COUNTRY PROFILE

United Arab Emirates Flag, Capital and Country Facts

The United Arab Emirates connects seven Emirates to one state on the Arabian Peninsula. Between sand deserts, oases, mountain valleys and international port cities are very different habitats. For the country quiz is especially important: The capital is called Abu Dhabi, while Dubai is a different emirate and a different city.

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United Arab Emirates Flag: Meaning & Country Facts · supplied learning collection

United Arab Emirates at a glance

Capital: Abu Dhabi
Quiz continent: Asia
Languages in reference record: Arabic; English and numerous immigration languages are also common
Currency: UAE Dirham (AED)
Population: 11,513,149 (2025, World Bank)
Area: 83,600 km²
Coastal setting: Not landlocked
ISO codes: AE / ARE
Internet country suffix: .ae, امارات.

Establishment of the State: 2 December 1971
Accession of the Seventh Emirate: Ras al-Khaimah, 1972
Breakdown: Seven Emirates
Cultural site: Oases and cultural sites of Al Ain
National symbol: Golden Falcon
Eastern Mountains: Hadschargebirge

United Arab Emirates Flag: Design, Meaning and History

Green, white and black lie on top of each other as three horizontal stripes of equal height. At the mast, it connects a vertical red field. It is precisely this combination of cross-strip and red sidebar that distinguishes the flag from other Arabian tricolors, which use similar colors but show different arrangements.

The four colors belong to the pan-Arabic color tradition. Red was already present in the flags of the individual Emirates before they joined together. The common flag can therefore be read as a visible sign of the Federation; individual popular color explanations should be distinguished from this proven historical connection.

Capital: Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi lies on the coast of the Persian Gulf and is also the name of the largest emirate in terms of area. The capital functions belong to the federal level, while the Emirates have their own rulers and administrative structures. Anyone who equates Abu Dhabi and Dubai thus confuses two members of the same federation.

Political geography also explains why large cities and vast desert spaces oppose each other within a country. Abu Dhabi and Dubai together occupy the vast majority of the state area. Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah complete the seven emirates and expand the picture beyond the two most famous names.

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United Arab Emirates: Geography, History and Culture

A shallow coastal zone merges inland into dune landscapes. In the east, the rocky foothills of the Hadscharge Mountains are added; there, relief and local temperatures differ significantly from the coastal plain. The Emirates have access to both the Persian Gulf and, at Fujairah, the Gulf of Oman.

The oases of Al Ain show that the history of this region does not begin with oil and high-rise buildings. The UNESCO ensemble includes oases, tombs and settlement remains. Irrigation techniques, including the Falaj system, made permanent settlement possible in a dry environment, combining agriculture with millennia-old landscape design.

Six Emirates founded the federation on December 2, 1971; Ras al-Khaimah joined in 1972. Petroleum and natural gas shaped economic change, alongside trade, transport and financial services. Arabic is an official language, but the strong international labour migration explains the multitude of other languages in everyday life.

Al Ain as an oasis landscape

UNESCO pays tribute to the interplay between oases, archaeological sites and desert landscapes. Water management and settlement history are directly related: without planned watering, the historical gardens and their permanent use would be hard to understand.

Two sea access points

Fujairah is located on the Gulf of Oman, while large parts of the rest of the coast belong to the Persian Gulf. This location connects the country with different shipping areas and makes the Musandam peninsula important for its geographical arrangement.

Seven Parts of a Federation

An emirate is a political sub-area, not a mere town designation. The difference explains why names like Abu Dhabi and Dubai can be on maps for both cities and larger territories.