President, ruler of Abu Dhabi: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed
Population
1,343,239,923
5,314,317
Life Expectancy
74.840 years
76.710 years
Capital City
Beijing
Abu Dhabi
Largest city
Shanghai (population: 14,608,500)
Dubai (population: 1,137,350)
Human Development Index
0.762
0.903
GDP per capita
$8,500 US
$48,800 US
Literacy Rate
90.9%
77.9%
Corruption Perception Index
3.6
5.9
Percentage of Women in Parliament
21.3%
22.5%
Wealthiest Citizens
Liu Yongxing ($3.0bn US)
Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair & family ($7.8bn US)
Unemployment Rate
6.500%
2.400%
Death Penalty
Legal
Legal
Political System
Communist state
federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates
Independence date
221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty); 1 January 1912 (Qing or Ch'ing Dynasty replaced by the Republic of China); 1 October 1949 (People's Republic of China established)
2 December 1971 (from UK)
Religions
Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2% note: officially atheist (2002 est.)
Muslim 96% (Shia 16%), other (includes Christian, Hindu) 4%
Languages
Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry)
Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
Exports
electrical and other machinery, including data processing equipment, apparel, textile, iron and steel, optical and medical equipment
Renminbi yuan (RMB) per US dollar - 6.9385 (2008 est.), 7.61 (2007), 7.97 (2006), 8.1943 (2005), 8.2768 (2004)
Emirati dirhams (AED) per US dollar - 3.673 (2008 est.), 3.673 (2007), 3.673 (2006), 3.6725 (2005), 3.6725 (2004) note: officially pegged to the US dollar since February 2002
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
4.300%
3.100%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
100
0
Location
Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam
Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Area
9,596,961 km sq
83,600 km sq
Coastline
14,500 km
1,318 km
Climate
extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north
