Postage stamps and postal history of the United Arab Emirates Postage stamps and postal history of the United Arab Emirates This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE consists of seven states, termed emirates, which are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah. The capital and second most populous city of the United Arab Emirates is Abu Dhabi. Before 1971, the UAE was known as the Trucial States or Trucial Oman, in reference to a 19th-century truce between the United Kingdom and several Arab Sheikhs. The first post office in the region was opened in
Politics of the United Arab Emirates law system and Sharia law. The court system consists of civil courts and Sharia courts. Administratively, the UAE is a federation of seven emirates, each with its own ruler. The pace of local government reform in each emirate is set primarily by the ruler. Under the provisional constitution of 1971, each emirate reserves considerable powers, including control over mineral rights (notably oil) and revenues. In this milieu, federal powers have developed slowly as each Emirate already had its own existing institutions of government prior to the country's official foundation. The constitution of the United Arab Emirates separates powers into executive,