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As your flight descends into the UAE, it wouldn’t be surprising if you mistook the skyscraper dotted skyline for a city in Europe. UAE is a union of seven sovereign sheikhdoms that were formed in 1971 when the British withdrew from the Gulf. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a unique blend of traditional Islamic culture and values alongside a modern cosmopolitan living environment.

The oil rich economy has been utilized to upgrade visitor facilities and make UAE the ultimate destination with its world-class hotels, water sports events and shopping extravaganzas. Whether it is the copious duty free shopping and the razzle dazzle of the gold souks of Dubai, the museums of Abu Dhabi or the Islamic architecture of Sharjah, a visit to the UAE is a fusion of the exotic experience of the Middle East with the comforts of the west.

Attend the most awaited Dubai Shopping Festival on your visit to UAE. Gold ornaments, electronics, cosmetics and perfumes, duty free shopping and lot more - an occasion to let your shopping urges out.

Burj Dubai – is recognised as one of the tallest man made structures in the world.

Historically Speaking

UAE occupied a prominent position as a part of the Kingdom of Hormuz that controlled trade in the Gulf during the middle ages. By the 16th century, the Portuguese occupied Julfar near Ras al-Khaimah and they taxed the Gulf's flourishing trade with India and the Far East.

Two important tribal confederations became powerful along the coast of the lower Gulf by the mid 18th century. They were the Qawasim and the Bani Yas, the ancestors of the rulers of four of the seven emirates of UAE. The Qawasim, whose descendants now rule Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah, were a seafaring clan based at Ras al Khaimah. Their interests clashed with those of the British who were now prominent in the Gulf. Overriding the Qawasims, the British established a garrison and imposed a Treaty of Peace on the nine Arab Sheikhdoms of the Trucial coast. Meanwhile amongst the Bedouin tribes of the interior, the Bani Yas emerged as the main power. A division within the Bani Yas in the early 19th century caused Dubai to split from Abu Dhabi.

The British established a protectorate over the Trucial Coast in 1892, which now receded into tiny enclaves of fishermen, pearl divers and Bedouin. With the collapse of the world pearl market in the early 20th century, the entire coast became abjectly poor. In 1939 Shaikh Shakhbut of Abu Dhabi granted oil concessions to foreign companies. Though oil was only discovered in 1958, the fortunes of Abu Dhabi changed dramatically. In 1966 oil was discovered in Dubai making it the region's busiest trading centre.

Britain failed to implement its plan to form a single state consisting of Bahrain, Qatar and the Trucial Coast. Bahrain and Qatar became independent and a new federation of six Arab states, the United Arab Emirates, was formed in Dec 1971. Ras al-Khaimah joined the UAE in Feb 1972. Despite extreme contrasts in the economic status of the seven states, the UAE is amongst the most stable countries in the Arab world.

Habitat

The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven independent Arab states. It covers an area of 83,600 sq km, of which the Emirate of Abu Dhabi accounts for 85 %. Ajman, the smallest emirate, has only 250 sq km of land. The total area includes several islands in the Persian Gulf. Large parts of northern UAE have swamps and salt marshes, but dry desert land dominates the inland landscape. The eastern boundary of the UAE is hilly with rugged mountains and some greenery. The landscape in most of UAE is dry with scanty rainfall and sparse vegetation and animal life.

The UAE is on the annual migration route of millions of birds and has about 400 species of birds. The mangrove forests along the coast have a great variety of birds and fish. Among the animals are the rare Arabian Oryx (the animal that gave birth to the legend of the unicorn), the Arabian wolf, striped Hyena, Arabian fox, Arabian wildcat, the sand cat, and the tiny Egyptian Spiny Mouse. There are hundreds of desert insects, worms and reptiles.

The UAE government has adopted a very responsible attitude towards nature preservation and in 1992 established the Federal Environmental Agency to protect the environment. The government successfully adopted a greenery programme in several infertile places.