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United Arab Emirates Facts & Worksheets

The United Arab Emirates, often referred to as the U.A.E, sometimes simply called the Emirates, is a federation of seven emirates on the eastern side of the Arabian peninsula, at the entrance to the Persian Gulf.

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The United Arab Emirates, often referred to as the U.A.E, sometimes simply called the Emirates, is a federation of seven emirates on the eastern side of the Arabian peninsula, at the entrance to the Persian Gulf.

See the fact file below for more information on the United Arab Emirates or alternatively, you can download our 21-page United Arab Emirates worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

DESCRIPTION

  • The UAE has a total area of 32,278 sq mi (83,600 sq km) with an estimated population of 9.8 million as of 2019.
  • Its capital is Abu Dhabi, one of most well-known tourist destinations in the world. Dubai is the biggest city of the UAE.
  • The UAE dirham, also known as the Emirati dirham, is the currency of the UAE. The term dirham is officially abbreviated “AED,” while unofficial abbreviations include “DH” or “Dhs.”
  • The languages include: Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, and Urdu.
  • The official religion among the United Arab Emirates is Muslim, coming in at 76% of the population, 9% Christian, approximately 10% Hindu or Buddhist, and less than 5% other religions.

GEOGRAPHY

  • The United Arab Emirates, in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, extends along part of the Gulf of Oman and the southern coast of the Persian Gulf.
  • The nation is the size of Maine. Its neighbors are Saudi Arabia to the west and south, Qatar to the north, and Oman to the east. Most of the land is barren and sandy.

GOVERNMENT and HISTORY

  • The federation was formed in 1971 by seven emirates known as the Trucial States. In addition to a federal president and prime minister, each emirate has a separate ruler who oversees the local government.
  • Originally the area was inhabited by a seafaring people who were converted to Islam in the 7th century. Later, a dissident sect, the Carmathians, established a powerful sheikdom, and its army conquered Mecca.
  • After the sheikdom disintegrated, its people became pirates.
  • Threatening the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman early in the 19th century, the pirates provoked the intervention of the British, who in 1820 enforced a partial truce and in 1853 a permanent truce.
  • Thus what had been called the Pirate Coast was renamed the Trucial Coast. The British provided the nine Trucial states with protection but did not formally administer them as a colony.

HISTORY

  • The British withdrew from the Persian Gulf in 1971, and the Trucial states became a federation called the U.A.E.
  • Two of the Trucial states, Bahrain and Oman, chose not to join the federation, reducing the number of states to seven.
  • The country signed a military defense agreement with the U.S. in 1994 and one with France in 1995.
  • After the September 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., the UAE was identified as a major financial center used by al-Qaeda in transferring money to the hijackers (two of the 9/11 hijackers were UAE citizens).
  • The nation immediately cooperated with the U.S., freezing accounts tied to suspected terrorists and strongly clamping down on money laundering.
  • Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the UAE and ruler of the federation since 1971, died in November 2004. His son succeeded him. In January 2006, Sheik Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the prime minister of the UAE and the emir of Dubai, died.
  • Crown Prince Sheikh Muhammad ibn Rashid al-Maktoum assumed both roles.
  • The Burj Khalifa, in Dubai, was completed in January 2010 and became the world’s tallest building at 2,716 feet (828 meters) and 160 stories. It contains the world’s fastest elevators, 20.7 acres of glass, and is expected to use about 250,000 gallons of water per day.

SEVEN EMIRATES

  • ABU DHABI
    • Abu Dhabi is the largest of the seven emirates and the capital of the UAE. It occupies an area of 26,000 square miles. Its long coastline was once the world’s best waters for pearling. Abu Dhabi was also the first emirate to export oil from the Umm Shaif offshore field in 1962. On the land, it stretches south to the oasis of Liwa where some of the world’s largest sand dunes can be found and east to the ancient oasis of Al Ain.
  • DUBAI
    • Dubai is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. It is rather like an independent city-state and is the most modern and progressive emirate in the UAE, developing at an unbelievable pace in the tourist and trade sectors especially.
  • SHARJAH
    • It is the only emirate to have a coastline on both the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. This is by virtue of the emirate being made up of a main part (where the capital city Sharjah is) that is located along the Persian Gulf. Because of its proximity to Dubai and the lower cost of living in Sharjah, many people live in Sharjah and work in Dubai.
  • AJMAN
    • Ajman is the smallest of the seven emirates and is centrally located on the western coast of the UAE. The emirate lies on the Gulf coast where its beach extends for 16 km. whereas the total area of Ajman is 259 square km. The area of the Emirate of Ajman is about 460 Sq. km. while the total area, including the regional waters, is about 600 sq. km.
  • UMM AL QUWAIN
    • Umm Al Quwain covers an area of 800 square kilometres and stretches from the beautiful, lush green coastal mangroves lining the shores of the Persian Gulf, inland across the rolling sand dunes to the fertile oasis surrounding Falaj Al Moalla.
  • RA’S AL KHAYMAH
    • Ra’s al Khaymah, located at the north end of the coast of the Arabian Gulf, is one of the seven United Arab Emirates (UAE).
  • FUJAIRAH
    • The easternmost of the United Arab Emirates, Fujairah is the only Emirate not to have a coastline along the Persian Gulf. It is also the youngest of the Emirates, only becoming independent from Sharjah in 1952.

7 COLORS OF SAND

  • The seven-sands souvenir provides a colour code for each emirate on its reverse. There, you will find a neat label that informs you:
    Ra’s Al Khaimah- White; Abu Dhabi- Light red; Umm al Quwain- Blue; Ajman- Cream; Dubai- Red; Sharjah- Brown and Fujairah- Black.
  • According to the geologists, this attribution of one color of sand to one emirate is more of a sales gimmick than a geological pointer. Says John Newby: “No particular color is unique to one emirate and there may be pockets in the region where the specific color may be found.”

United Arab Emirates Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the United Arab Emirates across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use United Arab Emirates worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the United Arab Emirates, often referred to as the U.A.E, sometimes simply called the Emirates, which is a federation of seven emirates on the eastern side of the Arabian peninsula, at the entrance to the Persian Gulf.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • United Arab Emirates Facts
  • Fill Me Up
  • Unjumble Words
  • Four Facts
  • Choose That
  • The Seven Colors
  • UAEssay
  • Food Hub
  • Burj Khalifa
  • Wait… There’s More!
  • Keep Us Posted!

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Link will appear as United Arab Emirates Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, November 12, 2019

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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