The UAE is located on a flat coastal plain of the Arabian Peninsula, along the Persian Gulf. The borders with Qatar on the northwest, Saudi Arabia on the south and west, and Oman on the east are undefined, as are the borders between the individual sheikhdoms. Two neutral zones are shared by several sheikhdoms. The major natural resource is petroleum. Six years of primary education are free and compulsory.
Health services are good because of extensive social services provided by petroleum wealth.
The new wealth has been invested in capital improvements and social services in all the emirates, although petroleum production is concentrated in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Industrial development is primarily petroleum related and is hampered by a lack of trained personnel and raw materials. Petroleum exports have given the UAE a large trade surplus. To protect its ships, Great Britain , beginning in 1820, made several treaties with the Arab leaders outlawing sea battles. Britain handled foreign relations for the area, then known as Trucial Oman or the Trucial States.