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 Dubai
The Ruler of Dubai, Vice President and Prime Minister
of UAE is His Highness Sheikh
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
 Dubai is one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the only two emirates to have veto power over critical matters of national importance in the country's legislature.
Its geographical location made it an
important trading hub and by the beginning
of the 20th century, it was an important
port. A free trade zone was built around
the Jebel Ali port in 1979, allowing
foreign companies unrestricted import of
labour and export capital.
Today, Dubai has emerged as a global city
and a business hub. Although Dubai's
economy was built on the oil industry,
currently the emirate's model of business,
similar to that of Western countries,
drives its economy, with the effect that
its main revenues are now from tourism,
real estate, and financial services. Dubai
has recently attracted world attention
through many innovative large construction
projects and sports events. This increased
attention has highlighted labour rights
and human rights issues concerning its
largely South Asian workforce. |
Economy
Dubai's gross domestic product as of 2008
was US$ 82.11 billion. Although Dubai's
economy was built on the back of the oil
industry, revenues from oil and natural
gas currently account for less than 6% of
the emirate's revenues. It is estimated
that Dubai produces 50,000 to 70,000
barrels (11,000 m3) of oil a day and
substantial quantities of gas from
offshore fields. The emirate's share in
UAE's gas revenues is about 2%. Real
estate and construction (22.6%), trade
(16%), entrepôt (15%) and financial
services (11%) are the largest
contributors to Dubai's economy. Dubai's
top exporting destinations include India, Switzerland and Saudi Arabia. Dubai's top re-exporting
destinations include India (US$ 6.53
billion), Iran (US$ 5.8 billion) and Iraq
(US$ 2.8 billion). The emirate's top
import sources are India, China and
the United States. As
of 2009 India was Dubai's largest trade
partner.
Dubai's Jebel Ali port, constructed in the
1970s, has the largest man-made harbour in
the world and was ranked seventh globally
for the volume of container traffic it
supports. Dubai is also a hub for service
industries such as information technology
and finance, with industry-specific free
zones throughout the city. Dubai Internet
City, combined with Dubai Media City as
part of TECOM (Dubai Technology,
Electronic Commerce and Media Free Zone
Authority) is one such enclave whose
members include IT firms such as EMC
Corporation, Oracle Corporation,
Microsoft, and IBM, and media
organisations such as MBC, CNN, BBC,
Reuters, Sky News and AP. |
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Dubai is fast becoming
a centre of business activities, not only regionally
but internationally as well. The reasons are many. Some of these are: |
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the location in the middle of UAE coast |
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free & balanced economic policy |
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establishment of complete infrastructure
of projects along with other services & utilities |
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More over the excellent leadership that
Dubai enjoys. |
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International
Trade Fairs & Exhibitions
Throughout the year Dubai
Hosts international events which are organized in the
venues that are highly developed technically & safe
& secure as well. |
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Tourism and retail |
 Dubai
Mall is one of the largest malls in the
world.
Tourism is an important part of the Dubai
government's strategy to maintain the flow
of foreign cash into the emirate. Dubai's
lure for tourists is based mainly on
shopping, but also on its possession of
other ancient and modern attractions. As
of 2007, Dubai was the 8th most visited
city of the world. Dubai is expected to
accommodate over 15 million tourists by
2015. Dubai is the most populous emirate
of the seven emirates of United Arab
Emirates. It is distinct from other
members of the UAE in that a large part of
the emirate's revenues are from tourism.
Dubai has been called the "shopping
capital of the Middle East". Dubai alone
has more than 70 shopping malls, including
the world's 7th largest shopping mall,
Dubai Mall. The city draws large numbers
of shopping tourists from countries within
the region and from as far as Eastern
Europe, Africa and the Indian
Subcontinent. While boutiques, some
electronics shops, department stores and
supermarkets operate on a fixed-price
basis, most other outlets consider
friendly negotiation a way of life.
Dubai is also known for its souk districts
located on either side of the creek.
