The United Arab Emirates came into existence in 1971, when six of the Trucial States of the Persian Gulf — Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, and Umm al Qaiwain — merged to form a single nation. Ra’s al Khaimah joined a year later. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan assumed the presidency following the November 2004 death of Sheikh Zayid bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan, who led the U.A.E. for is first 33 years of existence. The seven emirate rulers comprise the Federal Supreme Council, though the president (the ruler of Abu Dhabi) and the vice president (the ruler of Dubai) have effective veto power over the council. The legislative branch, the Federal National Council, is nearly powerless; appointed by the heads of the emirates, its 40 members may review, but not veto or change, laws. The U.A.E. hold no elections. However undemocratic, the country is far from cloistered; expanding beyond its already high oil revenues, the U.A.E. have encouraged private industry and seen impressive economic growth. In fact, the demand for laborers is so high that substantially more than half of the U.A.E.’s residents are from other countries. Yet such explosive growth can have unseen consequences, as a June 2005 United States report cited the U.A.E. for its poor record on human trafficking. The interior minister welcomed the announcement, saying that the country will use the report to promote reform.