Dubai located in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula on the coast of the Persian Gulf and is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai.
Dubai has been ruled by the Al Maktoum family since 1833, The ruler, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is also the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and member of the Supreme Council of the Union (SCU).
The city grew rapidly in the early 21st century into a cosmopolitan metropolis with a focus on tourism and hospitality. The large-scale real estate development projects have led to the construction of some of the tallest skyscrapers and largest projects in the world such as the Emirates Towers, the Burj Khalifa, the Palm Islands and the most expensive hotel, the Burj Al Arab.
Dubai aims to be the business hub of Western Asia. It is also a major global transport hub for passengers and cargo.
Dubai is also a hub for service industries such as information technology and finance, with 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. Many boutiques and jewellery stores are also found in the city. Dubai is also referred to as "the City of Gold" as the Gold Souk in Deira houses nearly 250 gold retail shops.
Large shopping malls in the city, such as Deira City Centre, Mirdiff City Centre, BurJuman, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall(the world's largest) and Ibn Battuta Mall as well as traditional Dubai Gold Souk and other souks attract shoppers from the region.
Jebel Ali port, constructed in the 1970s, has the largest man-made harbour in the world and was ranked seventh globally for the volume of container traffic it supports. Dubai International Airport (IATA: DXB), the hub for Emirates, serves the city of Dubai and other emirates in the country. The Dubai Metro is a rapid transit rail network in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dubai is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations with the second most five-star hotels in the world and the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa.