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Dubai has two classifications:
it is one of the seven “emirates” within the
country termed “United Arab Emirates”, but it also
refers to this subdivision’s main city, Dubai City.
An emirate is defined as a territory ruled over
by a particular emir, or prince.
The “sheik” of Dubai is Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The
population of Dubai is just over one million, making it
the second largest emirate (Dubai City is the largest
city in the UAE). The official religion is Islam, though Christians and those
of other faith are allowed to practice their religion
freely, as long as they do not preach it publicly.
The majority of residence within Dubai are
expatriates rather than those born within the UAE, most
of them coming from South Asia or Southeast Asia.
According to census surveys, about one quarter of
the population traces back to Iranian (or Persian)
origin. Citizenship
and permanent residence are not options for expatriates
within Dubai.
Though
Arabic is the official language of Dubai, English is
widely spoken, and this particular area of the Middle
East is greatly “Americanized”.
Oil is not a major source of income for Dubai, as
it constitutes only 1/20th of the UAE’s oil
output. Instead,
the economy of Dubai relies on tourism as a major source
of income. It
is also a popular location for major outsourcing of IT
and financing hubs for the United States.
Dubai
has a rather large public transportation system, with 59
bus routes daily. The
city is also constructing the Dubai Metro, a train
system that is expected to begin running in 2009 and be
complete in 2012.
The
school system teaches mostly in English and is typically
geared toward the expatriates making their homes in the
UAE. Some
primary schools require entrance exams.
As a
tourist venue, Dubai has much to offer.
It boasts an exciting nightlife with many clubs,
and tourist attractions include several malls, Palm
Island, the construction underway of the world’s
tallest building (set to open in 2008), and the amazing
Dubailand.
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