United Arab Emirates

LOCATED IN THEPersian Gulf, the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E., formerly the Trucial States) has a land area of 32,278 sq. mi. (83,600 sq. km.), with a population of 4,380,000 (2006 est.) and a population [Page 997]density of 139 people per sq. mi. (64 people per sq. km.). Its economy is heavily dependent on petroleum and natural gas, with the country enjoying a very high standard of living. With little natural freshwater and regular sand and dust storms, the U.A.E. has little arable land, with most of the food in the country being imported.

With a dry desert climate and great wealth, widespread use of private automobiles and air conditioning has resulted in heavy use of electricity, all of which comes from fossil fuels. This has resulted ...