Australians in the United Arab Emirates

Last updated
Australians in the United Arab Emirates
Total population
16,000 (2015) [1] [2]
0.17% of the UAE population [1]
Regions with significant populations
Abu Dhabi  · Dubai  · Sharjah
Languages
English (Australian English) ·
Religion
Christianity

Australians in the United Arab Emirates consist of 16,000 expatriates, most of whom live in Dubai and the capital of Abu Dhabi. [2] [3]

Dubai Metropolis in United Arab Emirates

Dubai is the largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). On the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf, it is the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, one of the seven emirates that make up the country.

Abu Dhabi Capital city of the United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi is the capital and the second most populous city of the United Arab Emirates, and also capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the largest of the UAE's seven emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western coast. The city of Abu Dhabi has an estimated population of 1.8 million in 2016.

Contents

Migration history

Australians are attracted by the lifestyle Dubai offers, including the wealth of outdoor activities for their families. [4] However, their population fell in 2009 due to the downturn in the economy of Dubai, as retrenched Australian expatriates with underwater real-estate loans fled the country to avoid debtor's prison. [5]

Dubai's gross domestic product as of 2019 was US $82.11 billion. The Great Recession slowed the construction boom.

Organisations

In Dubai, Australian and New Zealander expatriates joined together to set up the Australia New Zealand Association, which aims to provide mutual support for their communities in the entire UAE. [6]

The Australian International School, Sharjah is an established international school, catering to much of the Australian community. The school's education system and syllabus is Queensland-curriculum based. [7]

Queensland North-east state of Australia

Queensland is the second-largest and third-most populous state in the Commonwealth of Australia. Situated in the north-east of the country, it is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean. To its north is the Torres Strait, with Papua New Guinea located less than 200 km across it from the mainland. The state is the world's sixth-largest sub-national entity, with an area of 1,852,642 square kilometres (715,309 sq mi).

See also

Australia–United Arab Emirates relations

Australia – United Arab Emirates relations refer to the bilateral ties between Australia and the United Arab Emirates. The UAE maintains an embassy in Canberra whilst Australia has an embassy in Abu Dhabi and a consulate-general in Dubai.

Unity Resources Group

Unity Resources Group is an Australian-owned private military and security consulting company.

Related Research Articles

United Arab Emirates Country in Western Asia

The United Arab Emirates, sometimes simply called the Emirates, is a country in Western Asia at the southeast end of the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman to the east and Saudi Arabia to the south, as well as sharing maritime borders with Qatar to the west and Iran to the north. The sovereign constitutional monarchy is a federation of seven emirates consisting of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain. Their boundaries are complex, with numerous enclaves within the various emirates. Each emirate is governed by a ruler; together, they jointly form the Federal Supreme Council. One of the rulers serves as the President of the United Arab Emirates. In 2013, the UAE's population was 9.2 million, of which 1.4 million are Emirati citizens and 7.8 million are expatriates.

Najat Makki is a United Arab Emirates visual artist. She is a member of the Dubai Cultural Council. and one of the pioneers in Emirati contemporary art scene.

The United Arab Emirates national cricket team is the team that represents the United Arab Emirates in international Cricket. They are governed by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) which became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1989 and an associate member the following year. Since 2005, the ICC's headquarters have been located in Dubai.

Abu Dhabi University

Abu Dhabi University is a university in the United Arab Emirates with campuses in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Dubai. It was established in 2003, after three years of planning by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other citizens of the United Arab Emirates. According to the University, its founders "envisioned an institution that would be among the best in the UAE and throughout the world. The largest private university in the United Arab Emirates, it offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees based upon the American model of higher education. Its founder and current Chairman is Ali Saeed Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri.

Emiratis ethnic group

The Emiratis or Emirati people are the citizens of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Their largest concentration is in the UAE, where there are 1 million Emiratis.

Following its independence from British occupation in 1971, the United Arab Emirates’ media landscape had already started some of its media sectors and continued to develop steadily. Since then, much of the UAE’s media outlets fall under government-owned umbrella groups as well as regulation by the National Media Council and its extensions. The major types of UAE media are print press, radio, television, internet and social media.

