Dubai (Arabic: دبيّ Dubayy) is the most populous city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the second largest emirate by territorial size after the capital, Abu Dhabi.
Dubai is located on the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf and is one of the seven emirates that make up the country. Abu Dhabi and Dubai are the only two emirates to have veto power over critical matters of national importance in the country's legislature. The city of Dubai is located on the emirate's northern coastline and heads up the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area. Dubai recently won the bid for the World Expo 2020.
Today, Dubai has emerged as a global city and business hub of the Persian Gulf region. It is also a major transport hub for passengers and cargo. By the 1960s Dubai's economy was based on revenues from trade and, to a smaller extent, oil exploration concessions, but oil wasn't discovered until 1966. Oil revenue first started to flow in 1969. Dubai's oil revenue helped accelerate the early development of the city, but its reserves are limited and production levels are low: today, less than 5% of the emirates' revenue comes from oil. The emirate's Western-style model of business drives its economy with the main revenues now coming from tourism, aviation, real estate, and financial services. Dubai has recently attracted world attention through many innovative large construction projects and sports events. The city has become symbolic for its skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, in particular the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. Dubai has been criticised for human rights violations concerning the city's largely African workforce.
As of 2012, Dubai is the 22nd most expensive city in the world and the most expensive city in the Middle East. In 2014, Dubai's hotel rooms were rated as the second most expensive in the world, after Geneva.
Twin Cities[]
Kabul, Afghanistan
Detroit, America
Los Angeles, America
Phoenix, America
Jeddah, Arabia
Brisbane, Australia
Gold Coast, Australia
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Dundee, British Empire
Hyderabad, British Empire
Karachi, British Empire
Khartoum, British Empire
Kuala Lumpur, British Empire
Guangzhou, Republic of China
Bogotá, Colombia
Medellin, Colombia
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Lyon, France
Frankfurt, Germany
Kish Island, Iran
Tehran, Iran
Bahgdad, Iraq
Milan, Italy
Naples, Italy
Osaka, West Japan
Amman, Jordan
Busan, Korea
Kuwait City, Kuwait
Tripoli, Libya
Harbin, Manchuria
Monterrey, Mexico
Tangier, Morocco
Mandaluyong, Philippines
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Nove Mesto nad Vahom, Slovakia
Bosaso, Somalia
Ashgabat, Soviet Union
Leningrad, Soviet Union
Moscow, Soviet Union
Barcelona, Spain
Granada, Spain
Damascus, Syria
Gaziantep, Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey
Caracas, Venezuela