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
| 10 May 26 |
UAE and Austria reaffirm energy and industrial ties as Austrian Chancellor visits ADNOC HQ His Excellency Christian Stocker, Chancellor of the Republic of Austria, visited ADNOC’s Headquarters during his official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).The visit follows the recent completion of the transactions by OMV and ADNOC’s global investment arm, XRG, to form Borouge International, through the combination of Borouge and Borealis and the acquisition of NOVA Chemicals, creating a global polyolefins leader. |
| 12 Apr 26 |
UAE: ADNOC Gas shareholders approve record $3.6 billion dividend for full year 2025 ADNOC Gas and its subsidiaries have confirmed shareholder approval of all agenda items at its Annual General Meeting ('AGM'), including a record $3.584 billion dividend for 2025, with a final dividend of $896 million payable in May. |
| 18 Feb 26 |
UAE: Lamprell awarded EPC contract for UAE-based onshore gas facility Lamprell has been awarded an EPC contract by Dubai Petroleum for the Dubai Supply Authority’s Margham gas storage and processing facility in the UAE, which forms part of the wider Sunrise Development Programme. |
| 13 Feb 26 |
ADNOC Drilling delivers best year on record with 2025 net profit of $1.45 billion ADNOC Drilling Company has announced record fourth quarter and full year 2025 results, marking a step change in scale, technology-enabled performance and excellence in execution. |
| 22 Jan 26 |
UAE: McDermott awarded EPCI contract for Al Nasr field development project McDermott has been awarded a major contract by ADNOC for engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) services for the Nasr-115 Expansion Project, located approx. 130 kms northwest of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). |
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,
- Zanzibar,
- Zimbabwe
