United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪
United Arab Emirates is a country in Asia with a population of 9,441,129. Its capital is Abu Dhabi. The official currency is AED, and the main languages are Arabic.
Quick facts
- Capital: Abu Dhabi
- Continent: Asia
- Population: 9,441,129
- Area: 83,600 km²
- Density: 113 people per km²
- Currency: AED
- Languages: Arabic
- ISO code: AE
Where United Arab Emirates sits
United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪 is one of 48 countries in Asia, with its capital at Abu Dhabi. It covers 83,600 square kilometres — 114th in the world — and is home to about 9,441,129 people, 97th globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How United Arab Emirates compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, United Arab Emirates sits closest to Belarus and Israel. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Austria and Azerbaijan.
At 113 people per square kilometre it is somewhat above the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by population than by area, so it is more crowded than its size alone suggests.
Arabic is an official language in 25 countries here, among them Algeria, Bahrain, Chad and Comoros, and 20 others. The AED is used by United Arab Emirates and no one else.
To see United Arab Emirates next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi is the capital, while Dubai is the largest city, the usual trap in quizzes. Abu Dhabi sits on a T-shaped island in the Persian Gulf. For the flag, a red bar at the pole with green, white and black stripes running from it.
The flag of United Arab Emirates: red, green, white and black
🇦🇪 The flag is three horizontal stripes of green, white and black, with a wider vertical red stripe at the flagpole. It uses the four Pan-Arab colours, here standing for fertility (green), neutrality (white), oil (black) and unity (red). Red was part of the flags of all the emirates before they united.
Region and neighbours
United Arab Emirates is a country at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia, on the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, made up of seven emirates. It shares land borders with 2 countries: Oman and Saudi Arabia.
- Oman 🇴🇲 — capital Muscat
- Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 — capital Riyadh
Three facts about United Arab Emirates
- The UAE became independent from the United Kingdom on 2 December 1971, and Ras Al Khaimah joined as the seventh emirate in February 1972.
- Arabic is the official language, while English is the most spoken language and the language of business.
- Abu Dhabi is home to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum.
Sources: Wikipedia: United Arab Emirates, Wikipedia: Flag of the United Arab Emirates, Wikipedia: Abu Dhabi, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on United Arab Emirates
- Asian capitals quiz — match United Arab Emirates to Abu Dhabi
- Asian flags quiz — spot the United Arab Emirates flag among its neighbours
Quizzes that include United Arab Emirates
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For United Arab Emirates those are:
- Asia map quiz — place it on a blank map
- Asia flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- Asia capitals quiz — match it to Abu Dhabi
- United Arab Emirates capital quiz — five quick questions starting with United Arab Emirates, plus the answer quizzes most often try to trick you with
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about United Arab Emirates
- Capital of United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 48 countries of Asia
Nearby countries
- Afghanistan 🇦🇫 — capital Kabul
- Armenia 🇦🇲 — capital Yerevan
- Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 — capital Baku
- Bahrain 🇧🇠— capital Manama
- Bangladesh 🇧🇩 — capital Dhaka
- Bhutan 🇧🇹 — capital Thimphu
- Brunei 🇧🇳 — capital Bandar Seri Begawan
- Cambodia 🇰🇠— capital Phnom Penh
- China 🇨🇳 — capital Beijing
- Georgia 🇬🇪 — capital Tbilisi
- India 🇮🇳 — capital New Delhi
- Indonesia 🇮🇩 — capital Jakarta
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the United Arab Emirates flag?
The flag of United Arab Emirates is three horizontal stripes of green, white and black, with a wider vertical red stripe at the flagpole. It uses the four Pan-Arab colours, here standing for fertility (green), neutrality (white), oil (black) and unity (red). Red was part of the flags of all the emirates before they united.
Which countries border United Arab Emirates?
United Arab Emirates shares land borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia.
How can I remember the capital of United Arab Emirates?
Abu Dhabi is the capital, while Dubai is the largest city, the usual trap in quizzes. Abu Dhabi sits on a T-shaped island in the Persian Gulf. For the flag, a red bar at the pole with green, white and black stripes running from it.