Traditionally, dhows from the Far East,
China, Sri Lanka, and India would
discharge their cargo and the goods would
be bargained over in the souks adjacent to
the docks. Many boutiques and jewellery
stores are also found in the city. Dubai
is known as "the City of Gold" and Gold
Souk in Deira houses nearly 250 gold
retail shops. Dubai Duty Free at the Dubai
International Airport offers merchandise
catering to the multinational passengers
using the airport. The most
striking feature of Dubai is the
establishment of its Free Zones in several
sectors. |
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Transportation
Transport in Dubai is controlled by the
Roads and Transport authority. The public
transport network faces huge congestion
and reliability issues which a large
investment programme is attempting to
address, including over AED 70 billion of
improvements planned for completion by
2020, when the population of the city is
projected to exceed 3.5 million.[101] In
2009, according to Dubai Municipality
statistics, there were an estimated
1,021,880 cars in Dubai. In January 2010,
the number of Dubai residents who use
public transport stood at 6%. Although the
government has invested heavily in the
Dubai's road infrastructure, this has not
kept pace with the increasing number of
vehicles. This, coupled with the induced
traffic phenomenon, has led to growing
problems of congestion.
Road
Five main routes — E 101 (Sheikh Zayed
Road), E 311 (Emirates Road), E 44 (Dubai-Hatta
Highway), E 77 (Dubai-Al Habab Road) and E
66 (Oud Metha Road) — run through Dubai,
connecting the city to other towns and
emirates. Additionally, several important
intra-city routes, such as D 89 (Al
Maktoum Road/Airport Road), D 85 (Baniyas
Road), D 75 (Sheikh Rashid Road), D 73 (Al
Dhiyafa Road), D 94 (Jumeirah Road) and D
92 (Al Khaleej/Al Wasl Road) connect the
various localities in the city. The
eastern and western sections of the city
are connected by Al Maktoum Bridge, Al
Garhoud Bridge, Al Shindagha Tunnel,
Business Bay Crossing and Floating Bridge.
The Public Bus Transport system in Dubai
is run by the Roads and Transport
Authority (RTA). The bus system services
140 routes and transported over about
109.5 million people in 2008. By the end
of 2010, there will be 2,100 buses in
service across the city. The Transport
authority has announced the construction
of 500 air-conditioned (A/C) Passenger Bus
Shelters, and has plan for 1,000 more
across the emirates in a move to encourage
the use of public buses.
Dubai also has an extensive taxi system,
by far the most frequently used means of
public transport within the Emirate. There
are both government-operated and private
cab companies. There are more than 3000
taxis operating within the emirate. Taxi
cabs in Dubai make an average of 192,000
trips every day, lifting about 385,000
persons. In 2009 taxi trips exceeded 70
million trips serving around 140.45
million passengers.
Air
Dubai International Airport, the hub for
the Emirates Airline, serves the city of
Dubai and other emirates in the country.
The airport was the 15th busiest airport
in the world by passenger traffic handling
40.9 million passengers in 2009. The
airport was also the 6th busiest airport
in the world by international passenger
traffic. In addition to being an important
passenger traffic hub, the airport is the
7th busiest cargo airport in world,
handling 1.927 million tonnes of cargo in
2009, a 5.6% increase compared to 2008 and
was also the 4th busiest International
freight traffic airport in world. Emirates
Airline is the national airline of Dubai.
As of 2009, it operated internationally
serving 101 destinations in 61 countries
across six continents.
The development of Al Maktoum
International Airport, was announced in
2004. The first phase of the airport,
featuring one A380 capable runway, 64
remote stands, one cargo terminal with
annual capacity for 250,000 tonnes of
cargo and a passenger terminal building
designed to accommodate five million
passengers per year, has been opened. When
completed, Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum
International will be the largest airport
in the world with five runways, four
terminal buildings and capacity for 160
million passengers and 12 million tons of
cargo.
Metro rail
A $3.89 billion, Dubai Metro project is
currently operational although partly
under-construction. The Red Line is
operational and runs through the heart of
the city. The Metro system was partially
opened on September 2009 and will be fully
operational by 2014. UK-based
international service company Serco Group
is responsible for operating the metro.
The metro comprises the Green Line from Al
Rashidiya to the main city center and the
Red Line from the airport to Jebel Ali. A
Blue and a Purple Line have also been
planned. The Dubai Metro (Green and Blue
Lines) will have 70 km (43.5 mi) of track
and 43 stations, 37 above ground and ten
underground.[118] The Dubai Metro is the
first urban train network in the Arabian
Peninsula.
The Palm Jumeirah Monorail is a monorail
line on the Palm Jumeirah. The monorail
connects the Palm Jumeirah to the
mainland, with a planned further extension
to the Red Line of the Dubai Metro. The
line opened on 30 April 2009. Two trams
systems are expected to be built in Dubai
by 2011. The first is the Downtown Burj
Khalifa Tram System and the second is the
Al Sufouh Tram. The Downtown Burj Khalifa
Tram System is a 4.6 km (2.86 mi) tram
service that is planned to service the
area around the Burj Khalifa, and the
second tram will run 14.5 km (9 mi) along
Al Sufouh Road from Dubai Marina to the
Burj Al Arab and the Mall of the Emirates.
