(By Manasi Agarwal)

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) celebrates 2 December as its National Day to mark the federal unification of the six emirates. Ras Al Khaimah emirate joined in 1971 making it seven. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the founding father and the principal driving force behind the formation of the United Arab Emirates, uniting the seven emirates, and becoming the Union’s first Rais (President). He held the post for a period of almost 33 years until his death in 2004. He was also the ruler of Abu Dhabi for more than 30 years (6 August 1966 – 2 November 2004). He is commonly referred to in the UAE as the ‘Father of the Nation’.
The United Arab Emirates is located in Western Asia at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders Oman and Saudi Arabia and has maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran.

The UAE is an elective monarchy formed from a federation of seven emirates, consisting of Abu Dhabi (the federal capital, Abu Dhabi, is located here), Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm Al Quwain. Each emirate is governed by a Sheikh and together they form the Federal Supreme Council; one of them serves as President of the United Arab Emirates. UAE’s current population is around 99 lakh, of which 12 lakh are Emirati citizens. The ex-pat population is around 88% mainly consisting of about 27.5 Indians, 13 lakh Pakistanis, and 7.5 lakh Bangladeshis. Islam is the official religion and Arabic is the official language. The UAE’s oil and natural gas reserves are the sixth- and seventh-largest in the world, respectively. The UAE is a member of the United Nations, the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, OPEC, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Emir of Abu Dhabi is the current President of the UAE and the supreme commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces since 2004. As the first son of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, he succeeded his father as Emir of Abu Dhabi on 2 November 2004 and became the President of the UAE the next day.
Grand celebrations of the Golden Jubilee are being held from 2 December to 4 December across the UAE. A national holiday has been declared. There will be fireworks, car rallies, and dance shows, which will be telecast live. People also dress up in UAE national flag colors and decorate their homes, workplaces, cars, and streets to celebrate the day with joy and happiness. Palm trees are decorated with lights from the colors of the flag. Hotels and other public places are decorated with flags and lights. Downtown Dubai is lightened with fireworks while the Burj Khalifa displays the UAE flag. It is crowded with people seeking to see the massive national day fireworks and celebration. Shopping centers, malls, and institutions are decorated with the flag.
Heritage Villages are set all over the UAE in order to celebrate this event traditionally. Air shows are conducted while military processions are held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre for the rulers of the Emirates, members of the Federal National Council, and Emirati citizens.