Emirate of Dubai

Coordinates: 23°30′N 54°30′E / 23.5°N 54.5°E / 23.5; 54.5
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This article is about the emirate. For the city, see Dubai. For other uses, see Dubai (disambiguation).

Emirate of Dubai
دبيّ
ʾImārat Dubayy
Emirate
Flag of Emirate of Dubai
Flag
Coat of arms of Emirate of Dubai
Coat of arms
Coordinates: 23°30′N 54°30′E / 23.5°N 54.5°E / 23.5; 54.5
Country United Arab Emirates
Independence from the UK2 December 1971
SeatDubai
Subdivisions
9 Municipalities
Government
 • TypeIslamic absolute monarchy[1][2] within a federation
 • RulerMohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
 • Crown PrinceHamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum
Area
 • Total4,114 km2 (1,588 sq mi)
 • Rank2nd[3]
Population
 (2021)
 • Total3,478,300
 • Rank1st
 • Density1,015/km2 (2,630/sq mi)
DemonymDubaian
GDP
[4]
 • TotalUS$ 138.1 billion (2023)
 • Per capitaUS$ 44,600 (2023)
Time zoneUTC+4 (UAE standard time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+4
ISO 3166 codeAE-DU
ReligionIslam (the official state religion of the UAE)

The Emirate of Dubai (Arabic: إمارة دبيّ, romanized: ʾImārat Dubayy) is one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates.[5] It is the most populous emirate of the UAE. The capital of the emirate is the eponymous city, Dubai.

Geography[edit]

The city of Dubai is located on the coast of the Persian Gulf, while the Emirate stretches inland and is bordered to the south by the emirate of Abu Dhabi, to the northeast by the emirate of Sharjah, to the southeast by the country of Oman, to the east by the emirate of Ajman, and to the north by the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.

Municipalities[edit]

The 4 municipalities of Dubai are:

History[edit]

Dubai by Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite in false-colour in 2024

In the early 19th century, the coastal township of Dubai was located within the territorial lands of the Bani Yas tribe, however Dubai was also on the borderlands near the control of the powerful Al Qasimi clan. This caused both groups to assert authority over the town.[6]: 13 

In the 19th century, pearls were the main commodity of the region, with buyers from Mumbai, commerce peaked in 1897.[6]: 26 

In 1901, Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum established Dubai as a free port with no taxation on imports or exports and also gave merchants parcels of land and guarantees of protection and tolerance. These policies saw a movement of merchants not only directly from Lingeh,[7] but also those who had settled in Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah (which had historical links with Lingeh through the Al Qawasim tribe) to Dubai. An indicator of the growing importance of Dubai can be gained from the movements of the steamer of the Bombay and Persia Steam Navigation Company, which from 1899 to 1901 paid five visits annually to Dubai. In 1902, the company's vessels made 21 visits to Dubai and from 1904 on,[8] the steamers called fortnightly – in 1906, trading 70,000 tonnes of cargo.[9] The frequency of these vessels helped to accelerate Dubai's role as an emerging port and trading hub of preference. British historian John Lorimer noted the transfer of merchants from Lingeh "bids fair to become complete and permanent",[7] and also that the town had by 1906 supplanted Lingeh as the chief entrepôt of the Trucial States. By 1908, Dubai was home to a population of some 10,000 people.[6]: 21–23 

By the 1930s and 1940s, the pearl business crashed due to cultured pearls from Japan. The economy crashed which triggered a famine.[6]: 28  Hopes were reignited when in 1937 an oil exploration contract was signed which guaranteed royalty rights for Dubai and concessionary payments to Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum. However, due to World War II, oil would not be struck until 1966 at the Fateh oil field.[6]: 36–37 

In December 1971, the emirates united to form the United Arab Emirates, thus ending their status as British Protectorates.[10][11]

The ruler of the emirate is Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.[12] The emirate is made up of various other municipalities and villages. The inland exclave of Hatta is located about 134 km east of the city of Dubai. The exclave is bordered by Oman to the east and south, the villages of Sayh Mudayrah and Masfout in Ajman to the west, and Ras Al Khaimah to the north.

Rulers[edit]

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1953 50,000—    
1968 59,000+1.11%
1980 276,301+13.73%
1985 370,788+6.06%
1995 689,420+6.40%
2005 1,321,453+6.72%
2010 1,837,610+6.82%
2017 2,836,062+6.40%
Source: Citypopulation[19]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Political System of the UAE". Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  2. ^ "Entrenched Monarchy Thwarts Aspirations for Modernity". The New York Times. 22 January 2010. Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  3. ^ About Dubai Archived July 12, 2019, at the Wayback Machine page of the Government of Dubai website (www.dubai.ae). Retrieved 2019-07-12.
  4. ^ "TelluBase—UAE Fact Sheet (Tellusant Public Service Series)" (PDF). Tellusant. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  5. ^ "The Seven Emirates of the UAE". WorldAtlas. 5 November 2018. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e Krane, Jim (2010). Dubai: The Story of the World's Fastest City. London, England: Atlantic. ISBN 978-1-84887-009-3.
  7. ^ a b Lorimer, John (1915). Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. British Government, Bombay. p. 2236.
  8. ^ Lorimer, John (1915). Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. British Government, Bombay. p. 743.
  9. ^ Wilson, Graeme (1999). Father of Dubai. Media Prima. p. 34.
  10. ^ ""History of the UAE - UAE Government Website"". Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority - Government of the UAE. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  11. ^ ""A Guide to the United States' History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations, by Country, since 1776: The United Arab Emirates"". Office of the Historian - Government of the United States. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  12. ^ "Dubai Ruler - The GDMO - Dubai Government Media Office". mediaoffice.ae. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d e Wilson, Graeme (1999). Father of Dubai. Media Prima. p. 23.
  14. ^ a b "Ruling Family in Dubai". His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  15. ^ Lorimer, John (1915). Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. British Government, Bombay. p. 775.
  16. ^ "The late Vice President Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum". UAE Cabinet. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  17. ^ "The Formation of the Federation". National Library and Archives of the UAE. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  18. ^ a b Pranay Gupte (January 2011). Dubai: The Making of a Megapolis. ISBN 9788184755046. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  19. ^ "UAE: Emirates". www.citypopulation.de. Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.

External links[edit]

  • Dubai travel guide from Wikivoyage
  • Dubai.ae – Dubai Government official website
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