Dubai Facts

Set between Europe and Asia, on the southern shores of the Arabian Gulf, Dubai is the jewel in the crown of the United Arab Emirates. The second largest of the seven Emirates, (the others are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujaira, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Qaiwain), Dubai is an oasis in the sweeping deserts. A city of alluring contrasts, Dubai is a cosmopolitan society with a global lifestyle and a culture rooted in, and secured by, age-old Islamic traditions.

It is this unique personality of the city that draws in visitors, whether for business or for pleasure, from the four corners of the earth by land, sea and air. In fact, the Dubai International Airport, a vital link for business, commerce...

..., just about everything is meant to be the biggest and the best. And it's no joke: Here you'll find the world's tallest building, the largest man-made islands, the richest horse race, the biggest shopping festival, and soon the most extensive entertainment complex, the most massive mall, and the biggest hotel.

People who live here will tell you that Dubai is always changing -- that's an understatement. Dubai is growing so fast that it hardly seems recognizable from one year to the next. The city's only competition these days seems to be with itself. Who can keep up? Construction cranes everywhere work relentlessly to continue raising a modern metropolis out of the desert sand.

Once completed,...