Language in the UAE

The official language in the UAE is Arabic, however because of the demographics of the country, approximately 3/4 of everyone living here are expatriates, many other languages are spoken. The main language other than Arabic is English. There are many American, Australian, and British businessmen living here. Also, there are a great deal of Indians in the country so Hindi is spoken. Another widely spoken language is Farsi because of all the Iranians living in the UAE.

Religion in the UAE

The official religion of the UAE is Islam, however the government has a very strong policy of religious tolerance. Because of the amount of expatriates living in the country, you can find Christian churches and Hindu temples. However mosques are by far the most common. Within Dubai alone there are over 500. I heard on one of my tours that the goal is to have a mosque within every 500 meters so that places of worship are easily accessible to all. While riding along the metro, you can see scores of minarets from all the various mosques.

UAE Dirhams

The currency in the United Arab Emirates are called Dirhams. 1 US Dollar is currently about 3.7 Dirhams.

United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates was official formed on December 2, 1971. It is a federation of seven emirates. At first only 6 joined, but then a year later the seventh joined creating the country we have today. The capital is Abu Dhabi. The other emirates in no particular order are Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaiman, and Umm Al Quwain.

the flag of the UAE

Burj Al Arab

Another iconic landmark of Dubai was opened in 1999. It is a world class hotel located off of mainland Dubai, built on a man made island, and the hotel's name is the Burj Al Arab. It was built in the design the sail of a traditional Arab boat called a dhow.

Burj Khalifa

The tallest building in the world is located in the center of Dubai. The tower's name is the Burj Khalifa. Burj in Arabic means tower. It is 828 meters (about 2716 feet). Inside there is a hotel, residential apartments, an observation deck, a restaurant, and office space.

Dubai

Dubai is one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates. It is world famous for its political stability, wealth, cosmopolitan lifestyle, ideal policies for corporate businesses, beaches, and skyscrapers. It started as a small fishing and pearl diving village back in the late 18th century. Then oil was struck in the 1960's and since then, due to the fantastic, innovative, and aggressive development projects championed by the ruling sheiks, the city has become one of the world's most famous.

Dubai's skyline as seen from the airport immediately prior to touchdown

some of the many skyscrapers lining both sides of Dubai's main road, Sheikh Zayed Road

the iconic Burj Al Arab

the Burj Khalifa