DISCOVERING THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The founder of the project to create the United Arab Emirates was Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding Father, who during his leadership guided his people to a better life and future. He once mentioned: "We were like those who had climbed a mountain and reached the top. When we looked down, we still wanted to go higher to realise our goals. Despite all the achievements (within the UAE Federation), we still have an ambition for more. That is my way of looking at things." In this sense, the history of the United Arab Emirates, since the beggining, is full of great moments, but also with many struggles and challenges like any other. It was a British Protectorate and the Emirati people lived modestly and survived from fishing and pearl farming, and sought for a better living and working conditions in a contrasting landscapes by the desert, mountains and the sea. Undoubtedly, this reality changed from the moment oil was discovered in Abu Dhabi and, immediately, from the desert land, was built cities, highways, hospitals, universities, skyscrapers, and a progress never seen before. The UAE celebrated the Sheikh Zayed´s 100th birth anniversary in 2018, as well as the 47th anniversary of the announcement of the Union resulting in a country that has become one of the most powerful in the world and has embraced the principles of peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, cooperation, friendship, the defense of rights and the solution of conflicts by peaceful means. In this sense, the Government of the United Arab Emirates has a message of peace and multiculturalism, having a population with more than 200 nationalities living and working in harmony. It is a new country with wealth and prosperity in a modern and sophisticated society, as well as being one of the largest donors of humanitarian aid. This fascinating history is told throughout this book, with the intention of discovering the United Arab Emirates, in every extraordinary achievements.