Located in the Middle East, Dubai sits at a similar latitude to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, and Doha in Qatar. The UAE borders Saudi Arabia to the west and Oman to the east. This nation was first formed in 1971 (the country’s National Day is celebrated every year on December 2^nd), and Abu Dhabi is the largest emirate in the group, with it being the second-largest. The country also shares a maritime border with Iran, across the Gulf of Oman. 

Many think that Dubai is the capital of the country, with its ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, being the leader of the UAE. In reality, he is the Vice President of the UAE, and the ruler of Dubai; the sheikh of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, is the President of the UAE. The prime location of the UAE within the Middle East is another reason Dubai functions as a global transit point – the emirate is within an 8-hour flight of over half the world’s population. Thanks to its’ central location, visitors from India, Sri Lanka, Africa, Europe, and Asia can come to Dubai on a flight that’s just a few hours long.

Is Dubai A Country?

Despite Dubai being one of the most popular hubs and transit points in the modern world, few know the geography of this prosperous emirate. One common misconception is that Dubai is a country of its own – in actuality, Dubai is one of the emirates belonging to the United Arab Emirates, a country in the Persian Gulf. The 7 emirates in the UAE are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm al Quwain, Fujairah, and Ajman, with the capital of the country being Abu Dhabi.

Each emirate, however, is governed by its own leader and council, though the UAE acts as a single country in the international world. 

What is the currency in Dubai?

The currency in Dubai is the same as the rest of the emirates in the UAE – the dirham or known as AED. One dollar gives you 3.66 Dirhams and 1 Euro gives you about 4.02 Dirhams (as estimates, currency rates will tend to change).

The Weather in Dubai

As the country is mainly desert, the weather is hot and dry, with summer months reaching peak temperatures of over 40 degrees Celcius. The winter months, however, are much cooler, with temperatures during the day dropping to a breezy 23 degrees Celcius, and cools even further once the sun sets, with temperatures dropping to about 16 to 18 degrees Celcius. 

Diversity

The major city of the emirate and 90 per cent of the emirate’s population live in the city, and the city has grown into the sea as well, with man-made islands extending into the Gulf. Thanks to the oil boom in the early 1930s, it was able to grow exponentially, and now has a fully diversified economy, relying on real estate, construction, exports and imports, financial services, and tourism, in addition to the oil sector. 

Another interesting statistic about this popular emirate is the percentage of foreigners and expatriates in Dubai; the local population forms about 10 per cent of the population in Dubai, with foreigners and expats forming a staggering 90 per cent of the population. As there is such a large expatriate population, English is the most common language, though Arabic is the official language of the UAE. 

The city-state is worth visiting thanks to a mix of man-made and natural attractions. The main city, Dubai, is filled with man-made attractions, from the tallest tower to the largest mall, while there are natural attractions that are scattered across the country – the other emirates are easy to access from Dubai, so visitors are able to visit other attractions in other emirates, thanks to their close distance.