What are the mind-blowing facts about Dubai?

 1. Till the 1960 Dubai didn’t have even the basic infrastructure:

With towering sky scrapers and jaw dropping man-made architectural beauty Dubai is perhaps the fastest growing metropolis in the world. Home to some of the most luxurious hotels in the world, this city has quite literally risen from the sand and dust. Every year millions of travelers come to experience this city in all its glory and are amazed by all it has to offer. If you are planning a trip to Dubai, read on as we reveal 15 amazing facts about it.

2. 83% of Dubai’s populations are immigrants:

The major chunk of Dubai’s population – almost 83% consists of a mix of people from countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Philippines. These people take up the blue collared jobs – mostly laborers and workers who work at construction sites. It is unlikely that you will come across and get to talk with Emiratis when you are meandering on the beaches and marinas of Dubai.

3. Men outnumber women in Dubai:

Of the 2.5 million populations in Dubai, only 30% are women. One of the major reasons for such skewed figure is because of the city’s expats – they are typically men from countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh who leave behind their families in their home countries and come to Dubai to earn money.

4. You can witness robot camel racing in Dubai:

Camel racing is to Dubai what football is to the US. Traditionally kids participated in racing them. Due to this child trafficking was rampant in the country so that they could run the camels. The child right activists around the world, raised their voice against it, the Emiratis came up with a novel solution. Child-sized robots coasting anywhere around $300 to $10,000 have been built and they are used to race the camels. Have you heard of robot camel racing anywhere else?

5. For a long time, there has been no standard address system in Dubai

It is actually surprising that a city of Dubai’s stature didn’t have a standard address system in place for a long time. Given the rapid rate of development that has been seen in Dubai in the last few decades, the authorities had not been able to put a standard and uniform address system in place. Writing out instructions on a mailing label was a common sight. However, that is changing now as the new addressing system is being implemented in phases in preparation for world Expo 2020.

6. Burj Al Arab in Dubai boasts of having the highest tennis court in the world:

Dubai is a city of superlatives – they love to have the ‘highest of this’ and the ‘tallest of that’ for most things. Among other things, the famous Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai boasts of having the highest tennis court in the world. The hotel is 321 meters in height and the tennis court is located very much near the top. The tennis court has a circular shape and doubles up as a helipad when it is not in use.

7. Dubai traded 40% of the world’s gold in 2013:

The love for gold among the Emiratis is quite apparent in Dubai. The rich of Dubai are known to decorate things like car wheels, number plate and even the interior of their house in gold. In the year 2013 40% of the gold traded around the world was traded in Dubai. According to estimates, about $70 billion worth of gold was traded that year and the figure has been on a rise each passing year.

8. New feather in the cap of Dubai by 2020 – Domed climate controlled city:

Dubai is known to be a hub of top-notch architectural projects and the latest one making headlines is the domed climate controlled city that will be sprawling over an area of 8 million square feet in the heart of Dubai – that is almost twice the size of Monaco. Named as the Mall of Dubai, it will be home to several hotels, a transit system, and the largest indoor theme park in the world.

9. The interior of Burj Al Arab is decorated in gold:

The sail-shaped luxurious hotel in Dubai – Burj Al Arab is a status symbol of Dubai. The interior of the hotel is said to be decorated with 1790 square meter of gold leaf. With that amount of gold, one can fill as many as 46,265 Mona Lisa paintings.

10. Dubai is home to the world’s tallest building – the Burj Khalifa:

The Burj Khalifa standing tall with a height of 830 meters is the world’s tallest building. It is said that the residents staying at its top floors have to wait for an extra 2 minutes before breaking their fast during Ramadan as the sun is still visible up there even after the sun has set for those on the grounds.

11. Zero Debt Tolerance:

When it comes to debt, Dubai has serious laws against those who live beyond their means. The residents of Dubai are strictly forbidden to incur debt and not be able to pay back. Such defaulters are mostly deported or put behind the bars.

12. Zero Crime Rate:

The laws in Dubai strictly forbid anyone to commit any crime. If one is found guilty of any such action, he will face deportation or will be imprisoned for life. Due to such strict laws, the Dubai police boast of having zero crime rates in the city.

13. Dubai Police has a fleet of Super cars:

The Dubai police have a fleet of super cars that include Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Aston Martins and Bentleys. With so many super cars in the streets of Dubai, surely the police cannot do without having its own fleet of luxurious fast cars.

