The United Arab Emirates, or simply “Emirates”, is a small state located in one of the hottest and driest places on Earth, on the southern coast of the Persian Gulf. It consists of seven absolute monarchies - emirates. The capital of the largest of them, the city of Abu Dhabi, is also the capital of the entire state.
History of the Emirates until the second half of the 20th century
The Emirates is an amazing and instructive example of how, thanks to natural resources and sound policies, the life of a country in a short time can be transformed beyond recognition.
Since ancient times, on the Arabian coast of the Persian Gulf, people who lived in small settlements earned their living by fishing and pearling. In the middle of the 7th century, these lands fell under the rule of the Arabs, who had converted to Islam by that time. The conquerors built several cities: Sharjah, Dubai, Fujairah. And at the end of the 15th century, Europeans began to actively build fortresses there, because they were interested in controlling important trade routes from Asia to Europe. First they were the Portuguese, then the British came. In the end, the powerful British navy took complete control of the waters of the Persian Gulf. And in 1820, the British forced the local rulers to sign an agreement with them, which gave Great Britain the right to build British military bases on the coast. This is how the Emirate "Treaty Oman" was formed.
In the early 1920s, an important event took place: colossal oil reserves were discovered in the emirate. Naturally, the British immediately forced the ruler of Treaty Oman to conclude a concession with them for the right to develop. Only in 1971, the British troops were finally withdrawn from there, and an independent state was formed, consisting first of 6, and since 1972 - of 7 emirates.
Emirates today - standard of living, economy, tourism
The state structure of the Emirates is unique. It is an amazing combination of monarchical and republican forms of government. The majority of the population is Muslim, but unlike neighboring Saudi Arabia, adherents of other religions are free to practice their religion. Shariah norms have a huge impact on behavior in society, in everyday life, as well as on the rules of doing business.
Thanks to the huge influx of foreign exchange earnings from the sale of oil, the barren coast of the Persian Gulf has been transformed beyond recognition. The capital, Abu Dhabi, has become an ultra-modern city with gigantic skyscrapers, luxury hotels and gorgeous shopping malls that even have artificial ice rinks. You can swim in the warm sea all year round. Therefore, there are many foreign tourists in the Emirates (although they need to strictly adhere to the dress code and rules of conduct, which are different in each emirate).
