GEOGRAPHY CONNECTIONS This year-long series is presented in collaboration

with the Connecticut Geographic Alliance.

NIE ACTIVITY

Welcome to

United Arab Emirates

COUNTRY VIEW
Take LOCATION: The UAE´s exact location is
5
By Evan St.Louis about 25 degrees north and 55 degrees east.
The United Arab Emirates is a federation of 7 emirates It is in West Asia and it borders: Oman, Qatar
located on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia. The and Saudi Arabia. This country has water borders
of the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf.
Emirates are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm
Al-Qaywayn, Ra’s Al-Khayman and Al-Fujayrah, which PLACE: Most of the country is desert with rolling sand
were formally united in 1971. The location of this country dunes. In this desert there are several oases such as the
one at Al Ain. The one exception to the flat landscape is
affects the lives of the people in a multitude of ways, both
the Hajar Mountains which reach up to 6,500 feet and are
environmentally and culturally. split by the border of Oman and the UAE. The country has
beautiful natural landforms like deserts and beaches.
This country is primarily Muslim because it it is located in a
HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION:
region of the world with a large Muslim population. Traditionally, The most important natural resource is oil… lots of oil
in the Emirates women could not choose their spouses and (seeing as it’s the foundation of their economy). Also,
couldn’t have an because the UAE is mostly desert, natural vegetation is
limited to low shrubs. However, millions of trees have been
education. This is changing due to influences from the outside traditional
planted to provide a habitat for various species of animals.
culture. The climate of the country also affects how the people live. Most They have planted mangroves along the coastline to
of the cities are located near the coast because the rest of the country prevent coastal erosion, to serve as breeding grounds for
is an arid barren desert. However, there are a few little villages located fish and to provide nesting grounds for various sea birds.
next to oases. The classic headdresses, called a keffiyeh, were created In the oases date palms have been planted with alfalfa
along with various fruits such as mangoes. Domesticated
to protect their heads from the blistering sun. They use camels like we animals include goats, sheep and camel and more recently
use horses because that is the native animal that can handle desert-like poultry and cattle. Native wildlife include the arabian oryx
conditions. They use camels for racing, transportation and food. and arabian and persian gazelle

DID YOU KNOW? MOVEMENT: Dubai International Airport is the world’s

busiest airport by international passenger traffic. It is also
the third busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic,
The economy of the UAE is based on oil exports. Since oil was discovered in
and the sixth busiest cargo airport in world.
1958 the UAE has been one of the richest countries in the world. Abu Dhabi itself
contains almost 10% of the world’s oil reserves. However, in recent years they have REGION: The UAE has expanded its money-making
horizons it has also become a big spot for tourism. As a
tried to diversify their economy to include tourism, finance and manufacturing.
Dirham result many cultural landmarks have popped up throughout
The capital city is Abu Dhabi but the most populous is Dubai. Their currency is the the UAE. The Palm Islands are man made islands shaped
dirham which is currently worth about 25 cents to a U.S. dollar. like palm leaves sitting off the coast of Dubai. Burj Khalifa
is the world’s tallest tower and has become a bustling
The UAE is governed by the Supreme Council of Rulers which is made up of 1 representative from each Emirate. attraction. It became the world’s largest freestanding
The representatives elect a president and vice president from among themselves. Their legislative body is called structure and the tallest tower in 2010. Finally, Burj Al-Arab
is the 4th tallest hotel in the world and is located on the
the Federal National Council which is made up of 40 members, each of whom serves a two year term. The original shores of Dubai and was opened in the 1900’s.
constitution was approved in 1971 and became permanent in 1996.

Using the News

MAPPING ACTIVITY Did you know that before 1952, there was no formal
The official language of the UAE is Arabic. It is taught schooling in the UAE? Now, it is one of the nation’s highest
in every school however English is also widely spoken. priorities. It is mandatory for boys and girls to go to school
About ¾ of the population is Muslim. However there from ages 6 through 12. ¾ of the population is literate and
are also growing numbers of Christians and Hindus. the rate for women far exceeds that of men. In fact, in many
1/2 of the citizens are native, the rest have immigrated Middle Eastern countries, girls outscore boys in school.
from other places.
Recently, there has been an influx of Syrian refugees into
The following map shows different varieties of the UAE. Using the Courant, how have Syrians adapted
Arabic. Why are there so many different versions of to living in new places?
the language? How does the map show variations https://www.uae-embassy.org/about-uae/education-uae
in regions and religions? http://www.worldbank.org/en/region/mena/brief/education-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varieties_of_Arabic
in-mena

Online Resources:
For students who are blind, learning
For students who are blind, learning
disabled or print
disabled orchallenged, visit CRIS
print challenged, visitRadio at
Common Core
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ae.html
●
http://www.chrisradio.org and clickCRIS
Kids Radio
On-Demand for a free audio version of
at http://www.chrisradio.org Curricular Connections
● http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14703998
and click Kids On-Demand CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1 ● CSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2
● https://www.britannica.com/place/United-Arab-Emirates for a free audio version of Geography
● https://www.lonelyplanet.com/united-arab-emirates Connections. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.5 ● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7