Source: http://www.blog.visiit.com

What are the mind-blowing facts about Dubai?

 

• One out of every 4 cranes on Earth is located in Dubai.

Dubai's real estate is growing so fast, that 24% of the the cranes on Earth are located in Dubai.

• Dubai's artificial Palm Islands imported enough sand to fill 2.5 Empire State Buildings

The construction of Dubai's Palm Islands required 94 million cubic meters of sand.

The Empire State Building is 37 million cubic meters.

• Approximately 85% of the population is foreign.

It is estimated that "10 to 15 percent of Dubai's population" are Emiratis, while the other 85% are expatriates. The majority come from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh in order to work in the still-booming real estate market.

• In Dubai, $300 robots are replacing illegal child labor in camel racing

Camel racing is an industry that is estimated to be worth "hundreds of millions of dollars", although there is no exact number. Because children are small enough to be camel jockeys, the sport led to a boom in child trafficking from "impoverish[ed] communities in South Asia and Africa" in the past.

Robots from $300 to $10,000 are now used in order to curtail the problem of child trafficking.

• The Burj Khalifa is so tall that some of its residents need to wait longer to break fast during Ramadan.

The Burj Khalifa is approximately half a mile tall and has 160 residential floors. Those who live on the 150th floor and higher live so high up that they see the sun longer than other inhabitants of Dubai. Consequently, they could not break their fasts at the same time.

• If the Burj Khalifa was in Freiburg, Germany, you would still see it from Strasbourg, France.

You can see the Burj Khalifa from 95 km away.

The distance between Freiburg, Germany and Strasbourg, France is 86.4 km.

• Dubai produces enough oil to fill approximately 4.5 Olympic swimming pools per day.

Dubai produces between 50,000 to 70,000 barrels of oil per day, which is roughly 11,000 m3. This is enough to fill 4.4 Olympic swimming pools.

And that's not even that much. During its heyday in 1991, Dubai produced 400,000 barrels per day.

• Dubai pays its citizens 2 grams of solid gold if they lose at least 2 kg (4.4 lbs) within 30 days

Dubai holds a contest called “Your Weight In Gold,” which encourages children between the age of 2 to 14 to lose weight. The government billed this plan to promote healthy living and raise awareness. There’s no limit to how much you can lose but doctors suggest 4 to 8 lbs per month. To encourage them even more, the government will pay an additional gram of gold for every 2 pounds they lose.

• The city is known for its rapid changes

Growth is substantial for any country’s economy but rapid growth such as this could lead to an economic catastrophe – according to financial experts.

• The world’s highest tennis court is located on the top of the Burj Al Arab

We have all heard of tennis matches that put the audience at the edge of their seats but a tennis court in Dubai literally puts the players at the edge of 1,053′ building. The tennis court atop Burj Al Arab was created as a publicity stunt for the Dubai Duty Free Men’s Open.

• Premarital sex is forbidden in the city

The city in the Muslim country forbids any couple from showing affection in public. Kissing or holding hands is strictly forbidden. Anyone caught doing these innocent acts faces serious consequences, such as jail time or deportation. The women residing in the country also have lesser rights than men.

• No Income Tax in Dubai

It is the most surprising fact about the state of Dubai. They didn’t have any income tax on your personal income. However, there is a tax on foreign banks and to oil companies. So, you enjoy your income without paying any income tax!

• No Street Address

Most of us are familiar with the street address system. In Dubai, there is no particular street address system which leads to confusing for the outsider to reach any place. Most of the posts are delivered to PO boxes.

Image source- google

Could you tell me some shocking facts about Dubai?

 One of the most striking facts about Dubai is its anecdotes.

Everyone knows how Dubai grew from a dusty wasteland into the global trade and business hub it is today.

However, many people mistakenly believe that this is all thanks to oil money. Oil was discovered in Dubai in 1966, and production began in 1969. Dubai was already on its way to becoming a global hub long before that.

All of this is thanks to this person.

I am Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

He is the father of the current ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (pictured below).

Shall I explain in more detail?

When Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the father of Sheikh Mohammed, began his rule in 1958, Dubai was nothing more than a collection of small settlements near Dubai Creek, lacking electricity and infrastructure. These settlements were primarily sustained by the declining and unsustainable pearl trade. Sheikh Rashid was visionary and implemented a series of remarkable reforms to transform Dubai into a globally important city. These included:

1. Construction of Dubai Creek (1955-1961) : Dubai was well known for its central location on the East-West trade route. Nevertheless, Dubai in the 1950s was plagued by problems. Dubai Creek, a natural harbor, was clogged with silt. Ships had to anchor in deep waters up to a mile offshore, and only when the weather and tides were favorable could their cargo be transferred to barges and brought into the creek. Because the creek was too shallow for most ships, captains had to travel via Dubai. Sheikh Rashid commissioned a feasibility study to dredge the creek and construct a breakwater with bulkheads and sheet piles. However, the cost amounted to $3 million (approximately 350 million yen), which Dubai could not possibly afford. So Sheikh Rashid decided to raise funds. To do so, he imposed special taxes, sold bonds, and solicited donations from merchants using the creek. Once the port was completed in 1961, business boomed. Dubai became a lucrative country. Dubai's trade and reverse export businesses blazed like a fire of gasoline. Sheikh Rashid repaid his loans, and even more, ahead of schedule.
2. Electrification and Infrastructure (1961) . Sheikh Rashid's next task was to light up the city. He established a municipal power plant with a capacity of 1440 kilowatts and laid power lines throughout the city. (1961 was also the year Israel launched its first rocket into space.) In the same year, telephone exchanges and telephone lines were also installed. That same year, Dubai saw the construction of its first paved roads, its first bridges, and its first municipal water supply. Engineers were hired to construct roads and roundabouts and lay underground water pipes. New facilities swept through Dubai - ice factories, radio and television broadcasting, streetlights, the city government, the police, and more were introduced.
3. Dubai Airport – Surpassing its Neighbors (1960-68) . Of course, Sheikh Rashid wasn't satisfied with simply making Dubai equal to the rest of the region. He wanted more. Before the British withdrew, he built an air base in Sharjah (Dubai's neighboring emirate), which increased in value along with advancements in aviation technology. Air transport was becoming increasingly important in global trade. Having taken flights from Sharjah himself, Sheikh Rashid knew Dubai needed an airport. He knew it would be profitable, even if it was just a refueling stop. He commissioned the British airline International Aerodeo to design the airport, and it was completed in 1960. He removed all the tariffs on air cargo that Sharjah's rulers still imposed and shifted all business to Dubai Airport. By 1968, Dubai Airport had grown to handle Boeing 747s. Meanwhile, Sharjah's airport became obscure, serving as a hub for arms dealers and low-cost carriers.
4. Port Rashid (1971) . Dubai Creek was the beginning of what Dubai needed, but it was still a relatively small port. Even after dredging, it was too small for the ships that were the mainstream of international trade in the 1960s. Dubai's growth was unstoppable, and in 1967, Sheikh Rashid vowed to solve this problem. He hired the British planner, Hulklow, who had been in charge of the dredging, and commissioned him to design a deep-water port bearing his own name. Port Rashid was the largest civil engineering project in Dubai's history, but the discovery of oil gave Dubai the funds to make it happen. In 1971, coinciding with the 35th birthday of its owners, the port was declared open by Queen Elizabeth II. The state-owned enterprise that operated the port is now the fourth largest in the world.
5. Dry Dock (1971–1983) . Sheikh Rashid wanted Dubai to be more than just a port; he wanted it to be a center of the shipping industry. In 1971, he commissioned a feasibility study for the construction of a dry dock (a facility for lifting large ships out of the sea for repair). However, a British advisor in Dubai called the project absurd. The global shipbuilding industry was in ruins. Dubai was too small to absorb such a massive industrial investment. The project was so risky that it was even ridiculed in the Wall Street Journal. However, in 1983, after the port was completed, it could be said that it was a successful gamble. In the 1980s, the Iran-Iraq War escalated into a full-blown tanker war. This was an economic investment opportunity for Dubai. Damaged ships began to come for repairs, and suddenly the dry dock was flooded with ships. The number of ships requesting repairs was enormous, resulting in a long waiting list.
6. Big gambles (1970s, 1980s) . Dubai's dry docks had an almost naive ambition:
   1) The massive Dubai Aluminium smelter, which uses heat from a power plant to distill seawater into fresh water; 2
   ) The Dubai World Trade Centre, a skyscraper built in the middle of nowhere;
   and 3) Jebel Ali Port, another large port at the edge of Dubai's desert beaches.
   As usual, these were met with ridicule, but all three were resounding successes. Dubai Aluminium is one of the world's largest single-site primary aluminum smelters. The Dubai World Trade Centre houses major companies of the time, including IBM, UT, British Petroleum, the US Consulate, and the Dubai Stock Exchange. Jebel Ali is the world's largest artificial port and the largest and busiest port in the Middle East.