Dubai has announced it will complete a
link of the UAE high speed rail system
which will eventually hook up with the
whole GCC and then possibly Europe. The
High Speed Rail will serve passengers and
cargo.
Waterways
There are two major commercial ports in
Dubai, Port Rashid and Port Jebel Ali.
Port Jebel Ali is the world's largest
man-made harbour, the biggest port in the
Middle East, and the 7th-busiest port in
the world. One of the more traditional
methods of getting across Bur Dubai to
Deira is through abras, small boats that
ferry passengers across the Dubai Creek,
between abra stations in Bastakiya and
Baniyas Road. The Marine Transport Agency
has also implemented the Dubai Water Bus
System.
Culture
The UAE culture mainly revolves around the
religion of Islam and traditional Arab and
Bedouin culture. In contrast, the city of
Dubai is a highly cosmopolitan society
with a diverse and vibrant culture. The
influence of Islamic and Arab culture on
its architecture, music, attire, cuisine
and lifestyle are very prominent as well.
Five times every day, Muslims are called
to prayer from the minarets of mosques
which are scattered around the country.
Since 2006, the weekend has been
Friday-Saturday, as a compromise between
Friday's holiness to Muslims and the
Western weekend of Saturday-Sunday.
In 2005, 84% of the population of
metropolitan Dubai was foreign-born, about
half of them from India. The city's
cultural imprint as a small, ethnically
homogenous pearling community was changed
with the arrival of other ethnic groups
and nationals—first by the Iranians in the
early 1900s, and later by Indians and
Pakistanis in the 1960s. Dubai has been
criticised for perpetuating a class-based
society, where migrant workers are in the
lower classes.
Major holidays in Dubai include Eid al
Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and
National Day (2 December ), which marks
the formation of the United Arab Emirates.
Annual entertainment events such as the
Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) and Dubai
Summer Surprises (DSS) attract over 4
million visitors from across the region
and generate revenues in excess of $2.7
billion. Large shopping malls in the city,
such as Deira City Centre, Mirdiff City
Centre, BurJuman, Mall of the Emirates,
Dubai Mall and Ibn Battuta Mall as well as
traditional souks attract shoppers from
the region.
Dress and
etiquette
The Islamic dress code is not compulsory,
unlike in neighbouring Saudi Arabia. Most
Emirati males prefer to wear a kandura, an
ankle-length white shirt woven from wool
or cotton, and most Emirati women wear an
abaya, a black over-garment covering most
parts of the body. This attire is
particularly well-suited for the UAE's hot
and dry climate. Western-style clothing
is, however, dominant because of the large
expatriate population, and this practice
is beginning to grow in popularity among
Emiratis.
Etiquette is an important aspect of UAE
culture and tradition, to which visitors
are expected to conform. Recently, many
expatriates have disregarded the law and
been arrested for indecent clothing, or
lack thereof, at beaches. Western-style
dress is tolerated in appropriate places,
such as bars or clubs, but the UAE has
maintained a strict policy of protecting
highly public spaces from cultural
insensitivity.
Entertainment
The United Arab Emirates is a part of the
khaliji tradition, and is also known for
Bedouin folk music. During celebrations
singing and dancing also take place and
many of the traditional songs and dances
have survived to the present time. Yowalah
is the traditional dance of the UAE. Young
girls would dance by swinging their long
black hair and swaying their bodies in
time to the strong beat of the music. Men
would re-enact battles fought or
successful hunting expeditions, often
symbolically using sticks, swords or
rifles.
Hollywood and Indian movies are popular in
Dubai. Since 2004, the city has hosted the
annual Dubai International Film Festival
which serves as a showcase Arab film
making talent. Musicians Amr Diab, Diana
Haddad, Tarkan, Aerosmith, Santana, Mark
Knopfler, Elton John, Pink, Shakira,
Celine Dion, Coldplay, Keane , Phil
Collins, Kavita Krishnamurthy, and A R
Rahman[140] have performed in the city.
Kylie Minogue was reportedly paid 3.5
million dollars to perform at the opening
of the Atlantis resort on 20 November
2008. The Dubai Desert Rock Festival is
also another major festival consisting of
Heavy metal and rock artists. |
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