History of the United Arab Emirates History of the United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a country on the Arabian Peninsula located on the southeastern coast of the Persian Gulf and the northwestern coast of the Gulf of Oman. The UAE consists of seven emirates and was founded on 2 December 1971 as a federation. Six of the seven emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah) combined on that date. The seventh, Ras al Khaimah, joined the federation on 10 February 1972. The seven sheikdoms were formerly known as the Trucial States, in reference to the treaty relations established
President of the United Arab Emirates President of the United Arab Emirates The President of the United Arab Emirates is the head of state of the United Arab Emirates. Officially, he is elected every five years by the Federal Supreme Council, but because the ruler of Abu Dhabi customarily also holds the presidency of the UAE, the office is "de facto" hereditary. The president is also Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and chairman of the Supreme Council and Supreme Petroleum Council. The current president is Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Sheikh Khalifa became president on 3 November 2004, following the death of his father,