Country Pages

-- Photo courtesy of www.emirates.org

The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven sovereign states, each controlled by a ruling family. The seven emirates are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah, and Fujairah. Situated at the southern rim of the Arabian Gulf, the UAE's territory encompasses an extensive coastline, over 200 islands, and numerous offshore coral reefs. The interior of the nation is split into mountainous and desert regions with scattered oases.

Jumairah Mosque -- Photo courtesy of www.emirates.org

Abu Dhabi is the largest emirate, controlling approximately 85 percent of the nation's total area, while Ajman is the smallest emirate and covers only 250 square kilometers. The emirate of Dubai is perhaps the most internationally recognized center of the UAE, as it regularly plays host to a number of major international sporting events and conferences.

The UAE has grown to become a major international business center and is one of the most successful and stable nations in the Arab world. UAE nationals are among the wealthiest in the region, and the country is arguably the most liberal country among the Gulf states.

Al Jazira Al Hamra Fort, in Ras Al Khaimah -- Photo courtesy of www.emirates.org

Arabic is the official language of the UAE. Due to the country's large expatriate population, however, other languages such as English, Hindi, Farsi, and Urdu are also widely spoken. UAE nationals are mostly Sunni Muslim, although a substantial Shi'a Muslim community exists as well.

In the past decade, nine Fulbright grants have been awarded to U.S. scholars to lecture and/or conduct research in the United Arab Emirates. The majority of these grants have been for a combined program of lecturing and research at the United Arab Emirates University in the city of Al Ain in Abu Dhabi. Fields of specialization of previous Fulbright scholars in the UAE have included education, biological sciences, literature, sociology, agriculture, economics, engineering, and linguistics.

CIES encourages interested applicants to make use of the following links to complement their research into potential opportunities available in the United Arab Emirates. Please also feel free to use the contact information at the bottom of this page to get in touch with CIES program personnel.

U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
http://www.usembabu.gov.ae/
U.S. Embassy site containing information on American citizen services, current events, useful contact information, interviews of U.S. official with UAE media, and other links to websites about the UAE

Contact Information for the State of Qatar Embassy in Washington D.C.
http://www.worldrover.com/entry/united_arab_emirates_embassy.html
Includes contact information for the United Arab Emirates in Washington D.C., as well as links to statistics and historical information pertaining to the United Arab Emirates.

Embassy World website
http://www.embassyworld.com/maps/Maps_Of_U_A_E.html
Links to a variety of standard and interactive maps of the United Arab Emirates.

UAE Interact - Ministry of Information and Culture
http://www.uaeinteract.com/
Official website of the United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Information and Culture. Extensive collection of information including current news, news archives, facts and figures on all aspects of the UAE, tourist guide with city maps, and a collection of online articles pertaining to the UAE Special features of the site include a virtual museum of archaeological artifacts, a virtual gallery of artwork by UAE artists, and a virtual Emirates tour with an interactive map.

UAE Pages
http://www.uae.org.ae/
Detailed information on tourism, business, and society in the United Arab Emirates. Includes an extensive set links to of UAE related websites.

United Arab Emirates Homepage
http://www.emirates.org
Various information about the UAE including a photo gallery and the ability to send UAE related electronic greeting cards over the Internet.

Arab Net - United Arab Emirates
http://www.arab.net/uae/uae_contents.html
Information on the United Arab Emirates' history, geography, business, culture, government, transportation, and tourist industry.

Lonely Planet
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/middle_east/
united_arab_emirates/
Traveler's information on the United Arab Emirates, including sections on events, activities, culture, and history.

World Travel Guide
http://www.worldtravelguide.net/data/are/are.asp
Concise information on visas, money, health, holidays, transportation, climate, and important contact addresses in the United Arab Emirates. Features a tool that enabling one to create and print a custom 'mini-guide' of chosen information.

U.S. Department of State
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/bgn/5444.htm
Background information on the United Arab Emirates including political conditions, foreign relations, relations with the U.S., history, people, government, economy, and business.

United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain
http://www.uaeu.ac.ae/

The Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, Abu Dhabi
http://www.ecssr.ac.ae/

Zayed University
http://www.zu.ac.ae/

Dubai Polytechnic
http://209.15.24.211/dubaipoly/index.php3

Ajman University College of Science and Technology
http://website.ajman.ac.ae/

American University in Dubai
http://www.aud.edu/

Emirates News Agency
http://www.wam-uae.gov.ae/e_main.htm (in English)
http://www.wam-uae.gov.ae/ (in Arabic)

Khaleej Times / Al Khaleej
http://www.khaleejtimes.co.ae/ (in English)
http://www.alkhaleej.co.ae/ (in Arabic)

Gulf News
http://www.gulfnews.com/default.asp
In English.

Al Bayan Newspaper
http://www.albayan.co.ae/
In Arabic.

Al Shaab
http://alarabnews.com/alshaab/
In Arabic. Online newspaper covering regional news.

Asharq Al-Awsat
http://www.asharqalawsat.com/pcdaily/06-11-2001/
In Arabic. The Arabic international newspaper.

Arab Chat
http://chat.arab.net/
Chat server with public and private chat rooms for Online discussions in Arabic or English.

The Countries and Peoples of Arabia Message Boards
http://www.hejleh.com/countries/poll.html
Very active message boards and a link to Arabia Chat.

General Information on the Middle East
Arab Social Science Research
http://www.assr.org/
A collection of Online research sources for the Arab World indexed by country, sources, and topics. Includes virtual libraries and links to social science research centers throughout the world.

BBC Arabic Service
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/arabic/news/
In Arabic. BBC news with audio feed.

U.S. Department of State - Middle East and North Africa
http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/nea/nea.htm
U.S. news, reports, and policy relating to the Middle East and North Africa. Also includes links to numerous Online journals.

The Countries and Peoples of Arabia
http://www.hejleh.com/countries/index.html
A huge list of links pertaining to the Arab world, including very active Message Boards.

Islamic Studies
http://www.uga.edu/islam
A well-balanced site with articles and resources pertaining to Islam, drawn primarily from scholarly research and regional Islamic sources. Contains information on Islam's history, sacred texts, art, architecture, and place in the modern world.