Politics of the U.A.E
The U.A.E’s government is neither a constitutional monarchy nor a republic. U.A.E’s government is a federation with specified powers delegated to the U.A.E federal government and other powers reserved to member Emirates. The member Emirates are a federation of seven absolute hereditary monarchies. They rule their own individual Emirate. Those Emirates are: Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Dubai, Ras al-Khaimah and Umm al-Qaiwain. The U.A.E government also has 3 branches: executive, legislature and judiciary. The executive branch consists of the President, Vice Presidents, Prime Minister, Federal Supreme Council and a council of ministers known as the cabinet. The FSC is the highest constitutional authority in the U.A.E. The FSC is composed of the seven Emirate rulers. The President and Vice President are elected by the FSC for a 5year term. The candidates for President and Vice President are only among the 7 members of the FSC. The current President of the U.A.E is Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He is the Emir of Abu Dhabi. The President appoints the cabinet and prime minister. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the Prime Minister and Vice President. He is also the constitutional monarch of Dubai. The Legislative Branch is the Federal National Council. It consists of 40 members from all the seven emirates. Half are appointed by the rulers of the constituent states, and the other half are elected to serve four year terms. The Judicial Branch includes a constitutionally independent judiciary which is their FSC. However, Dubai and Ras al-Khaimah do not belong to the national judiciary. All emirates have their own secular and Islamic law for civil, criminal and high courts.
Location: U.A.E is in the Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. It borders 2 countries, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The U.A.E is in a strategic location along Strait of Hormuz, which is a vital transit point for world crude oil. Size: The area in total of the U.A.E is 83,600sqKM. In comparison to all the countries in the world, the U.A.E is 115th. There are about 250 countries in the world, so the U.A.E is among the median. Shape: U.A.E is not a landlocked country, and it has the shape of a roughly stretched out U. It is also a compact country.
The U.A.E shares a natural sea border with Qatar and Iran. The Persian Gulf separates Qatar and the U.A.E, while the Gulf of Oman separates the U.A.E and Iran. However, there is an on-going land dispute with Qatar in the Khawr al Udayd are over the land border. Along the East of the U.A.E bordering Oman, there is no defined boundary. Most of U.A.E’S boundaries are undemarcated especially with Saudi Arabia. However, south of the U.A.E there is a de facto boundary with Saudi Arabia. A de facto boundary is an international boundary whose existence and legality isn’t recognized, but it is a practical division between separate provinces. The U.A.E’s artificial boundary with Saudi Arabia are 24 07’48.3”N 51 34’21.8”E. And the boundary with Oman is 24 15’49.8”N 55 46’02.7”E.
The U.A.E shares a natural sea border with Qatar and Iran. The Persian Gulf separates Qatar and the U.A.E, while the Gulf of Oman separates the U.A.E and Iran. However, there is an on-going land dispute with Qatar in the Khawr al Udayd are over the land border. Along the East of the U.A.E bordering Oman, there is no defined boundary. Most of U.A.E’S boundaries are undemarcated especially with Saudi Arabia. However, south of the U.A.E there is a de facto boundary with Saudi Arabia. A de facto boundary is an international boundary whose existence and legality isn’t recognized, but it is a practical division between separate provinces. The U.A.E’s artificial boundary with Saudi Arabia are 24 07’48.3”N 51 34’21.8”E. And the boundary with Oman is 24 15’49.8”N 55 46’02.7”E.
In the U.A.E, the main regional political system is within the emirates. The U.A.E is divided into 7 emirates. Those seven emirates are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Sharjah, Dubai, Ras al-Khaimah, Umm al Qaiwain and Fujairah. They are ruled by their own individual monarch better known as Emir. A smaller political unit used in the U.A.E is cities. There are 55 cities in the U.A.E including Abu Dhabi the capital. Some organizations are created to meet the needs of an emirate but end up helping several other poltical units. The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) is an example.