The Seven Emirates

   The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven sheikhdoms located in the southeastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula. Bordered by the Sultanate of Oman and the Gulf of Oman to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south and west, and by the Arabian Gulf to the north, the total land area, including 20 islands, is 83,000 sq km (32,278 sq mi). The seven emirates are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Qaiwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. The capital and the largest city of the federation, Abu Dhabi, is located in the emirate of the same name.

   The estimated population of the UAE was 5.6 million in 2007. Arabic is the official language and Islam is the state religion. The currency is the Arab Emirates Dirham ($1 US is equivalent to around 3.6 dirhams).

   The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai and later UAE Vice President and Prime Minister, took the initiative to form a federation among the Trucial sheikhdoms. Qatar and Bahrain originally intended to join the seven emirates in the new federation, but in the end they opted for separate statehood. On December 2, 1971 the flag of the UAE was raised for the first time, marking the beginning of a new era.

   Each emirate has its own local government too, consisting of municipalities and departments, so that each one retains a good deal of political and financial autonomy, a fact that has contributed greatly to the remarkable success of the federation.

   Traditionally, the population along the coast relied on fishing and pearling for their livelihood, whilst those in the hinterland relied on date plantations and camel herding. Through remarkable leadership and personal commitment, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan developed Abu Dhabi into an influential, fully modernized state. Upon Sheikh Zayed's death in November 2004, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan became UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi.

 

   Recently, oil is the major source of income for the UAE with Abu Dhabi leading the emirates in oil production. The country's proven oil reserves make up about one-tenth of the world's total. In addition to petroleum and petroleum products, other industries have grown in importance, including aluminum production; food processing; and paint and clothes manufacturing. Export crops include seafood, strawberries and vegetables. In recent years, there has been a huge increase in the number of tourists who visit the UAE. Visitors are attracted by award winning hotels, sports facilities, extensive beaches and a mild winter climate.

    Abu Dhabi, the largest emirate, is ruled by the Al Nahyan family. It occupies 67,340 square kilometers or 86.7% of the total area of the country. The emirate is primarily a vast desert area with about two dozen islands in the coastal waters, including the island where the city of Abu Dhabi is located, plus six sizeable islands further out in the Arabian Gulf. The population of the emirate is concentrated in three areas: the capital city, Abu Dhabi; Al Ain, an oasis city located near the Hajar Mountains; and the villages of the Liwa oases.

   Dubai, the second largest of the seven emirates, is ruled by the Al Maktoum family. It occupies an area of approximately 3,900 kilometers, which includes a small enclave called Hatta, situated close to Oman, amongst the Hajar Mountains. Dubai is located along the creek, a natural harbour, which traditionally provided the basis of the trading industry. Pearling and fishing were the main sources of income for the people of Dubai. Under the wise leadership of its rulers, Dubai's focus on trade and industry transformed it into the leading trading port along the southern Gulf. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the current ruler of Dubai.

   Sharjah, which shares its southern border with Dubai, is ruled by the Al Qasimi family. It is approximately 2,600 square kilometers and is the only emirate to have coastlines on both the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Sharjah is the cultural and educational centre of the UAE and takes pride in preserving the country's cultural heritage as well as promoting Arab culture and traditions.

   Ajman is the smallest emirate, comprising only 260 square kilometres. It is ruled by the Al Nuami family. Ajman also possesses the small enclaves of Manama and Musfut in the Hajar Mountains. Along the creek dhow building was the specialised trade. Fishing and date-trees provided the local population with their primary means of sustenance. Ajman benefited greatly from the union of the emirates, a fact that is reflected today in their stately buildings and infrastructure. Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuami has been the ruler since 1981.

   Umm Al Qaiwain is ruled by the Al Mualla family. It is the second smallest emirate, with a total area of around 770 square kilometres. Positioned between Sharjah and Ajman to the south and Ras Al Khaimah to the north. Umm Al Qaiwain has the smallest population. After the union of the emirates in 1971 Umm Al Qaiwain developed into a modern state, and continues to progress under its present ruler, Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmed Al Mualla.

   Ras Al Khaimah, the most northerly emirate, is ruled by another branch of the Al Qasimi family. It covers an area of 1,700 square kilometres. It has a unique abundance of flora, so it is no surprise that agriculture is important to the local economy. The emirate also benefits from its stone quarries, and fishing, which is plentiful in the rich waters of the Gulf. Ras Al Khaimah has a rich history. It was renowned for its prosperous port and for its exquisite pearls, which were famous as being the whitest and roundest available anywhere. Ras Al Khaimah's current ruler is Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi.

   Fujairah, the only emirate without a coastline on the Arabian Gulf, which is ruled by the Al Sharqi family. It is situated along the coast of the Gulf of Oman. Fujairah covers about 1,300 square kilometres.  Fujairah's economy is based on fishing and agriculture. The land in Fujairah is irrigated by rainwater from the Hajar Mountains, making it ideal for farming. Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi is the present ruler.

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http://www.sheikhmohammed.co.ae

http://www.emirates.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Arab_Emirates

4-line time graph

   The 4-line graph shows unemployment levels for men and women together, and for men only, in the EEC and the USA, 1972-1981.

