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| Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum · Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan | |||
| Total population | |||
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| Emirati 990,000 people 16.5% of the total UAE population in (2009)[1] |
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| Regions with significant populations | |||
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The Emirati people (Arabic: إماراتي) are citizens and ethnic group of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Many Emiratis, including those that compose the ruling dynasties of the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, trace their origins to the Bani Yas clan. However, people outside of the Bani Yas clan, such as Baluchis[note 1] and immigrants from Iran's Bastak region and Bahrain, have been gradually integrated into Emirati society. A tiny number of South Asian, African and people from other races have intermarried with Emiratis, thereby becoming non-Emirati UAE citizens.
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History
The term Emirati comes from the Arabic word emir (Arabic: أمير) which means commander. Each emirate is ruled by an emir, whose citizens (generally) belong to his clan. The Bani Yas dynasty forms the basis of many clans within the United Arab Emirates. Sub-clans of the Bani Yas include[2]
- Al Bu Falah (Abu Dhabi)
- Al Bu Falasah (Dubai)
- Al Qawasim (Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah)
- Al Ali (or Al Mualla) (Umm Al Quwain)
- Al Sharqiyan (Fujairah)
- Al Nu'aim (Ajman)
Another definition of "Emirati" is Arabs with origins in the UAE.
Number of Emiratis
The population of the UAE as of 2009 stands at six million, of which 16.5% are native Emiratis.
The rest of the population of the United Arab Emirates (83.5%) is composed of expatriates, with the largest groups hailing from South Asian countries such as India (1.75 million), Pakistan (1.25 million) and Bangladesh (500,000). Members of other Asian communities, including China, the Philippines, Thailand, Korea, Afghanistan and Iran make up approximately one million of the total population. Western expatriates, from Europe, Australia, Northern Africa, Africa and Latin America make up 500,000 of the overall population.
The next census will be conducted in 2010.
Religion
Nearly all citizens are Muslims, approximately 85 percent of whom are Sunni and the remaining 15 percent are Shi'a Local observers estimate that approximately 55 percent of the foreign population is Muslim, 25 percent is Hindu, 10 percent is Christian, 5 percent is Buddhist, and 5 percent (most of whom reside in Dubai and Abu Dhabi) belongs to other religions, including Parsi, Baha'i, Jewish and Sikh.[3]
See also
Notes
- ^ Baluchis are people inhabiting Balochistan, not to be confused with the AlBloushi family which is part of the Bani Yas clan.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b UAE population touches 6 million. UAEInteract.com. 07/10/2009
- ^ : The Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa. Long, Reich.
- ^ United Arab Emirates Religion
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