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. Notable international tournaments hosted by the UAE have included the 2014 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, and three editions of the Asia Cup (1984, 1995, and 2018). There are a number of international cricket venues in the UAE, which are frequently used for international tournaments and “neutral” bilateral series due to the local climate and Dubai’s status as a transport hub. The headquarters of the International Cricket Council (ICC) have been located in the Dubai Sports City complex since 2005, including the ICC Academy which was established in 2009. Aside from the national prevalence of falconry, the UAE have played a formative role internationally in the co-ordination of UNESCO’s recognition of falconry as intangible heritage.
In 2023, the UAE’s legal system fell under international scrutiny, as the members of the British Parliament opened an inquiry into how the foreign business executives are treated in the country, in case of accusations of breaking the law. The seven sheikhs of the emirates then decided to form a council to coordinate matters between them and took over the development office. It is a federal semi-constitutional monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as its national capital. A united federation, he believed, would give the emirates strength, stability and international standing. The five most populous nationalities in the emirates of Dubai, Sharjah, and Ajman are Indian (25%), Pakistani (12%), Emirati (9%), Bangladeshi (7%), and Filipino (5%).
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. The Federal Supreme Council, made up of the seven ruling emirs, is the highest state authority; it jointly appoints one member as federal president, who appoints a prime minister, who in turn forms and leads the cabinet. The UAE is considered a middle power in global affairs; Dubai serves as an international hub of finance, tourism, and commerce. It consisted of 152 articles, setting out the structure of the federal government while allowing individual Emirates to retain local authority.
A December 2024 report by European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR) highlights the country’s acute issue with unlawful, political persecution and absence of judicial independence. Repressive measures, including deportation, were applied on foreigners based on allegations of attempts to destabilize the country. Immigrant workers are often subject to harsh forms of the law within the country, and are often victims of arbitrary detention or torture within the country. In its 2025 Annual Report, Amnesty International has continuously identified severe human rights violations, particularly against freedom of assembly, freedom speech and an uptick in arbitrary arrest and torture. Human Rights Watch has reported on the country’s ongoing unfair mass trials, restrictions of freedom of speech and abuses to migrant labor forces. The country does not have any formal gaming laws, and therefore the project details about the casino were not completely made public.
United Arab Emirates
According to official sources, in Dubai, “the share of mass transport in https://chickenroadapp.in/ people’s mobility increased from 6 per cent in 2006 to 20.61 per cent in 2022.” Together with the USA the country invested 17 billion dollars in sustainable agriculture. According to the figures, 25% of applicants lost their jobs and nearly 15% were stranded in the country due to lockdown. The International Trade Union Confederation has called on the United Nations to investigate evidence that thousands of migrant workers in the UAE are treated as slave labour. In 2018, the country hosted the Second Annual World Tolerance Summit, which was protested by a number of NGOs and scholars. As a response to their poor human rights records, the government of the UAE has tried to strengthen relations with a number of western private and public entities through whitewashing, to improve their public image. Reports stating the Emirates wanted to provide humanitarian support for the Sudanese people turned out to be an expansion of a covert operation to funnel money, weapons – including drone technology – to opposition forces.
A federal state that defied the odds
When Dubai’s oil exports commenced in 1969, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, was able to invest the revenues from the limited reserves found to spark the diversification drive that would create the modern global city of Dubai. As oil revenues increased, the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, undertook a massive construction program, building schools, housing, hospitals, and roads. A number of undersea oil surveys were carried out, including one led by the famous marine explorer Jacques Cousteau. The tribal nature of society and the lack of definition of borders between emirates frequently led to disputes, settled either through mediation or, more rarely, force. In 1952, they formed the Trucial States Council, and appointed Adi Al Bitar, Dubai’s Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum’s legal advisor, as secretary general and legal advisor to the council. The British set up a development office that helped in some small developments in the emirates.
