Education
The educational system of the United Arab Emirates has burgeoned since 1971. Education in the six northern emirates, formerly financed and administered by Kuwait, has been managed by the UAE Ministry of Education since 1972. Education is compulsory for six years at the primary level, from age six, and is free to all UAE citizens, as are school uniforms, books, equipment, and transportation. Arabic is a compulsory subject, and segregation of classes by sex is required. The system remains concentrated at the primary level. At the secondary level, children go through six years of education in two stages. In 1997, there were 259,509 pupils and 16,148 teachers at the primary level. Student-to-teacher ratio stood at 16 to 1. In the same year, secondary schools had 180,764 pupils and approximately 11,000 teachers. As of 1999, 78 % of primary-school-age children were enrolled in school, while 68% of those eligible attended secondary school. United Arab Emirates University is at Al 'Ayn. In 1997, all higher-level institutions had 16,213 students. Approximately 16.7% of the central government budget was allocated to education in the latter part of the 1990s. As of 1999, public expenditure on education was estimated at 1.9% of GDP. For the year 2000, adult illiteracy rates were estimated at 23.5% (males, 24.8%; females, 20.5%).
Economy
United Arab Emirates has a highly industrialized economy that makes the country one of the most developed in the world, based on various socioeconomic indicators such as GDP per capita, energy consumption per capita, and the HDI.
At $168 billion in 2006, the GDP of the UAE ranks second in the CCASG (after Saudi Arabia), third in the Middle East—North Africa (MENA) region (after Saudi Arabia and Iran), and 38th in the world (ahead of Malaysia).
There are various deviating estimates regarding the actual growth rate of the nation’s GDP, however all available statistics indicate that the UAE currently has one of the fastest growing economies in the world. According to a recent report by the Ministry of Finance and Industry, nominal GDP rose by 35 per cent in 2006 to $175 billion, compared with $130 billion in 2005.
Although the United Arab Emirates is becoming less dependent on natural resources as a source of revenue, petroleum and natural gas exports still play an important role in the economy, especially in Abu Dhabi. A massive construction boom, an expanding manufacturing base, and a thriving services sector are helping the UAE diversify its economy. Nationwide, there is currently $350,000,000,000 worth of active construction projects.
Climate
Straddling the Tropic of Cancer, the UAE has a sub-tropical arid climate and is warm and sunny in winter, but hot and humid during the summer months. The humidity is particularly high in the coastal areas. Rainfall is virtually non-existent, with occasional short showers occurring mainly in winter (December to March). Localised thunderstorms sometimes occur in summer.
Dubai enjoys an arid subtropical climate, with blue skies and sunshine all year round. The hottest months are between June and September, when temperatures can soar to 113°F (45°C) and more during the day and humidity levels are very high. Even the sea temperature touches on 104°F (40°C) during the summer months, and swimming pools at hotels are usually cooled to be refreshing. Temperatures are only slightly more moderate the rest of the year, the coolest time being between December and March. There is very little rainfall in Dubai, but when showers do fall it is mainly in the cooler months.
List of Universities in UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
North America
North America
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