   The highest rate of unemployment throughout the period was for USA men and women. There was a small drop in 1973 from 5M to 4M but then a sharp increase to 8M in 1975. From 1975 to 1979 there was a gradual decline but then a steep rise to 9M in 1981. For EEC men and women there was a similar drop in 1973 from 3M to 2.5M, followed by a fairly sharp increase to 6M by 1977. Levels remained steady for two years but then rose quickly to almost 9M by 1981. The lines for EEC men and USA men are quite similar. There was a drop in 1973, followed by an increase to 4M in the USA and 3M in the EEC. Both levels then remained pretty steady until 1980 and then there was another rise to 5M in the EEC and 4.5M in the USA.

   The levels for men and women in both regions rose to almost 9M by 1981.

Media and the great influence in shaping people's ideas.

   In our new century, if we look at the mass media including television, radio and newspapers we will find great influence in shaping people's ideas. This is because of the development in the technology and so the demand for the knowledge. Here I will go through the issue in depth.

   First of all if we take look at our life we can see the great developments which have happened in the technology. This causes increasing in the sources of knowledge which make us thirst for them. 
Therefore the variety in the mass media has increased knowledge in recent times.

   Another reason why people need the mass media is that people are looking for a fast source of knowledge like television, radio and maybe newspapers. A further reason involved universities, colleges and institutes where students need information to do their projects and research.

   Although some people still find the information and news through the old ways, others use the Internet which is the easy way to do that. In addition, there are many sites for connection like face book, twitter and google which are better than in the past.

   In conclusion, I agree with the statement which tells us the mass media, including television, radio and newspapers have great influence in shaping people's ideas. 

Fishermen in millions 1970, 1980, 2000 & top ten fish exporters 2000.

   This bar graph shows the number of fishermen in millions for different regions in the years 1970, 1980 and 2000.

   In 1970, the highest number of fishermen was in Europe with a number of 12M and the lowest number was in North America with 5M. In 1980, the highest number of fishermen was in North America with a number of 15M and about 7M in South America and Europe. In 2000, the highest number was in Asia, about 25M approximately and the lowest in Africa which was about 3M.

   In contrast, the table illustrates the world's top ten exporters of fish in the year 2000. Thailand has the biggest exports of fish. Norway comes in the second position. Canada comes in the sixth position. Taiwan comes in the seventh position. Finally, South Korea comes in the last position offering fish products.

   In conclusion, it's clear from the bar chart and from the table that there are variations in the demand for fish products which is obviously good.

Positive and negative developments for students continuing their higher education

   Nowadays many countries offer programs to let students continue their education after school. There is a big number of high school students who want to continue their advanced education. That is why the number of universities and colleges has increased in recent times. Some people agree with these developments and the others are against them. Here I will show you my opinion concerning what is going on in this issue.

   Going back to the issue, a few people think that advanced education is rubbish and no longer important. They think that going to build new colleges and institutes is wasting of time and effort.
They believe that getting a high school certificate and going straight away to the work sector is much easier.

   Other people believe that going to higher education is more positive. On the other hand students who graduate from universities and colleges will have a big opporitunity to have high positions at work. So the increase in the number of colleges and universities and the increase in the number of students is a positive indicator.

   The situation is clear enough that can make us able to extract the right argument. So the conclusion shows that going to higher education through colleges and universities is more posititive and also has benefits for the country.

2002 Airline survey of economy and business classes travelers.

   The pie charts show the results of an air line survey in 2002 of economy class and business class travelers. The numbers indicate the percentage of male or female passengers who rated a particular feature as the most popular in-flight consideration.
   
    In the economy class, females rated the most popular flight features  about 9% movies, 45% service and around 21% food & drinks, whereas males most popular flight features were about 7% movies, 25% service and 19% as food & drinks.
  
   In contrast, in business class the  most popular flight features for females were 9% movies, 30% service and around 41% space whereas the number was 3% movies, 28% service and 45% space for males.
  
   In conclusion, it is obvious that each of these graphs shows clearly the percentage ratings of males and females in economy and business classes.

Combination of Intenet, personal computer users in 1999/2000.

  This table describes the information society in 1999/2000 in millions. These statistics have been collected from sources.

  The highest number of PCs was 141M in the USA, whereas the lowest number was in Japan, about 36M. Therefore the world estimate will be 387M.

  Internet hosts also have a number of 65.9 which is the highest number in the USA. Japan comes with the lowest number of 4.5 million.

  Concerning internet users, the number was 154M in the USA and the lowest of 39M was also in Japan.

  Finally, mobiles phones have the highest record in EU-15 which was about 147M and the lowest was about 57M in Japan. The total is around 481M.

  Scandinavian countries have the highest rate of using personal computers. This is around 50-65%. Italy has 35%, France has 28% and Portugal has 25%. For the internet, Sweden has the highest number which is 55%. Greece has the lowest rate which is about 5%.

  In conclusion, we can see the variation in the percentages of these countries, so it is easy to understand.