Last updated on June 23rd, 2022
39. Unmarried Cohabitation
Another progressive reform to the UAE laws is the decriminalization of cohabitation for unmarried couples. Although authorities often look the other way when it comes to foreigners, the change permanently removes the threat of punishment.
40. UAE and Israel Ties
In 2020, UAE and Israel signed a peace deal. It is now known as the Abraham Accord. This is the first time that Israel has normalized ties with a Gulf country.
Sports
41. FIFA World Cup
The UAE was able to qualify for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. They faced Germany, Yugoslavia, and Colombia in Group D. A documentary entitled “Lights of Rome” was made about the team’s journey.
42. Manchester City Purchase
The ruling family’s Abu Dhabi United Group bought the Manchester City English Premiere League Club in 2008. The previous owner was Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
43. AFC Champions League
UAE club Al-Ain FC won the Asian continental club championship for the 2002-03 season. They defeated BEC Tero Sasana of Thailand 2-1 in the final.
44. Emirati Cricket
The large number of South Asian expats has boosted the popularity of cricket in the country. UAE qualified for the Cricket World Cup in 1996 and 2015.
45. Sri Lanka National Cricket Team
In 2009, terrorists attacked Sri Lanka’s national team bus in Pakistan causing other nations to withdraw from matches in the country. To ensure safety, UAE served as the home of Pakistan’s national team for nearly a decade.
46. Formula One
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit attracts the best racing teams each year. The race is 58 laps around the 5.281 km circuit for a total of 306.183 km. In 2021, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won over Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton with a time of 1:22:109.
47. Professional Tennis
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is one of the biggest events in the sport with over $2 million in prize money. It regularly attracts top-ranked players in the competition. Russian Andrey Rublev won the 2022 edition.
48. Professional Golf
The UAE has multiple golf courses with high-level tournaments held annually in the country. Among these is the Au Dhabi HSBC Championship that increased the prize purse from $7 million in 2021 to $8 million for 2022.
49. Dubai Camel Race Track
Camel racing is an old tradition in the gulf coast and it remains popular in UAE today. The Al Marmoom Camel Race Track in the Dubai desert is the largest in the country. The racing season runs from October to April and held over weekend mornings.
50. Robot Jockeys
In 2002, UAE banned child jockeys for camel racing because it was deemed exploitative. The sport evolved by using small robot jockeys operated via remote control. Human owners follow their steads in SUVs around the track.
United Arab Emirates – quick facts and statistics
| Independence | 2 December 1971 (from the UK) |
|---|---|
| Capital City | Abu Dhabi 24°28′N 54°22′E |
| Largest City | Dubai 25°15′N 55°18′E |
| Total area | total: 83,600 sq km land: 83,600 sq km water: 0 sq km slightly larger than South Carolina; slightly smaller than Maine |
| Population | 9,856,612 (July 2021 est.) |
| Official Language | Arabic |
| Languages spoken | Arabic (official), English, Hindi, Malayam, Urdu, Pashto, Tagalog, Persian |
| Demonym | Emirati |
| Government type | Federal parliamentary elective semi-constitutional monarchy |
| President | Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan |
| National anthem | "Nashid al-watani al-imarati" (National Anthem of the UAE) |
| National symbol | golden falcon |
| National colors | green, white, black, red |
| Borders | Oman 609 km; Saudi Arabia 457 km |
| Currency | UAE dirham (AED) |
| Religion | Islam |
| Life expectancy at birth | 79.37 years (2021 est.) Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life. |
| Literacy rate | 97.6% (age 15 and over can read and write) |
| Terrain | flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert; mountains in east |
| Coastline | 1,318 km |
| Mean elevation | 149 m |
| Lowest point | Persian Gulf 0 m |
| Highest point | Jabal Bil 'Ays 1,905 m |
| Climate | desert; cooler in eastern mountains |
| Natural resources | petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas |
| Birth rate | 10.81 births/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Death rate | 1.56 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Sex ratio | 2.56 male(s)/female (2020 est.) |
| Industries | petroleum and petrochemicals; fishing, aluminum, cement, fertilizer, commercial ship repair, construction materials, handicrafts, textiles |
| Imports | $229.2 billion (2017 est.) gold, broadcasting equipment, jewelry, refined petroleum, diamonds (2019) |
| Exports | $308.5 billion (2017 est.) crude petroleum, refined petroleum, gold, jewelry, broadcasting equipment (2019) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | $67,100 (2019 est.) |
| Time Zone | UTC+04:00 (United Arab Emirates Standard Time) |
| Internet country code | .ae |
| Drives on the | Right |
| Calling Code | +971 |
| Table last updated | March 12, 2022 |