Dubai
Dubai is one of seven cities located in the United Arab Emirates or also known as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The other 6 cities are: Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Qaywayn, Ras Al-Khaimah and Fujairah. Dubai is a now Westernized city in the Middle East, which continuously strives to be the largest business center in the world. With its convenient location, Dubai is an important hub for passengers and cargo. Dubai's oil revenues have enabled a massive development of the city, which now places Dubai at No. 3 on the ranking of best cities in the world.
Dubai has managed to generate the bulk of its revenue from sources other than oil, currently less than 5% of the Emirate's revenue comes from oil. Dubai today relies mostly on its revenues from trade, tourism, aviation, real estate and financial services. Dubai has been ruled by the Al Maktoum family since 1833; the emirate is a constitutional monarchy.
History of Dubai
Originally Dubai was a small fishing village when it was taken over in 1830 by the Bani Yas tribe of the Liwa oasis led by the Al Maktoum family, who still rule the emirate. Traditional activities were herding cattle, raising plants, fishing and pearl fishing.In 1966, oil was discovered in Dubai and since Dubai's oil exports began in 1969, the lifestyle of the emirate changed which marked the beginning of the rapid development that transformed the emirate into the modern metropolis that it is today.
Surely much of the development is due to now deceased Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum who had the oil trade well regulated. Soon after finding the oil, this Sheikh came to realize that Dubai would not be able to rely on oil revenues forever, because of this he began the development of Dubai into the metropolis we know today.
The future of Dubai
Dubai was recently ranked the third best city in the world but this does not mean they will stop developing now. Dubai aims to be the largest and best city in the world by 2040. With its 2040 Urban Master plan, there is a lot to be done, including increasing the population from 3.3 million residents to 7.8 million, having 55% of residents live within 800 meters of a public transportation station and many more plans.
Dubai international airport is a major airport, which is an important hub for air traffic. With a second airport, Al Maktoum, Dubai aims to further exploit its favorable location. Al Maktoum is an airport that is now mainly used for non-commercial flights. The goal is to have Al Maktoum fully operational for commercial flights by 2030 and the airport to be the largest airport in the world by 2050.
With its favorable location, the room to expand, the resources at the Sheikh's disposal and with the continuous striving for better, Dubai has a great future ahead.