Photographs of Dubai

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There are records of the town of Dubai from 1799. Earlier in the 18th century the Al Abu Falasa lineage of Bani Yas clan established itself in Dubai which was a dependent of the settlement of Abu Dhabi until 1833.
On 2 December 1971 Dubai, together with Abu Dhabi and five other emirates, formed the United Arab Emirates after former protector Britain left the Persian Gulf in 1971.
The official language of the country is Arabic, but because of the number of different nationalities, most people communicate in English. The majority of road and shop signs, restaurant menus etc. are in both English and Arabic.
Dubai has the largest population and is the second largest emirate by area, after Abu Dhabi. A majority of the emirate's revenues are from trade, manufacturing and financial services. Revenues from petroleum and natural gas contribute less than 6% of GDP. The construction of Burj Al Arab, the world's tallest freestanding hotel, as well as the creation of new residential developments such as The Palm Islands, The World Islands and Burj Dubai has put Dubai on the map in more ways than one but without a helicopter it's difficult to see most of these developments from Dubai itself.
It is, however, possible to visit the numerous huge shopping malls.