For students who are blind, learning disabled or print challenged, visit CRIS Radio at http://www.chrisradio.org and click Kids On-Demand for a free audio version of

Take 5The United Arab Emirates is a federation of 7 emirates

located on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia. The

Emirates are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm

Al-Qaywayn, Ra’s Al-Khayman and Al-Fujayrah, which

were formally united in 1971. The location of this country

affects the lives of the people in a multitude of ways, both

environmentally and culturally.

This country is primarily Muslim because it it is located in a

region of the world with a large Muslim population. Traditionally,

in the Emirates women could not choose their spouses and

couldn’t have an

education. This is changing due to influences from the outside traditional

culture. The climate of the country also affects how the people live. Most

of the cities are located near the coast because the rest of the country

is an arid barren desert. However, there are a few little villages located

next to oases. The classic headdresses, called a keffiyeh, were created

to protect their heads from the blistering sun. They use camels like we

use horses because that is the native animal that can handle desert-like

conditions. They use camels for racing, transportation and food.

COUNTRY VIEW By Evan St.Louis

LOCATION: The UAE´s exact location is about 25 degrees north and 55 degrees east.

It is in West Asia and it borders: Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. This country has water borders

of the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf.

PLACE: Most of the country is desert with rolling sand dunes. In this desert there are several oases such as the one at Al Ain. The one exception to the flat landscape is the Hajar Mountains which reach up to 6,500 feet and are split by the border of Oman and the UAE. The country has beautiful natural landforms like deserts and beaches.

HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION: The most important natural resource is oil… lots of oil (seeing as it’s the foundation of their economy). Also, because the UAE is mostly desert, natural vegetation is limited to low shrubs. However, millions of trees have been planted to provide a habitat for various species of animals. They have planted mangroves along the coastline to prevent coastal erosion, to serve as breeding grounds for fish and to provide nesting grounds for various sea birds. In the oases date palms have been planted with alfalfa along with various fruits such as mangoes. Domesticated animals include goats, sheep and camel and more recently poultry and cattle. Native wildlife include the arabian oryx and arabian and persian gazelle

MOVEMENT: Dubai International Airport is the world’s busiest airport by international passenger traffic. It is also the third busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic, and the sixth busiest cargo airport in world.

REGION: The UAE has expanded its money-making horizons it has also become a big spot for tourism. As a result many cultural landmarks have popped up throughout the UAE. The Palm Islands are man made islands shaped like palm leaves sitting off the coast of Dubai. Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest tower and has become a bustling attraction. It became the world’s largest freestanding structure and the tallest tower in 2010. Finally, Burj Al-Arab is the 4th tallest hotel in the world and is located on the shores of Dubai and was opened in the 1900’s.

Common Core Curricular Connections

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1 ● CSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.5 ● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7

For students who are blind, learning disabled or print challenged, visit

CRIS Radio at http://www.chrisradio.org and click Kids On-Demand

for a free audio version of Geography Connections.

● https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ae.html● http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14703998● https://www.britannica.com/place/United-Arab-Emirates● https://www.lonelyplanet.com/united-arab-emirates

Did you know that before 1952, there was no formal schooling in the UAE? Now, it is one of the nation’s highest priorities. It is mandatory for boys and girls to go to school from ages 6 through 12. ¾ of the population is literate and the rate for women far exceeds that of men. In fact, in many Middle Eastern countries, girls outscore boys in school.

Recently, there has been an influx of Syrian refugees into the UAE. Using the Courant, how have Syrians adapted to living in new places?

https://www.uae-embassy.org/about-uae/education-uae

http://www.worldbank.org/en/region/mena/brief/education-in-mena

Using the NewsMAPPING ACTIVITYThe official language of the UAE is Arabic. It is taught

in every school however English is also widely spoken.

About ¾ of the population is Muslim. However there

are also growing numbers of Christians and Hindus.

1/2 of the citizens are native, the rest have immigrated

from other places.

Online Resources:

The economy of the UAE is based on oil exports. Since oil was discovered in

1958 the UAE has been one of the richest countries in the world. Abu Dhabi itself

contains almost 10% of the world’s oil reserves. However, in recent years they have

tried to diversify their economy to include tourism, finance and manufacturing.

The capital city is Abu Dhabi but the most populous is Dubai. Their currency is the

dirham which is currently worth about 25 cents to a U.S. dollar.

The UAE is governed by the Supreme Council of Rulers which is made up of 1 representative from each Emirate.

The representatives elect a president and vice president from among themselves. Their legislative body is called

the Federal National Council which is made up of 40 members, each of whom serves a two year term. The original

constitution was approved in 1971 and became permanent in 1996.

GEOGRAPHY CONNECTIONS This year-long series is presented in collaboration with the Connecticut Geographic Alliance. NIE ACTIVITY

Dirham

DID YOU KNOW?

United Arab EmiratesWelcome to

The following map shows different varieties of Arabic. Why are there so many different versions of the language? How does the map show variations in regions and religions?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varieties_of_Arabic