The population of the UAE is estimated to be 4,496,000 million, with a growth rate of around 6.5 per cent a year. UAE citizens account for a little over 20 per cent of the population, with the rest coming from the rest of the Arab world, the Indian sub-continent, the Far East, Europe and elsewhere. The national language is Arabic, although English and several Asian languages are widely used, particularly in commerce. Islam is the state religion. The main population centers are the cities of Abu Dhabi (the capital) and Dubai.

The UAE lies in the arid tropical zone extending across Asia and northern Africa, however the Indian Ocean has a strong influence on the climatic conditions in the area, since the country borders both the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. This explains why high temperatures in summer are always accompanied by high humidity along the coast. Noticeable variations in climate occur between the coastal regions, the deserts of the interior and mountainous areas.

Between the months of November and March a moderate, warm climate prevails during the day at an average temperature of 26C, and a slightly cooler climate prevails throughout the night at an average temperature of 15C. The humidity tends to rise in the summer months, between June and August. Prevailing winds, influenced by the monsoons, vary between south or southeast, to west or north to northwest depending upon the season and location. Average rainfall is low at less than 6.5 centimeters annually and more than half of the average rainfall occurs in December and January.

Dirhams and fils are the units of currency with 100 fils to the Dirham (Dh). The Dirham is tied to the US Dollar at a steady exchange rate of $US 1= Dh 3.671. Banks usually give the best rates on foreign currency exchange but hotels and airports are often quicker and are open outside banking hours. Money changers tend to have a wider range of currencies but their rates may be higher. Exchange rates are published daily.