Dubai

Dubai

Dubai is the most densely populated city in the United Arab Emirates and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, which is the most populous of the country's seven emirates. Founded as a small fishing village in the 19th century, Dubai grew into a major regional commercial hub from the early 20th century, and then rapidly expanded in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, focusing on tourism and luxury. It is home to the second largest number of five-star hotels in the world and the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, which stands 828 meters tall. The history of human settlement in what is now the United Arab Emirates is both rich and very complex. It traces extensive trade links between the Indus Valley and Mesopotamian civilizations, and even reached as far as the Levant. Dubai lies in the Arabian Desert, with much of its landscape dominated by sandy desert patterns, while much of the southern region of the country is dominated by gravel deserts. The sand is mostly composed of crushed shell and coral, it is fine, clean and white. To the east of the city, the salt-crusted coastal plains known as the sabkha are replaced by a series of dunes running north-south. Farther to the east, the dunes grow larger and turn red with iron oxide. In the desert of Dubai, common species include the Macqueen's Bustard, Striped Hyena, caracal, Desert Fox, falcon and Arabian Oryx. Dubai lies on the migratory route between Europe, Asia and Africa, and in spring and autumn over 320 species of migratory birds pass through the emirate. Marine life off the coast of Dubai includes tropical fish, jellyfish, corals, dugongs, dolphins, whales and sharks.