UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) comprise seven independent emirates; small kingdoms that are ruled by a sheik or an emir (of noble lineage). The oil country attracts a lot of nationalities who visit for the beach, the desert, the oases, the camel races, the markets and the famous duty-free shops in Dubai. Everything is fairly close together. Dubai is actually the Singapore of the Golf with busy ports, large shopping malls and record-breaking architecture to a larger-than-life degree. The other emirates, Abu Dhabi, Sjarjah, Ajman, Umm Al Qaywayn, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah, also have a unique character and enough to offer in addition to endless deserts.

Climate/working climate
The United Arab Emirates have a desert climate with slightly cooler weather in the mountains to the east. The summer is from May to September. The temperature can go up to 35 or 45° C. In the winter, from October to April, temperatures during the day are between 20 and 30° C. The sun ensures everywhere that days are long. So now and again, the shimal, the northern wind that comes in from Siberia, ensures there is some coolness or a cloudy day.

If you decide to work in the United Arab Emirates you must remember that the people of the emirates have other ideas about relationships between men and women, about being naked and about drinking alcohol. Women on their own will find it difficult to succeed in countries such as this one. If they apply as the ‘wife of’, they will have more opportunities.

The weekend is usually Thursday to Friday in many Muslim countries.
Friday is the most important day for prayers for Muslims. Companies that do business on an international level, however, often encounter difficulties due to the different public holidays that apply on a global scale. This is why they often set that employees can choose when they would like to enjoy their weekends: on Thursdays and Fridays or on Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday is a normal working day in the UAE.

Facts and Figures
Capital city: Abu Dhabi
Area: 83,600 km², 2 x the size of the Netherlands
Population: 3,100,000
Time zone: GMT/UTC +4
Currency: UAE Dirham (Dh)
Languages: Arabic, Farsi, English, Hindi and Urdu