Though celebrations may look a little different this year, as the UAE celebrates its National Day on December 2, the Spirit of the Union and sense of community remain as strong as ever.
And to celebrate the UAE and its many achievements, enjoy these 49 facts about the Emirates on its 49th National Day, for residents, tourists and budding historians alike …
1. The UAE's National Day is celebrated on December 2 each year and marks the unification of the emirates into a federation.
2. The UAE is a federation made up of seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah.
3. Six of the seven emirates combined on December 2, 1971, but Ras Al Khaimah joined the federation later, on February 10, 1972.
4. The UAE was founded under the leadership and vision of the late Sheikh Zayed, known as the Founding Father.
5. The national anthem of the UAE is Ishy Bilady, which translates as Long Live My Country.
6. The falcon is the UAE's national bird, and falconry is at the heart of Emirati culture.
7. In 2019, the oldest known pearl in the world was discovered on Marawah Island, off the coast of Abu Dhabi. It is estimated to be around 8,000 years old.
8. The seven sheikhdoms were formerly known as the Trucial States, in reference to treaty relations established with Britain in the 19th century.
9. The capital of the UAE is Abu Dhabi.
10. In Arabic, abu means "father" and dhabi means "gazelle". Abu Dhabi, therefore, translates as: "Father of the Gazelle".
11. The UAE is a member of the UN, the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Opec and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
12. The UAE shares a border with two countries: Saudi Arabia and Oman.
13. In order of the emirates' size, the largest is Abu Dhabi at 67,340 square kilometres and the smallest is Ajman at 259 square kilometres.
14. The UAE's oil reserves are currently the sixth largest in the world.
15. Size-wise, the UAE is slightly bigger than the US state of South Carolina.
16. In 1998, Sharjah was named the Cultural Capital of the Arab World by Unesco.
17. Dubai is home to the world's highest building, the Burj Khalifa, which stands 829.8 metres tall, if you count to the tip of its antenna.
18. Dubai is home to the world's first-ever seven-star hotel, the Burj Al Arab.
19. Excavations at archaeological sites in Ajman have traced human history in the area back to around 3,000 BC.
20. In the mid-18th century, the British dubbed the Arabian Gulf "Pirate Coast" due to its conflicts with the Qawasim, a maritime dynasty headquartered in Ras Al Khaimah but with outposts on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz.
21. In English, Ras Al Khaimah means "top of the tent", referencing its location in the northernmost part of the UAE.
22. Sir Bani Yas Island, located off the coast of the UAE's western region, is home to the oldest pre-Islamic Christian archaeological site in the country.
23. Umm Al Quwain is the least densely populated of all seven emirates.
24. Sharjah is the only emirate that shares its borders with all the other six emirates of the UAE.
25. Sharjah translates as "rising sun" in English.
26. Fujairah was long believed to be home to the oldest mosque in the UAE, Al Badiyah Mosque, which was built in the 1440s. However, in 2018, archaeologists from the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi discovered the oldest known mosque in the UAE at the site of the Sheikh Khalifa mosque at Awd Al Tawbah in Al Ain. The building dates back 1,000 years to Islam's Early Golden Age of the Abbasid Caliphate
27. Ajman was first recognised as an autonomous state in 1820.
28. In 2005, the UAE ratified the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Convention on Climate Change, becoming one of the first major oil-producing countries to do so.
29. Umm Al Quwain means "Mother of two powers".
30. Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi boasts the world's fastest roller coaster. The Formula Rossa is more than 2.2 kilometres in track length and can reach speeds of over 240 kilometres per hour.
31. The UAE's first airport (1932) and library (1933) were all built in Sharjah.
32. Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque can accommodate around 41,000 worshippers.
33. In February 2019, Pope Francis became the first pontiff in history to visit and perform papal mass in the Arabian Peninsula during his visit to Abu Dhabi.
34. There are around 40 million date palms in the UAE.
35. Ras Al Khaimah is home to the world's longest zip line. It starts from the top of Jebel Jais and ends at the foot of the Hajar Mountains, spanning 2.8km.
36. Sharjah is twinned with the city of Granada in Spain.
37. Fujairah used to be called Ard Al Jababerah, which means "land of titans".
38. Humpback dolphins can be spotted in the coastal waters around Abu Dhabi.
39. One of the UAE's earliest initiatives to include classes for girls at schools was Al Islah School in Sharjah in the 1930s.
40. Fujairah does not have a desert and is mostly mountainous.
41. The UAE is ranked as a leading country in gender equality in the region, according to the World Economic Forum's 2020 Global Gender Gap report.
42. The Dubai Mall is the largest mall in the world at 1,124,000 square metres of total area, the equivalent of 50 football pitches.
43. In 2004, Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi was appointed the UAE's first female minister.
44. The UAE's resident population consists of more than 200 nationalities. Arabic is the official language, while other commonly spoken languages include English, Farsi, Hindi and Urdu.
45. The first evidence of human life in the UAE was discovered on Jebel Faya in Sharjah, and dates back to around 85,000 BC
46. In 2008, Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC) purchased 90 per cent of the Chrysler Building in New York for $800 million. They sold their stake 10 years later.
47. In 2009, the UAE announced it would recruit its first female mufti, or religious scholar.
48. In 2009, the UAE became the first country in the Middle East to host the Fifa Club World Cup tournament.
49. In 1968, there were only 13 cars registered in Dubai. In 2020, there are almost 3 million registered across the whole of the UAE.
The specs: 2018 Maserati Levante S
Price, base / as tested: Dh409,000 / Dh467,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 430hp @ 5,750rpm
Torque: 580Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.9L / 100km
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Slow loris biog
From: Lonely Loris is a Sunda slow loris, one of nine species of the animal native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore
Status: Critically endangered, and listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list due to growing demand in the global exotic pet trade. It is one of the most popular primate species found at Indonesian pet markets
Likes: Sleeping, which they do for up to 18 hours a day. When they are awake, they like to eat fruit, insects, small birds and reptiles and some types of vegetation
Dislikes: Sunlight. Being a nocturnal animal, the slow loris wakes around sunset and is active throughout the night
Superpowers: His dangerous elbows. The slow loris’s doe eyes may make it look cute, but it is also deadly. The only known venomous primate, it hisses and clasps its paws and can produce a venom from its elbow that can cause anaphylactic shock and even death in humans
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
ACC 2019: The winners in full
Best Actress Maha Alemi, Sofia
Best Actor Mohamed Dhrif, Weldi
Best Screenplay Meryem Benm’Barek, Sofia
Best Documentary Of Fathers and Sons by Talal Derki
Best Film Yomeddine by Abu Bakr Shawky
Best Director Nadine Labaki, Capernaum
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
((Disclaimer))
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Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
Scoreline
Ireland 16 (Tries: Stockdale Cons: Sexton Pens: Sexton 3)
New Zealand 9 (Pens: Barrett 2 Drop Goal: Barrett)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
TICKETS
For tickets for the two-day Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) event, entitled Dubai Invasion 2019, on September 27 and 28 go to www.meraticket.com.
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on Quran memorisation:
Bundesliga fixtures
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
