Many things about the UAE make it a wonderful place to visit and even to live in. In recent decades, investment in modern infrastructure has made it a very attractive tourist destination, in addition to its economic potential. 

Some countries in the Middle East region have had substantial economic growth, especially due to the revenues from the oil industry, and one of these countries is precisely the United Arab Emirates. 

Despite being in a region where there is much political strife, the UAE has remained relatively stable both politically and economically, especially in recent times. The country consists of a confederation of seven emirates, namely

Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain.

History

It is worth mentioning that in this region, the first culture that had some kind of influence was the Persian Empire’s one until the arrival of Islam in the 7th century, where this religion would begin to spread throughout the Middle East until the present day. 

However, this specific region was of little importance to the rest of the world before the discovery of oil and the rise of this industry globally, by which time it was a largely uninfluenced land controlled by the British where there were occasional rivalries between rulers. 

After the collapse of the world pearl market, which was their livelihood, Abu Dhabi began its quest for oil, which was to be followed by Dubai. Abu Dhabi understood the power and wealth that came with finding oil, so they focused all their efforts on it so that 6 years after the industry boomed here, Dubai also found oil on its territory. 

Oil was a key factor in the unification and modernisation of the 7 emirates. In 1951, a Truce States Council was established through the British, bringing together the sheikhdoms that would later become the confederation. 

Following the announcement of Britain's withdrawal in 1968, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan would take a leading role in the alliance that the sheikhdoms would have to insist on further unification, which was achieved in December 1971. 

The important thing about this agreement is that the UAE remains the only successful confederation in the Middle East, giving a measure of political and economic stability to the seven emirates, which support each other economically. 

Geography and Climate

Abu Dhabi occupies the largest territory, three-quarters of which is the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Temperatures in the country range from 18 degrees Celsius in January to 50 degrees Celsius in summer in the more desertic parts.

The United Arab Emirates is located in the Middle East east of the Arabian Peninsula, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman between Saudi Arabia and Oman. Its land area covers a total of 83,600 square kilometres. 

The climate is desert-like, cooler in the mountainous areas in the east, which makes it prone to sand and dust storms in most parts of the territory. The hot climate means that vegetation is sparse.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle in the UAE has clearly seen a marked improvement in recent years due to its booming economy, especially in the oil industry, which has had a major impact on the modernisation of the country and its citizens. 

The country has around 9 million inhabitants, with a high percentage of expatriates due to the attractiveness of living in the UAE today, especially in Dubai and Abu Dhabi where the rapid rate of immigration is remarkable. 

The high rate of immigration can be an advantage in terms of communication, as in addition to Arabic, English, French and even Spanish can be spoken. And while the oil industry is the main focus of the economy, the financial sectors have been gaining power in recent years. 

Tourism is also a major industry, as is the technology sector, which would provide plenty of employment opportunities for expatriates wishing to live in the UAE. 

Ambitious infrastructure plans across the country have made it one of the most labour-intensive countries in the world to keep the tourism industry growing, with increasing demand as projects are realised. 

And curiously, despite being at the epicentre of a region where there is much conflict, this country is one of the safest in the world, with crime rates at very low levels. 

According to an article in "the national" newspaper, this country has a high enough quality of life to be one of the 50 most developed countries in the world, as they also have developed all the sectors necessary for the development of human life. 

This country has leveraged its oil revenues to develop the health and education sectors in a sustainable and modern way to ensure a higher life expectancy and quality of life for its citizens, being very efficient in this aspect. 

The most striking feature for an expatriate within this territory is the high salaries, plus the lifestyle can be somewhat luxurious in this country. It is normal to see a high demand for expatriates wanting to make a life in the UAE as these salaries allow them to save for new personal projects or simply enjoy a life of luxury in this country. 

Doing Business Overview

The United Arab Emirates has a fairly open economic system, and although it is an oil-producing country, it is not entirely dependent on this resource to survive and develop as a country. 

In fact, since the discovery of oil in this region, the UAE has gone from being a poor country to one of the most developed countries with the highest quality of life, competing closely with developed Western countries such as the Europeans. 

The government has also focused on creating jobs and building infrastructure throughout the UAE's history and is heavily involving the private sector to leverage this, especially foreign investment, whose interest also comes from the free trade zones. 

The country is ranked 11th in the world for "doing business" as one of the easiest countries in the world to do business in, given that it is very simple to get a permit to do a construction project, as well as to connect to the electricity grid and register a property. 

These things are promoted by the government to keep the country's economy diversified and less dependent on oil, a goal they have achieved over the years. 

At Mundo, we can offer you proper assistance to find the way to move to the United Arab Emirates, do not hesitate to contact us to do so.

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