About Dubai

Dubai




The United Arab Emirates (UAE) consists of the seven small Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al-Khaimah, Ajman, Umm Al-Qaiwain, and Fujairah, which were united as a federal state in 1971. The nomadic, desert-oriented Bedouins and the sea-oriented culture of pearling and sea trading were the two shaping forces for Emerati culture prior to the establishment of the oil economy in the early 1960s. A common culture and social identity was formed because they were politically, economically and socially interdependent. Their historical common culture laid the ground-work for the establishment of the UAE as we know it today, and it's continuing successful and peaceful way of life and relationship with the world.

It shares land borders with Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. The seven Emirates vary greatly in size. Abu Dhabi is the largest, covering 85 percent of the land, and the wealthiest, and Abu Dhabi city is the permanent capital of the Federation. Hereditary dynastic family rule still operates in each Emirate as a local government system under the umbrella of the federal system. Members of the ruling families occupy the most important positions in their political administrations. While the political system continues to retain some of its traditional values at formal and informal levels, it has been able to keep pace with economic and social change. The sheikhs are highly regarded for performing the dual roles of modernizers and guardians of cultural heritage.

Before 1960, when oil enabled massive modernization, the only settlements were small towns and villages. Money and modernization transformed mud-walled communities into commercial capitals that easily integrated the global economy. Unparalleled growth and urbanization have placed Dubai as one of the most modern cities in the world. Dominant urban features include skyscrapers in the commercial city centers, 25% of the world's cranes, multistory residential buildings, large shopping malls, wide boulevards, an extensive network of highways, and sprawling new suburbs.

The UAE is a brilliant study-in contrast of ancient against hyper-modern, centuries of poverty against newfound, unimaginable personal and national wealth, massive deserts against seemingly endless seas, primitive and humble against uberluxe. It is truly a one-of-a-kind destination and yours to experience at its most exciting time in history.