• 1962: Oil exports begin from Abu Dhabi, prompting a major improvement of infrastructure. • 1969: Dubai’s oil exports begin. • 1974: The treaty of Jeddah is signed with Saudi Arabia, settling a border dispute, although the treaty is never ratified. • 1968: Harold Wilson decides Britain will end its treaty with the Trucial sheikhdoms. • 1971: Britain announces the treaty will run out in December 1971. • 1971: Bahrain and Qatar declare independence from the Trucial states. • December 2, 1971: Abu Dhabi and Dubai agree a constitution for unification; four other emirates agree to join, thus forming the United Arab Emirates. • 1971: The UAE joins the Arab League. •1972: Ras Al-Khaimah agrees to join the union. • 1981: The UAE helps found the Gulf Cooperation Council. • 1991: The UAE joins the coalition against Iraq in the First Gulf War. • 2004: Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan , the first president, dies and is succeeded by his son, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. • 2006: The first-ever national elections are held.