Dubai is the second largest of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. Dubai can refer to one of the emirates in the UAE, or the UAE’s main city sometimes called Dubai city. Dubai is located on the southern shore of the Gulf in the south eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East.

The emirate of Dubai is bordered by Abu Dhabi on the south, Sharjah on the northeast, and the Sultanate of Oman in the southeast. The western coast of Dubai is bordered by the Persian Gulf. The Dubai emirate has an area of approximately 3900 square kilometres, while Dubai City itself covers about 35 square kilometres.
Dubai lies directly within the Arabian Desert, thus most of its landscape is made up of desert and salt flats. The desert sand is mostly white, made up of crushed shell and coral from its coast line.

East of Dubai City, the salt crusted plains give way to sand dunes running north to south. Further east, these dunes grow larger, and give way to the Western Al Hajar Mountains which run alongside Dubai’s border with Oman. The word ‘hajar’ means rock in Arabic, appropriate for the jagged and rocky landscape.

Dubai has no natural river bodies, but the city is split down the middle by a large creek which runs through the middle of the old town. The Dubai Creek is an inlet that runs north to south dividing the Dubai emirate in half. The Al Shindagha tunnel which runs under the creek, connects the two halves of the city. There are also the Al Makthoum Bridge and the Al Garhoud Bridge where you are able to cross the water.

Having a long border with the Persian Gulf, Dubai also has a great number of white sand beaches. Dubai is found roughly at sea level.

BASIC FACTS

Population…………………. 1.1 million

Flight time from the UK…… approximately 7 hours

Vaccinations………………. None required. Diphtheria, Tetanus and Hepatitis

Capital……………………… Dubai City

UAE’s capital is Abu Dhabi

Currency…………………… Dirham (Dh)

Language………………….. Arabic

Time Zone…………………. GMT+4

Electricity………………….. 220V. 3-pin sockets.

Dialling code………………. +971 (4)