Indians in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) constitute the largest part of population of the country. Over 2 million Indian migrants are estimated to be living in the UAE, which is over 27 percent of the total population of the UAE. Indian contact with the emirates that now constitute the UAE dates back several centuries, as a result of trade and commerce between the emirates and India. The UAE has experienced a tremendous increase in the population of Indians who, having migrated to the country as a result of opportunities in petroleum, finance and other industries. While most Indian migrants support the financial, manufacturing, and transport industries, a sizeable minority of migrants are involved in professional services and entrepreneurship. Relations between India and the UAE have traditionally been friendly.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a diverse society. The country's historical population as a small tribal community has been changed with the arrival of other nationals, at first by Iranians and also from other Arab countries in the 1950s and 1960s. Furthermore, the country was a part of the British Empire up until 1971.

Sport in the United Arab Emirates is widely practiced by the people of the UAE. Football is the most popular sport in the UAE. Among the notable UAE sports achievements is the 2002–03 AFC Champions League won by Al Ain FC who also finished second in the 2005 AFC Champions League. The UAE qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first and only time so far in 1990, the fourth Middle-Eastern country to have qualified for the World Cup after first Egypt, then, Kuwait, and Iraq.

Pakistanis in the United Arab Emirates include expatriates from Pakistan who have settled in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as well as Emirati people who have Pakistani heritage. With a population of over 1.2 million, Pakistanis are the second largest national group in the UAE after Indians, constituting 12.5% of the country's total population. They are the third largest overseas Pakistani community, behind the Pakistani diaspora in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. The population is diverse and consists of people from all over Pakistan, including Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan. The majority of Pakistanis are Muslim, with significant minorities of Christians, Hindus and other religions. The majority are found in Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively, while a significant population is spread out in Sharjah and the remaining Northern Emirates. Dubai alone accounts for a Pakistani population of 400,000.

Americans in the United Arab Emirates are residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who originate from the United States. As of 2015, there are over 50,000 Americans living in the country.

Canadians in the United Arab Emirates are residents of the United Arab Emirates who originate from Canada.

Iraqis in the United Arab Emirates have a population exceeding 100,000, closer estimates report a total of 150,000 Iraqis in the Emirates. Iraqi people form one of the largest community of non-citizen Arabs in the UAE. Most Iraqis are recent immigrants who have fled instability back home; while Syria, Jordan, Iran and Lebanon were ultimate destinations for most refugees, a large influx sought the United Arab Emirates. In addition, an increasing number of Iraqi students seeking education and career opportunities opted for the country in light of its relatively reputable institutions across the Middle East.

Religion in the United Arab Emirates

Islam is both the official and majority religion in the United Arab Emirates followed by approximately 76% of the population. The Al Nahayan and Al Maktoum ruling families adhere to Sunni Islam of Maliki school of jurisprudence. Many followers of the Hanbali school of Sunni Islam are found in Sharjah, Umm al-Quwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Ajman. Their followers include the Al Qasimi ruling family. Other religions represented in the country including Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Sikhism are practiced by non-nationals.

Most expatriates in the United Arab Emirates reside in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. A number of expatriates settled in the country prior to independence. The UAE is home to over 200 nationalities. Emiratis constitute roughly 20% of the total population, making UAE home to one of the world's highest percentage of immigrants. Indians and Pakistanis form the largest expatriate groups in the country, constituting 25% and 12% of the total population respectively.

Al Karama, United Arab Emirates

Al-Karāmah was a proposed planned city to be built on the border of the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. It was intended to be the permanent capital of the United Arab Emirates as stated in the Constitution of 1971. The proposed city was never built, and Abu Dhabi became the official capital of the UAE in 1996.

Lebanese people in the United Arab Emirates have a population exceeding 80,000, closer estimates report a total of 156,000 Lebanese in the Emirates. Lebanese people form one of the largest community of non-citizen Arabs in the UAE. In addition, an increasing number of Lebanese students seeking education and career opportunities opted for the country in light of its relatively reputable institutions across the Middle East, the case that applies mostly to those born in United Arab Emirates.

Hussain Sharif is an Emirati artist based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Co-founder of Emirates Fine Arts Society and is one of the original "Five" conceptual artist in the UAE including Mohammed Kazem, Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, Abdullah Al Saadi and his brother Hassan Sharif.

References

  1. 1 2 "UAE´s population – by nationality". BQ Magazine. 12 April 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-07-11. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Bilateral relationship". Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Canberra.
  3. Statistics - Numbers of Australians Overseas in 2001 Archived 2008-07-20 at the Wayback Machine .
  4. Gulfnews: InFocus Australia - Living it up in Dubai
  5. The Daily Telegraph: Debt-laden, jobless Aussies flee Dubai
  6. Gulfnews: Australian expatriates celebrate National Day
  7. Australian International School, Sharjah