People

As a result of the oil boom, less than 50% of the inhabitants of the UAE are Arabs. There are large groups of Indians, Pakistanis, Iranians and Southeast Asians. The population is, however, 95% Muslim. The capital is Abu Dhabi and the second most important city is Dubai. In the UAE, six years of primary education is free and compulsory. Because of the income from petroleum, health services and social services are provided virtually free.

The people of the UAE are Arab, descended from the tribal confederations dominating the peninsula since before recorded history. Arabic is of course the official language but English is widely spoken as are Urdu, Malayalam and from the Philippines, Tagalog. All these groups add to the diversity of the UAE's cosmopolitan society.

Population

The UAE has grown at an extremely rapid pace since its foundation.

The population has increased from about 180,000 to its present 2.5 million while the revenues from oil have enabled the government to undertake a massive construction program: housing, schools, hospitals, roads, seaports, airports and telecommunications facilities.

The poverty of the past has been swept away but not the customs and traditions of the people

Religion

The state religion is Islam which reached the area during the lifetime of the Prophet Mohammed. The country's laws and practices are founded upon Islam and the Holy Qur'an.

United Arab Emirates
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