UAE at a glance: quick facts for visitors and residents

The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven emirates on the Arabian Peninsula, with Abu Dhabi as its capital. It uses the UAE dirham, which is pegged to the US dollar, keeps UTC+4 all year round, and government offices work Monday to Friday with a Saturday and Sunday weekend. The table below gathers the quick facts visitors and new residents ask about most, and the sources are listed at the end of the page.

Fact	Answer
Official name	United Arab Emirates (UAE); in Arabic دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة
Capital	Abu Dhabi
Emirates	Seven: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah
Area	About 83,600 km² according to the u.ae fact sheet. Other references give about 71,024 km². Sources count islands and territory differently, so treat either figure as approximate.
Population	11,294,243 at the end of 2024 (FCSC figure, as reported by Gulf News). Expatriates outnumber UAE nationals. The u.ae fact sheet still shows an older 2020 figure of 9,282,410.
Currency	UAE dirham (AED, often written Dh or Dhs); 1 dirham = 100 fils
Dollar peg	Pegged to the US dollar since February 2002 at USD 1 = AED 3.6725
Time zone	Gulf Standard Time (GST), UTC+4. No daylight saving time, so the clocks never change.
International dialing code	+971 (internet domain .ae)
Emergency numbers	Police 999, Ambulance 998, Fire and Civil Defence 997, Coastguard 996, Search and Rescue 995, Electricity failure 991
Languages	Arabic is the official language. English is widely used, and road signs are in Arabic and English. Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam, Bengali, Farsi, Tagalog and many other languages are also spoken.
Official religion	Islam. Residents of other faiths practise their own religions.
Working week and weekend	Federal government: Monday to Thursday 7:30am to 3:30pm, Friday 7:30am to 12:00pm, weekend Saturday and Sunday (since 1 January 2022). Sharjah government has a Friday to Sunday weekend. Private sector hours vary by employer.
Driving side	Right-hand side of the road (left-hand-drive cars)
Plugs and voltage	Type G (UK-style three-pin) sockets, about 220-240V, 50Hz. Older buildings sometimes have Type C or D sockets. This comes from travel references, not a government page.
National Day	2 December, marking the formation of the UAE in 1971. 2 and 3 December are public holidays.
Other national days	Flag Day on 3 November (not a public holiday) and Commemoration Day on 30 November
Main airports	Dubai International (DXB), Zayed International in Abu Dhabi (AUH), Sharjah International (SHJ), Al Maktoum / Dubai World Central (DWC), Ras Al Khaimah International (RKT), Fujairah International (FJR), plus Al Ain International (AAN)
Tap water	DEWA in Dubai says its water meets WHO guidelines up to the meter. Quality at your tap depends on the building’s tanks and pipes, so many residents drink bottled or filtered water.
Tipping	Appreciated but not mandatory. Around 10 to 15% for good restaurant service is common. Check whether a service charge is already on the bill.
Legal drinking age	21. Each emirate sets its own alcohol rules, and alcohol is not permitted in Sharjah.
Visas	Rules depend on your nationality and change over time. Check ICP (icp.gov.ae), GDRFA Dubai (gdrfad.gov.ae) or your airline before you travel.
Internet calls	Voice and video calls work only through licensed or authorised services. Check with your telecom operator.
Highest point	Jebel Jais, 1,934 m, in Ras Al Khaimah
President	His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President since May 2022 and Ruler of Abu Dhabi

The seven emirates

Each emirate has a capital city with the same name. Ras Al Khaimah joined the original six on 10 February 1972.

Abu Dhabi (capital: Abu Dhabi). The largest emirate, with about 84% of the country’s land, and home to the federal capital.
Dubai (capital: Dubai). The best-known emirate abroad and home to Dubai International Airport.
Sharjah (capital: Sharjah). Its government works a Monday to Thursday week, and alcohol is not permitted.
Ajman (capital: Ajman). The smallest emirate by area.
Umm Al Quwain (capital: Umm Al Quwain). The emirate with the fewest people.
Ras Al Khaimah (capital: Ras Al Khaimah). Home to Jebel Jais, the highest point in the country.
Fujairah (capital: Fujairah). The only emirate entirely on the Gulf of Oman coast.

Money

Prices are in dirhams (AED), and 1 dirham is 100 fils. The dirham has been pegged at 3.6725 to the US dollar since 2002, so the dollar rate stays the same while rates against other currencies move with the dollar. Cards are accepted in most shops and restaurants in the cities, but a little cash is handy for abras, souqs and tips. Some bills already include a service charge, so check before you tip.

Getting around

Traffic drives on the right. In Dubai, the metro, trams and public buses use the Nol card, and our Nol fare calculator gives you a quick estimate of a trip’s cost. Road tolls in Dubai are collected automatically through Salik tags; the Salik toll calculator works out what a regular route costs per day or per month. For flights, Dubai International and Zayed International in Abu Dhabi are the main gateways, with Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah as smaller options.

Culture

Arabic is the official language, but English gets you almost everywhere. A few words still go a long way: try our Arabic phrasebook, and look up words like majlis, khalas or inshallah in the UAE glossary. The UAE is more relaxed than many visitors expect, yet there are clear expectations for dress and behaviour in malls, government buildings and mosques. Our etiquette and dress code guide explains them in plain terms.

Sources

These facts were checked in October 2026. Most come from official UAE government pages; where a fact comes from a news report or a travel reference instead, we say so in the table.