What Sheikh Rashid did was criticized at the time, but in hindsight, it was prescient. He made the most of Dubai's limited oil reserves. Meanwhile, neighboring countries rich in oil resources, such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, were using their oil money to subsidize a comfortable life and highly paid bureaucrats. His steely gamble on infrastructure was a crucial decision in creating Dubai as it is today.

Sheikh Rashid's reign continued until his death on October 7, 1990. However, his wisdom was not lost. He passed on that wisdom to the young Sheikh Mohammed, inheriting the baton.

What are the mind-blowing facts about Dubai?

 Dubai is unique and therefore I wanted to share some crazy facts about this city with you:

1. The Burj Al Arab hotel uses enough gold to cover the Mona Lisa painting 46,265 times

The interior of the Burj Al Arab is decorated with around 1,790 square meters of 24-carat gold leaf. With that you could cover 46,265 Mona Lisa paintings.

2. One out of every 4 cranes in the world is located in Dubai

Dubai is still growing fast. So fast that roughly 24 percent of all cranes are located in Dubai.

3. Dubai’s artificial Palm Islands use enough sand to fill 2.5 Empire State Buildings

Constructing Dubai’s Palm Islands required 94 million cubic meters of sand. The Empire State Building is only 37 million cubic meters.
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4. The police force in Dubai spends more on each of their super cars than it costs to send a child to college in the USA

Dubai’s police force uses super cars to impress tourists and show how “classy” the city is. This includes cars such as the Ferrari FF ($500,000), Lamborghini Aventador ($397,000) and an Aston Martin One-77 ($1.79 million).
New York University, the most expensive college in the U.S., costs about $248,000 for four years.

5. Roughly 85 percent of Dubai’s population is foreign

It is estimated that around 15 percent of Dubai’s population are Emiratis, while the other 85 percent are expatriates.
Most of the workers building Dubai’s hundreds of skyscrapers immigrated to the United Arab Emirates from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. As a result, they now comprise over 50% of the city’s population.

The class divide is big, with many of the immigrant workers living and working in horrible conditions while Emiratis have their rent, education and medical bills paid for and upper class foreigners earn extremely attractive salaries.

6. In Dubai robots are replacing illegal child labor in camel racing
Source: Yahoo

Dubai is planning

Source: Engineering News Magazine

Camel racing is a very popular sport in Dubai, similar to what football is to the US and hockey to Canada.

Given the camel’s size, only children can participate in racing them. Instead of allowing Dubai residents’ children to participate, there has been a problem in the past with having children illegally trafficked into the country to race camels. The rest of the world eventually caught on to the issue and has since put a stop to it for the most part.

Leave it to Dubai to come up with a solution. Now, child-sized robots are being built and are racing the camels. They cost anywhere from $300 to $10,000.

7. Dubai is building a climate controlled “city” 2.25 times the size of Monaco

to build a completely climate controlled city which will be 4.45 km² in size with air-conditioned boardwalks connecting the various sections. Monaco has an area of only 2.02 km².
For more information click here

8. Until recently Dubai had no addresses, no zip codes, no area codes and no postal system

Due to the rate at which Dubai has been growing, it never developed a standard address system. Instead of an address line on a mailing label, there was a space where residents could draw a map or write out specific instructions such as: “After you pass the white mosque, it’s the first street to the left, blue door.” It wasn’t until 2015 that Dubai started assigning so called Makani numbers (a unique 10 digit code) to all buildings to help identify them.

9. You pay no income tax in Dubai

Apart from an often very attractive salary you also won’t have to pay any income taxes when you make your money in Dubai. This attracts a lot of people who come to Dubai with the idea of saving a good amount of money in a short amount of time. Too bad it is also very easy to spend a lot of money in Dubai…

10. Dubai loves gold

Source: Search Hotels, Cheap Flights, Car Rentals & Vacations

There are ATMs in Dubai that dispense gold bars and 40% of all physical gold traded in 2013 occurred in Dubai. Altogether, that gold weighed more than 354 elephants