In January 2008, France and the UAE signed a deal allowing France to set up a permanent military base in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. The country had already signed a military defence agreement with the U.S. in 1994 and one with France in 1995. On 2 December 1971, six of the emirates (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Sharjah, and Umm Al Quwain) agreed to enter into a union named the United Arab Emirates. When the British-Trucial Sheikhdoms treaty expired on 1 December 1971, both emirates became fully independent. On 24 January 1968, British Prime Minister Harold Wilson announced the government’s decision, reaffirmed in March 1971 by Prime Minister Edward Heath, to end the treaty relationships with the seven trucial sheikhdoms.
The United Arab Emirates is a federal constitutional monarchy made up from a federation of seven hereditary tribal monarchy-styled political units called Sheikhdoms. The largest emirate, Abu Dhabi, accounts for 87% of the UAE’s total area, 67,340 square kilometres (26,000 sq mi). The United Arab Emirates is situated in the Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia; it is in a strategic location slightly south of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil. On 14 May 2022, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was elected as the UAE’s new president after the death of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The UAE became the first country in the Arab world to reach Mars, the fifth country to successfully reach Mars, and the second country, after an Indian probe, to orbit Mars on its maiden attempt. This resulted in a major economic downturn, which eventually led to the merger of more than 50% of the UAE’s federal agencies.
In 2007, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum decreed that journalists can no longer be prosecuted or imprisoned for reasons relating to their work. The UAE is home to some pan-Arab broadcasters, including the Middle East Broadcasting Centre and Orbit Showtime Network. Six grand projects are planned, including the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Three other poets from Sharjah, known as the Hirah group, are observed to have been heavily influenced by the Apollo and Romantic poets. The most famous Emirati writers were Mubarak Al Oqaili (1880–1954), Salem bin Ali al Owais (1887–1959), and Ahmed bin Sulayem (1905–1976).
Foreigners living in the Emirates were allowed to follow their native country’s laws on divorce and inheritance. Recently, the emirate of Abu Dhabi opened a civil law family court for non-Muslims and Dubai has announced that non-Muslims can opt for civil marriages. Non-Muslim expatriates were liable to Sharia rulings on marriage, divorce, child custody, and inheritance, however, federal law was changed to introduce non-Sharia personal status law for non-Muslims.
- Behind the colours and concerts lies a deeper story of bold leadership, difficult negotiations, and a shared belief that seven separate emirates could be stronger as one.
- On 24 January 1968, British Prime Minister Harold Wilson announced the government’s decision, reaffirmed in March 1971 by Prime Minister Edward Heath, to end the treaty relationships with the seven trucial sheikhdoms.
- The average life expectancy was 76.7 in 2012, higher than for any other Arab country.
- The UAE national cricket team has qualified for the Cricket World Cup on two occasions (1996 and 2015) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on two occasions (2014 and 2022).
- This unique imbalance is due to the country’s exceptionally high net migration rate of 21.71, the world’s highest.
The Trucial States and British Protection before the UAE
- Recently, the emirate of Abu Dhabi opened a civil law family court for non-Muslims and Dubai has announced that non-Muslims can opt for civil marriages.
- Additional taxes would destroy one of the UAE’s main enticements for businesses to operate in the country and put a heavy burden on the economy.
- The country’s major tourist attraction includes the famous Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the tallest tower in the world; The World archipelago and Palm Jumeirah also in Dubai; Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi; Al Hajar Mountains in Fujairah.
- Notable grounds include the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium in Sharjah, Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, and Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.
Public schools in the country are free for citizens of the UAE, while the fees for private schools vary. The public schools are government-funded and the curriculum is created to match the United Arab Emirates’ development goals. Other religions also exist in the United Arab Emirates, including Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Judaism, Baháʼís, and Druze.
Government and politics
On February 18, 1968, Sheikh Zayed met with Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the late Ruler of Dubai at Al Samha, near today’s Abu Dhabi–Dubai border. For the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Founding Father, the British withdrawal was not a setback but an opportunity. The discovery of oil in Abu Dhabi in 1962, followed by Dubai and Sharjah, transformed the region economically and politically.
