Natural disasters in Dubai
Unlike much of the Middle East, Dubai is in a very stable zone. The nearest seismic fault line is the Zargos Fault which lies 120 km from the UAE and is unlikely to have any seismic impact on Dubai. The possibility of a tsunami in the region is also minimal as the waters of the [...]
The location of Dubai
The city of Dubai lies within the emirate of Dubai, which is one of the seven emirates which together comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Dubai is located in Asia and lies on the Persian Gulf coast of the UAE. Dubai is on the eastern Arabian Peninsula, the Persian Gulf makes up part of its [...]
A brief history of Dubai’s economy up to 1979
Dubai’s close proximity to India made it an important trading location and it was already known in Europe from the sixteenth century for its pearling industry, but it was in the nineteenth century when the emir lowered trade taxes to lure foreign traders from neighbouring states that Dubai really began to grow in prominence. The [...]
Dubai and the UAE
On 2 December 1971 Dubai, Abu Dhabi and five other emirates formed the United Arab Emirates following Britain’s withdrawal from the Persian Gulf. In 1973, Dubai and the other emirates adopted a common currency, the UAE dirham. Dubai continued to grow from revenues generated by oil and trade, and the city saw an influx of [...]
Dubai in the twentieth century
Dubai’s proximity to India made it an important port of call for foreign tradesmen, mainly Indian, many of whom eventually settled in the town. Until the 1930s Dubai was known for its pearl exports, but the First World War and then the Great Depression damaged the industry irreparably resulting in a mass exodus to other [...]