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
| 26 Aug 26 |
UAE: Technip Energies selected by L&T for a significant engineering services contract for ADNOC Offshore in the UAE Technip Energies has been awarded a significant contract by Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (LTEH) to provide detailed engineering services for a major ADNOC Offshore project in the United Arab Emirates. |
| 25 Aug 26 |
UAE: ADNOC awards McDermott mega offshore EPCI contract to advance Umm Shaif Field development McDermott has been awarded a mega engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contract by ADNOC for Package 4 of the Umm Shaif Integrated Gas Cap and Surface Pressure Boosting (SPB) Project. The project is a critical component of the Umm Shaif Long Term Development Plan (LTDP), designed to maximize gas recovery from the field and increase gas production. |
| 10 Aug 26 |
ADNOC Gas delivers resilient Q2 net income, takes FID on major growth projects ADNOC Gas and its subsidiaries have announced its results for the second quarter of 2026, delivering net income of $665 million, above the guidance range of $400-600 million, despite exceptional external disruption during the period. |
| 21 Jul 26 |
UAE: TotalEnergies announces Final Investment Decision (FID) for the Umm Shaif Gas Cap development TotalEnergies has announced the Final Investment Decision (FID) for the Umm Shaif Gas Cap development in the Umm Shaif and Nasr offshore concession, in which the Company holds a 20% interest alongside ADNOC (60%), CNPC (10%) and ENI (10%), with ADNOC Offshore as operator. |
| 15 Jul 26 |
UAE: Masdar reaches financial close for world-first US$6.1 billion gigascale 24/7 clean energy project Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC – Masdar, a global clean energy leader, has announced financial close for the world's first gigascale 24/7 renewable energy project, marking a defining milestone in the commercialization of the next generation of clean energy infrastructure. |
United Arab Emirates - more news
Other countries in this region
- Algeria,
- Angola,
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- 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,
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- Palestine,
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- Sierra Leone,
- Somalia,
- Somaliland,
- South Africa,
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- Sudan,
- Syria,
- Tanzania,
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- Tunisia,
- Uganda,
- Western Sahara,
- Yemen,
- Zambia,
- Zanzibar,
- Zimbabwe
