From the moment I was offered the position, I have been researching Dubai and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as I did not know anything about it. I hate to admit it, but I had never even heard of it! In fact, it seemed like everyone else knew something about it except me, and they were saying nothing but good things about it.
The UAE is a small country (population about 4 million) located on the Arabian Peninsula, bordered by the Persian Gulf (they like to call it the "Arabian Gulf" over here) to the north, Oman to the east, and Saudi Arabia to the south and west. The capital city of the UAE is Abu Dhabi, while the largest city is Dubai.
Located on the Tropic of Cancer, Dubai enjoys a comfortable winter climate, ranging from about 15 degrees overnight to about 30 degrees in the afternoon. In summer, the heat and humidity is fierce, with temperatures souring as high as 50 degrees.
Dubai is one of the world's most futuristic and fastest-growing cities, and from an urban planner's point of view - a very exciting place to be right now. In just 34 years since the formation of the UAE in 1971 (after striking oil in 1966), Dubai has grown from a small village to a city of about 1.5 million. A study by Jones Lang LaSalle (who claim to be the world�s leading real estate services and investment management firm) predicts that Dubai will be the number 1 city in the world within this decade!
Dubai is a centre of trade, tourism, leisure, entertainment, sports, business, and of course, oil. A number of amazing projects and tourist attractions abound in Dubai, attracting some 15 million tourists per year (which compares with 2 million per year in Victoria). To reflect this, Dubai has recently opened the world's tallest hotel: a tower built in the shape of a ship�s sail, constructed on a man-made island several hundred metres off the coast of Dubai. It is currently the world�s only 7-star hotel.
Among a number of exciting projects currently under planning or construction include:
1) The world�s tallest building. If you thought the Canadian National Tower (500 metres) in Toronto was tall, the new Burj Dubai Tower will be over 800 metres upon completion. Cansult completed the traffic impact study for the complex.
2) The world's largest shopping mall. The Mall of Arabia will be the largest the world has ever seen, dwarfing the West Edmonton Mall, which used to hold that title. Right now, the Dubai Mall is the world's largest. But now they want to break their own record too, and have the world's 2 largest malls!!
3) The world�s first underwater hotel. Self-explanatory.
4) �The Palm� and �The World�. Several hundred metres off the coast, a series of man-made islands are being constructed, one series in the shape of a giant palm tree, the other in the shape of, you guessed it, the World. Upon completion, on each of these communities will include multi-million dollar mansions, private beaches, marinas, parks, and fine dining. The Palm is currently the largest man-made island in the world, stretching about 5 kilometres in length and 5 kilometres in width.
5) Dubailand. An amusement park of extraordinary proportions, Dubailand will take up almost as much land as the current built-up area of Dubai itself, and will be the world's largest theme and sports park. It will cover some 2 billion square feet in area, and cost US$5-billion to develop. It will include about 200 separate projects within, including several stadiums, restaurants, 5-star hotels, the Mall of Arabia (mentioned above), art galleries, gardens, horse riding trails, the world's largest indoor ski slope, the largest zoo in the Middle East, a space exploration exhibit, a full-sized simulated dinosaur enclosure, amphitheatures, a golf course, a Formula 1 race track, pyramids, a waterpark, mosques, a business park, multiple theme parks, and more! As if there were any doubt, this project will continue to hold Dubai�s status as the tourist capital of the Middle East.
Dubai also boasts:
1) the world�s richest horse race.
2) the world�s most expensive golf course (probably from all that watering).
3) only 130 mm of rain each year! Victoria gets over 800 mm!
4) awards on two occasions as the world�s safest tourist destination.
5) tax-free income and shopping.
6) the Middle East�s largest and busiest airport....and they have already started building another one!
7) the highest urban growth rate in the Middle East, and among the highest in the world.
8) over 100 nationalities represented by its citizens�80% of which were born outside the United Arab Emirates.
9) the most wealthy, tolerant, westernized, and visited city in the Middle East.
10) a container shipping port visible from outer space - the 10th largest in the world.
11) one of the world's lowest unemployment rates.
12) the world's fastest-growing airline, Emirates Airlines. These guys are predicted to buy Boeing 777's at an average rate of one per month over the next 12 years!
13) a nickname known as the City of Gold
14) three times more men than women (maybe that's not something they should brag about).
15) the fastest-growing tourist destination in the world.
16) incorporates "freedom of religion" into their national constitution.
17) the tallest buildings in the Middle East and Europe, the Emirates Towers.
18) membership in the United Nations
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