Middle East / Africa
Country profile: United Arab Emirates
Location: | Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia |
Climate: | desert; cooler in eastern mountains |
Terrain: | flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east |
Size: | 83600 sq. km total (Land area: 83600 sq. km ) |
Population: | 4,621,399 |
Languages: | Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu |
Government: | federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates |
Capital city: | Abu Dhabi |
Legal system: | based on a dual system of Shari'a and civil courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Currency: | Emirati dirham (AED) |
Licensing: |
Country profile
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is an important oil producer with the fifth largest proven oil reserves in the Middle East. The UAE is a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) since joining in 1967. The emirate of Abu Dhabi is the center of the oil and gas industry, followed by Dubai, Sharjah, and Ras al Khaimah. In 2004, natural gas supplied 64 percent of the country’s total energy consumption, and oil supplied the remaining 36 percent. The UAE is a high-income, stable federation of seven emirates with the second largest Arab economy in the Middle East.
The non-oil sectors grew 18.6 percent in 2006 and have tripled during the last three years. Good relations with Asian trading partners and a growing domestic population have helped diversify the thriving economy. However, the country remains dependent on oil revenue, and the government has announced large oil production capacity increases within the next seven years. Abu Dhabi is the major hydrocarbon and industrial power while Dubai is the trading, financial, and tourist center of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai account for 80 percent of the UAE’s income. Hydrocarbon revenues account for around one-third of the UAE’s GDP, though the non-oil finance and service sectors in Dubai are making the city a favored base for multinational corporations in the Gulf.
Energy production and consumption
Oil | Gas | |
Production: | 2 million bbl/day (2006 est.) | 45 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
Consumption: | 372,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) | 39 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
Exports: | 2 million bbl/day (2006 est.) | 6 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
Imports: | 137,200 bbl/day (2005 est.) | 1 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
Reserves: | 97 billion bbl (2007 est.) | 5 trillion cu m (1 January 2006 est.) |
Major fields: |
United Arab Emirates - recent news
06 Dec 23 |
UAE/Azerbaijan: ADNOC and SOCAR to collaborate on hydrogen, carbon management and geothermal technologies ADNOC and the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) have announced the signing of a strategic collaboration agreement that sets out their intention to collaborate on the potential development of low carbon energy technologies. |
25 Nov 23 |
UAE: Masdar and Emirates Steel Arkan to develop MENA region’s first green hydrogen-based project to decarbonize the UAE’s hard-to-abate steel sector Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC – Masdar, one of the world’s leading renewable energy companies, has partnered with Emirates Steel Arkan, one of the largest publicly traded steel and building materials manufacturers in the region, to develop an innovative green hydrogen project to decarbonize the hard-to-abate steel sector in the UAE. |
06 Oct 23 |
UAE: ADNOC partners with EDGE to use UAE-made drones to minimize emissions ADNOC has announced a partnership with EDGE Group, one of the world’s leading advanced technology groups headquartered in Abu Dhabi, to deploy UAE-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, across its onshore and offshore operations. |
06 Oct 23 |
UAE: ADNOC to deploy repurposed EV batteries to decarbonize operations and reduce costs ADNOC is to trial the use of repurposed electric vehicle batteries to decarbonize its remote production operations and reduce costs. The pilot, run in partnership with German startup Power I.D., will see electric vehicle batteries deployed that would have otherwise been disposed of and assembled into a large-scale Battery Energy Storage System. |
05 Oct 23 |
UAE: ADNOC takes FID on world’s first project that aims to operate with net zero emissions ADNOC has announced the final investment decision and award of contracts for the Hail and Ghasha Offshore Development project. The project aims to operate with net zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, reinforcing ADNOC’s legacy of responsible energy production and supporting its Net Zero by 2045 ambition and accelerated decarbonization plan. |
United Arab Emirates - more news
Other countries in this region
- Algeria,
- Angola,
- Bahrain,
- Benin,
- Botswana,
- Burundi,
- Cameroon,
- Central Africa Republic,
- Chad,
- Comoros,
- Congo (Brazzaville),
- Congo (Democratic Rep.),
- Cote d'Ivoire,
- Djibouti,
- Egypt,
- Equatorial Guinea,
- Eritrea,
- Ethiopia,
- Gabon,
- Gambia,
- Ghana,
- Guinea (Republic),
- Guinea Bissau,
- Iran,
- Iraq,
- Israel,
- Jordan,
- Kenya,
- Kuwait,
- Lebanon,
- Liberia,
- Libya,
- Madagascar,
- Malawi,
- Mali,
- Mauritania,
- Mauritius,
- Morocco,
- Mozambique,
- Namibia,
- Niger,
- Nigeria,
- Oman,
- Palestine,
- Qatar,
- Rwanda,
- Sao Tome,
- Saudi Arabia,
- Senegal,
- Seychelles,
- Sierra Leone,
- Somalia,
- Somaliland,
- South Africa,
- South Sudan,
- Sudan,
- Syria,
- Tanzania,
- Togo,
- Tunisia,
- Uganda,
- Western Sahara,
- Yemen,
- Zambia,
- Zimbabwe