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ADMA made further offshore discoveries at Zakum and elsewhere, and other companies made commercial finds such as the Fateh oilfield off Dubai and the Mubarak field off Sharjah (shared with Iran). This was the first commercial discovery of the Trucial Coast, leading to the first exports of oil in 1962. The Trucial Oman Scouts was a small military force used by the British to keep the peace.
The United Arab Emiratesb (UAE), also known simply as the Emirates,c is a country in West Asia, situated at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. Sharjah declared a ‘Child- and Family-Friendly” emirate Economically, the nation has travelled far beyond its early dependence on oil, with non-oil sectors now contributing over three-quarters of GDP. What began in 1971 as a bold political experiment between seven small Emirates has grown into a stable, secure and globally influential country. The UAE remains the only successful federal system in the Arab world to have endured and flourished over time. The country became officially known as Dawlat Al Imarat Al Arabiyya Al Muttahida – the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Having assumed leadership of Abu Dhabi in 1966, he believed deeply that the emirates shared common history, culture and destiny. This is the story of how the emirates came together, why it mattered, and how that decision shaped the UAE we know today. Behind the colours and concerts lies a deeper story of bold leadership, difficult negotiations, and a shared belief that seven separate emirates could be stronger as one. Following the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team, the UAE served as the de facto home of the Pakistan national cricket team for nearly a decade, as well as hosting the Pakistan Super League. The UAE national cricket team has qualified for the Cricket World Cup on two occasions (1996 and 2015) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on two occasions (2014 and 2022). Notable grounds include the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium in Sharjah, Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, and Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.
In 2023, the country held its largest mass trial where defendants were not given fair treatment. In a mass trial in 2013, human rights activist and lawyer, Salim al-Shehhi claimed he was held in solitary confinement and forced to give a confession to crimes he was accused of. The state security apparatus in the UAE has been accused of human rights abuses including forced disappearance, arbitrary arrests and torture. Protests by foreign workers have been suppressed, and protesters imprisoned without due process; including in 2008, 2012, and most recently in 2023. Additionally, the kafala system, or sponsorship for work results in a significant cost to migrant workers and conditions comparable to indentured servitude.
Business and finance
The highest loss of life in the history of UAE military occurred on Friday 4 September 2015, in which 52 soldiers were killed in Marib area of central Yemen by a Tochka missile which targeted a weapons cache and caused a large explosion. The UAE introduced a mandatory military service for adult males, since 2014, for 16 months to expand its reserve force. The largest defence exhibition and conference in the Middle East, International Defence Exhibition, takes place biennially in Abu Dhabi. The active and effective military role, despite its small active personnel, has led the UAE military to be nicknamed as “Little Sparta” by United States Armed Forces Generals and former US defense secretary James Mattis.
Literature and other written works by modern Emiratis are not well known globally because the majority of writers in country do not publish in English, women are restricted from participating in traditional literary groups, and freedom of expression is surpessed. Abu Dhabi nationals were brought under the scheme from 1 June 2008 and Dubai followed for its government employees. In February 2008, the Ministry of Health unveiled a five-year health strategy for the public health sector in the northern emirates, which fall under its purview and which, unlike Abu Dhabi and Dubai, do not have separate healthcare authorities. The education system through secondary level is administered by the Ministry of Education in all emirates except Abu Dhabi, where it falls under the authority of the Department of Education and Knowledge. Dubai International Airport became the busiest airport in the world by international passenger traffic in 2014, overtaking London Heathrow. The northern emirates are rapidly following suit, providing major incentives for developers of residential and commercial property.
All associations have to be submitted to censorship guidelines and all publications have first to be approved by the government. In the UAE an association requires twenty individuals, none of which can have previous convictions and must be preauthorized and registered with the government. Freedom of association is also severely curtailed, and in most cases, banned under existing law. This development is expected to attract major gaming operators and contribute significantly to the country’s economy. The GCGRA also mandates player management tools, including deposit limits and cooling-off periods for online gaming.
