Dubai


The [[Burj-al-Arab Hotel]] Dubai or Dubayy (in Arabic: دبي) refers to either The emir of Dubai is H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the Prime Minister of the federation of the United Arab Emirates. The crown prince is H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, one of the emir's younger brothers. Dubai is the second largest emirate in the federation after Abu Dhabi. The emirate is located on the Persian Gulf, southwest of Sharjah and northeast of Abu Dhabi, and reaches into the interior. The town of Hatta is a segregated portion of the emirate of Dubai and borders Wajajah, Oman. Dubai is distinct from other members of the UAE -- it has been called the "Singapore" or "Hong Kong" of the Middle East -- mostly because of economics. In the 1990s, 30% of Dubai's GDP came from oil; however, the emir has demonstrated an understanding that oil-generated wealth is only temporary, and has implemented a series of initiatives to generate wealth through other means. This is indicated by the six-fold decrease in the proportion of the GDP that oil comprises, to 5%.

History of Dubai

Dubai
Dubai Emirate Flag
ClassificationEmirate, City
Area3,885km²http://www.world-gazetteer.com/fr/fr_ae.htm
Population (2004) 940,600
LanguageArabic
Time zone UTC+4
Latitude
Longitude
25.27°N
55.33°E
There was a pearl-diving and fishing community at the mouth of Dubai Creek for many centuries, but modern Dubai dates its existence to the 1830s when the Baniyas tribe under the Al-Maktoum family settled there and renounced allegiance to Abu Dhabi. Successive sheikhs encouraged contacts with outsiders, especially the British, who made Dubai a regular port of call. Dubai became one of the Trucial States in 1853. It joined the UAE on December 2, 1971. It has since become a large and modern city, with an estimated population of close to one million in 2004. Dubai has since become an important tourist destination, helped by its rapidly-expanding airline Emirates, which is headed by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, an uncle of the emir. Dubai is also diversifying as a hub for service based industries such as IT and finance, with the new Dubai International Financial Centre or DIFC. The government has set up enclaves and freezones for industry specific corporations. Dubai Internet City, now combined with Dubai Media City as part of TECOM (Dubai Technology, Electronic Commerce and Media Free Zone Authority) is one such enclave and houses IT companies such as EMC Corporation, Oracle, Microsoft and IBM, and media organisations such as MBC, CNN, Reuters and AP.

Entertainment

The annual Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) draws shoppers from the Indian subcontinent and around the region. Other, smaller shopping festivals such as Dubai Summer Surprises are held throughout the year. The city has many malls such as City Centre, Lamcy Plaza, Al Ghurair Centre and Wafi Centre that house international stores, theaters, gaming arcades and foodcourts. Dubai also has a water park, Wild Wadi Water Park. The horse race known as the Dubai World Cup is held annually, and is the world's richest horse race with over US$15,000,000 worth of prize money. Dubailand, a proposed entertainment complex, is to include the Mall of Arabia, the largest shopping mall in the world. Dubailand is slated to open in 2006.

Real Estate and Property

Dubai's skyline at night The government's vision to diversify from a trade based, but oil reliant economy to one that is service and tourism oriented, has been conducive to the growth of real estate corporations such as Emaar Properties, and Nakheel. Corporate office enclaves on Sheikh Zayed road were developed to shift Dubai's traditional business area from the creek to the western parts of the city. Dubai's land-reclamation projects, the Palm Islands The Palm, Jumeira, The Palm, Jebel Ali, The Palm, Deira, and The World will be the world's largest artificial island complexes, developed with villas, golf courses and holiday resorts. The first villa freehold properties that were occupied by non-UAE nationals were The Meadows, The Springs and The Lakes, all masterplanned communities designed by Emaar, resulting in luxurious upperclass neighbourhoods collectively known as Emirates Hills. Over the 2005-2006 time frame, most of the freehold skycrapers and other villa projects will be ready for occupation, sparking a new phase in Dubai's history as a city. The city is also dotted with modern skyscrapers such as Emirates Towers which are the 12th and 23rd tallest buildings in the world. http://www.emporis.com/en/bu/sk/st/tp/ty/ho/, and Burj Al Arab, a five-star deluxe hotel. Located on the Persian Gulf, Burj Al Arab is the second tallest hotel in the world. Emaar properties claims to be on course to construct the world's tallest building, Burj Dubai. The corporation claims: "Burj Dubai's height is a closely guarded secret but it will beat all records and on a scale that will be a dramatic testament to Dubai's faith in the future."

Stamps and postal history of Dubai

A post office of British India was opened August 19, 1909. It used the stamps of India on mail, with postmark "Dubai Persian Gulf", until India's independence in 1947, then stamps of Pakistan until March 31, 1948. Pakistan also becoming independent, the British government set up a postal administration for Eastern Arabia and used overprinted British stamps until January 7, 1961, when Dubai issued its own stamps inscribed "Trucial States". (Despite the name, these were only on sale in Dubai's post office.) The Dubai Post Department took over the postal service June 14, 1963 and the following day issued a series of stamps depicting sea life, views of Dubai, and Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum. This was the opening salvo of a barrage of issue over the next few years; the emirate discovered that stamp collectors were willing to give it money for colored labels with "Dubai" printed on them, and by the time the postal system was merged with that of other emirates, in mid-1972, it had issued over 400 stamps, few of which ever saw usage on mail.

People living in Dubai

The Al-Jumeirah MosqueDubai is fairly unique in that its population consists mainly of expatriates, with UAE Nationals (Emiratis) constituting the minority. The vast majority of these expatriates come from the Indian subcontinent and the Philippines. Nearly all the commercial establishments are run by expatriates with a silent local partner who "rents" the business license for a negotiated fee. The numerous free trade zones allow for full expatriate ownership. There are an increasing number of "freehold" villas and flats which come with a guaranteed residence visa. The Jumeira Palm, an artificial island in the shape of a palm tree, is one of these.

Language & Religion

The official language is Arabic, but English, Hindi, Urdu and Malayalam are widely spoken. Islam is the only officially recognized religion. A vast majority of the people are Sunnis. There are foreign minority Hindus and Christians as well. Dubai is the only Emirate to house a Hindu temple.

Airports

Education

Dubai has several universities, including:

See also

Real estate

Real estate


 
Emirates of the United Arab Emirates		 Flag of the United Arab Emirates
Abu DhabiAjman > DubaiFujairah > Ras al-KhaimahSharjah > Umm al-Qaiwain
Category:United Arab Emirates Category:Emirates Category:Coastal cities ar:دبي da:Dubai de:Dubai et:Dubai (emiraat) es:Dubai eo:Dubajo fr:Doubai nl:Dubai ja:ドバイ pt:Dubai sv:Dubai

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