History
Dubai is the second largest of the seven sovereign sheikhdoms that together constitute the United Arab Emirates - the U.A.E. Six of the erstwhile trucial states of the Persian Gulf unified to form the Emirates in 1971 after the termination of the treaty under which the United Kingdom was responsible for their defense and foreign affairs.
Dubai traces its origins to the 1830s when the Al-Falasi group of the Bani Yas tribe under the leadership of Maktoum bin Butti settled the area around Dubai creek to form the fishing village that is mentioned so often when referring to the phenomenal growth of Dubai. The present ruler of Dubai - Sheikh bin Rashid Al Maktoum - is the 13th Al Maktoum to rule this prosperous emirate.
Geography
Dubai has an area of 3885 km2 and a population of around 1.7 million. It shares borders with the emirates of Abu Dhabi (South), Sharjah (North East) and with the Sultanate of Oman (South East). The exclave of Hatta shares land borders with Oman, Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah. Hatta has a slightly cooler climate - thanks to the fact that it lies at the foot of the Hajjar mountains which form the border between the U.A.E. and Oman. Large offshore island developments such as The World, The Jumeirah Palm etc. make it difficult to quote a precise figure for the length of Dubai's coastline.Economy
Dubai has relatively meagre oil reserves, located in the offshore fields of Fateh, Southwest Fateh, Falah and Rashid. The Margham field has its only gas reserves. Barring any new finds, it is estimated that these reserves will be exhausted within the next 15 years. Dubai had a GDP of $54 billion in 2007 and its economy is expected to grow at an average rate of 11% over the next 8 years. The contribution to the GDP by the oil sector is around 6% with tourism, trade and financial services contributing the bulk of the remainder.
Dubai's main trading partners are China, Japan, India, Iran the United Kingdom and the United States. It imports gas from the neighboring emirate of Sharjah to satisfy the huge energy needs imposed by its burgeoning tourism industry.
Climate
Dubai has a dry sub-tropical climate. Temperatures in the summer months (May-October) can top 45°C. The months of November through to April are pleasant with day time temperatures rarely exceeding 30°C and nighttime temperatures down to a pleasant 8-10°C. While the average annual rainfall in the emirate is only around 13cm the rain when it does fall is torrential and often leads to localized flooding. Most recently a whopping 105 mm of rain were recorded on the 16th of January 2008.Population
Emiratis - nationals of the U.A.E. - make up just 17% of the population of Dubai. The majority of the expatriates work in the booming construction industry and in low paid menial jobs. This accounts for the fact that close to 75% of the population of Dubai is male. The majority of the low paid workers come from the Indian sub continent and the Philippines. Islam is by far the dominant religion accounting for 96% of the population. The non-islamic expatriate population is largely Hindu and Christian.
The resident population of Dubai has been growing at a rate of over 800 per day in recent years. The reported population density of 24 per square kilometer is misleading since the hinterland of the country, in the direction of Oman, is largely uninhabited desert.
