Dubai Properties Images

Sat, 25 Dec 2010 17:20:44 +0200

Full Description: Dubai (in Arabic: دبيّ, Dubayy, /dʊ'baɪ/ in English) can either refer to one of the seven emirates that constitute United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the eastern Arabian Peninsula, or that emirate's main city, sometimes called "Dubai city" to distinguish it from the emirate. The modern emirate of Dubai was created with the formation of the United Arab Emirates in 1971. However, written accounts documenting the existence of the city have existed at least 150 years prior to the formation of the UAE. Dubai shares within a federal framework, legal, political, military and economic functions, with the other emirates, although each emirate has jurisdiction over some functions such as civic law enforcement and provision and upkeep of local facilities. Dubai has the largest population and is the second largest emirate by area, after Abu Dhabi and, with Abu Dhabi, is one of only two emirates to possess veto power over critical matters of national importance in the UAE. Dubai has been ruled by the Al Maktoum dynasty since 1833. The city's current ruler, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is also the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE.

Revenues from petroleum and natural gas contribute to less than 3% of Dubai's US$ 46 billion economy (2006). A majority of the emirate's revenues are from the Jebel Ali free zone (JAFZ) and, increasingly, from tourism and other service businesses. Dubai has attracted world-wide attention through innovative real estate projects and sports events. However, this increased attention, coinciding with its emergence as a world business hub, has also highlighted human rights issues concerning its largely foreign workforce.

Economy
Dubai's gross domestic product as of 2006 was US$46 billion. Revenues from oil and natural gas accounted for less than 3% of the emirate's revenues. It is estimated that Dubai produces 240,000 barrels of oil a day and substantial quantities of gas from offshore fields. The emirate's share in UAE's gas revenues is about 2%. Dubai's oil reserves have diminished significantly and are expected to be exhausted in 20 years.

Historically, Dubai and its twin across the Dubai creek, Deira (independent at that time), became important ports of call for Western manufacturers. Most of the new city's banking and financial centres were headquartered in the port area. Dubai maintained its importance as a trade route through the 1970s and 1980s. The city of Dubai has a free trade in gold and until the 1990s was the hub of a "brisk smuggling trade" of gold ingots to India, where gold import was restricted.

Dubai is an important tourist destination and its port, Jebel Ali, constructed in the 1970s, has the largest man-made harbour in the world. Dubai is also increasingly developing as a hub for service industries such as IT and finance, with the establishment of a new Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The government has set up industry-specific free zones throughout the city. Dubai Internet City, combined with Dubai Media City as part of TECOM (Dubai Technology, Electronic Commerce and Media Free Zone Authority) is one such enclave whose members include IT firms such as EMC Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Microsoft, and IBM, and media organisations such as MBC, CNN, Reuters and AP.

The government's decision to diversify from a trade-based but oil-reliant economy to one that is service and tourism-oriented has made real estate more valuable, resulting in the property appreciation from 2004Ã¢ï¿½ï¿½2006. Large scale real estate development projects, undertaken by firms such as Emaar Properties, have led to the construction of many skyscrapers such as the Emirates Towers and the world's tallest hotel, the Burj al-Arab. Burj Dubai, also being constructed by Emaar Properties, is expected to become the world's tallest structure.

The Dubai Financial Market (DFM) was established in March 2000 as a secondary market for trading securities and bonds, both local and foreign. As of Q4 2006, its trading volume stood at about 400 billion shares worth US$ 95 billion. The DFM had a market capitalization of about US$ 87 billion.

Article Copyright: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai

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