The UAE is a federation of seven states on the eastern side of the Arabian Peninsula, called emirates, ruled by tribal chiefs called Sheiks or Emirs. The largest and richest of the emirates is Abu Dhabi with significant oil and gas reserves. The present Emir is Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Islam is the prominent religion practiced in the country. Apart from being the largest religion, it is also the official religion in Dubai, UAE. Around 76% of the population in the country are Muslims. Christians represent around 13% of the country’s population.

Nepal is famous for its high mountains and for its devastating earthquake that shook the nation in 2015. Recovery from the earthquake has been hampered by political infighting which has prevented the release of funds that were pledged. An extremely poor country, Nepal’s economy relies on international aid and tourism which has suffered tremendously because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Human trafficking and corruption remain major problems. Nepal and India are the world’s only Hindu majority nations. Despite this, Nepal is officially a secular nation and freedom of religion was enacted in 2006, but persecution has intensified.