The United Arab Emirates was formed
On this day · 2 December 1971
On a December morning in 1971, six Persian Gulf emirates signed away their separate futures to build one young federation.
On December 2, 1971, the rulers of six emirates along the southern Persian Gulf signed an agreement creating a new country: the United Arab Emirates. The founding members were Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Umm al-Quwain, Fujairah and Ajman — former British-protected territories long known as the Trucial States.
The union came together as Britain withdrew from the region, leaving the small sheikhdoms to chart their own course. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi became the federation’s first president, with Abu Dhabi as its capital, and is still remembered as the country’s founding father.
Six rivals chose federation over isolation, gambling that unity would outlast oil.
A seventh emirate, Ras al-Khaimah, held back at first and joined a few weeks later, on February 10, 1972, completing the seven-member state recognized today. From a sparsely populated desert coast, the UAE grew within decades into a global hub for trade, finance and aviation.
Sources & references
2 referencesWell-established. Corroborated by 2 independent sources.
