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Sponsored LinksTravel reviews & great deals at TripAdvisor: Land and PeopleThe land is largely hot, dry desert. Located in the eastern portion of the federation is a portion of the Jabal al Akhdar Mts. Less than half of the inhabitants of the UAE are Arabs; there are also Persians, Bangladeshis, Baluchis, Indians, and Westerners. Only about 20% of the UAE's population are native citizens. The nonindigenous population is mostly from E and SE Asia and was first attracted by the employment provided by the UAE's petroleum boom. Muslims comprise 96% of the population (80% of these are Sunni, the balance Shiite) and the remaining 4% are largely Christian and Hindu. The official language is Arabic, but Farsi and English are widely used, and Hindi and Urdu are spoken by many of the Asians. Sections in this article: The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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