anything to Zawahiri. We haven’t done anything to these people, not one thing — other than elect Bush and support Israel.

They’ve been killing us with acts of terror for 30 years, and we were slow to awaken to it. You’re buying this tripe that’s been taught to you by whoever, either in school or whatever that we are oppressing the world and as such we need to understand why they hate us and deal with them on that basis, and we don’t have time to understand why they hate us. All we need to know is they do, and they have no desire to not hate us. They don’t want to like us! They hate you every bit as much as they hate Bush, every bit as much as they hate me. They hate Pelosi. They think she’s the biggest blithering idiot on the planet, but they still hate her. But she’s useful to them, as will people like you be if you don’t wake up. (sigh) This is worse than I thought.

I’ve just come back from New York, my question is the flight back to London only took about 6hr 30mins. However, I swear it should take longer, I mean when you look on the map New York is pretty far away, a similar distance from London to say Dubai however, that flight time is about 8hrs. I’m confused…