60 Amazing and Interesting Facts about UAE (Part I) | Amazing Facts 4U
Land & Geography
- The area of UAE. is 83,600 Sq. km.
- UAE is bordered to the North by the Arabian Gulf, to the East by the Gulf of Oman and Sultanate of Oman, to the South by Saudi Arabia and Sultanate of Oman, and to the West by Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
- The UAE’s capital, Abu Dhabi, is the largest Emirate. It takes up 87% of the UAE’s total area. Ajman, the smallest Emirate, accounts for less than 1%, covering only 259 km!
- Dubai is approximately 52 feet above sea level and covers an area of 1,588 sq. miles.
- About 88 sq. miles of Dubai are the result of land reclaimed from the sea.
- Located on the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf with a population of about 2.4 million, Dubai is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
- The Emiratis or the locals are outnumbered 11 to 1 by the expatriates, who make up a whopping 91% of the population.
- The other 85 percent of residents are mostly Asians comprising of Indians (51%), Pakistanis (16%), Bangladeshis (9%), and Filipinos (3%.).
- Dubai has no natural rivers; however, Dubai does have a natural inlet, Dubai Creek, which has been dredged to make it deep enough for large vessels. Dubai Creek runs northeast-southwest through the city.
- As a desert climate, most days in Dubai are sunny year-round. During January, the coldest month, daytime high temperatures average 75 °F while overnight low temperatures average 57 °F. Summers in Dubai are extremely hot, windy, and humid, with high temperatures averaging 106 °F and overnight lows around 86 °F in August.
- Rainfall averages just 3.75 inches per year.
- There is minimal risk of earthquakes or tsunamis as the region is located in a stable zone and the Persian Gulf waters are not deep enough to trigger a tsunami.
Flora & Fauna
- The UAE is home to the most date palm trees anywhere on the planet numbering 42 million.
- The world’s largest flower garden in Dubai called the Dubai Miracle Garden has 45 million flowers grown with drip irrigation. The 72,000-square-meter colorful garden has flowers fashioned into the shapes of hearts, stars, igloos, pyramids, flower-decked vintage cars, arc-shaped walkways, and so on, which will change each season.
- Cheetahs, hyenas, Arabian oryx, and thousands of other animals are found on Sir Bani Yas Island, once a royal hunting preserve.
History
- The Persian Gulf used to be known as the Pirate Coast. Until 1853, tribes would raid trade ships from India. Nowadays, the same families that ruled those tribes now rule the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar.
- Oil discovery was made in 1963 paving the way for tremendous progress.
Places / Architecture
- Amazingly in 1991, Dubai had just one tall building and it was at the edge of the desert. Now Dubai has over 400 high rises!
- Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world with 164 floors rising to a height of 2,722 feet. It was initially supposed to be named Burj Dubai. Sheikh Khalifa of Abu Dhabi saved Dubai from massive debt by loaning them tons of money, hence, the change of name. It took 6 years to complete and opened in January 2010.
- The Burj Khalifa can apparently be seen from around 95 km away.
- Visitors to Burj Khalifa can pay to visit one of two outdoor observation decks on the 124th floor at 1,483 ft., making it the highest outdoor observation deck in the world when it opened.
- After Cloud Top 488 opened a deck at 1,601 ft on the Canton Tower in China, Burj Khalifa opened the 148th floor Sky level at 1,821 ft., once again reclaiming the title. It costs approximately $136 U.S. dollars.
- 39% percent of Burj Al Arab is “wasted space” because and uninhabitable because they concentrated on the architectural vanity sizing and not on utility value.
- Dubai Fountain is the largest dancing fountain in the world. It is illuminated by 6,600 lights and 25 color projectors that create a visual spectrum of over 1,000 abstract attractions. This amazing 275 meters-long (900 ft.) fountain can spray 83,000 liters of water and shoots water jets as high as 152 m (500 ft.) into the air.
- Amazingly the Emirates Palace Hotel is home to the first bank machine in the UAE and the world distributing gold bars. Since May 2010, the machine has been issuing the precious metal on average 150 times daily.
- The Palm Islands are the largest artificial islands in the world and one of the most ambitious developments on earth. These amazing man-made islands are considered the eighth wonder of the world.
- The Empire State Building has a volume of 37 million cubic meters whereas the construction of Dubai’s artificial Palm Islands made use of 94 million cubic meters of sand.
- The Palm Jumeirah is the world’s largest artificial island. It adds 520 km of shoreline to the UAE. It has the region’s only monorail as well.
- Dubai Marina is the largest man-made marina in the world. It is an artificial canal city, where the waters of the Persian Gulf were brought into the 3 km site. Its waterfront provides shelter for hundreds of yachts and also includes a 7 km long pedestrian walkway, with a string of outdoor cafés, bars, and restaurants.
- 7 of the 10 world’s tallest hotels are located in Dubai. The third tallest but most iconic is the Burg Al Arab, a luxury hotel designed to mimic the sail of a ship. It’s a 7-star Hotel. Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 920 ft. from Jumeirah beach, connected to the city by a private curving bridge
- A stunning 1,790 square meter of 24-carat gold leaf covers the interior of the Burj Al Arab.
- The Dubai Mall is the largest shopping center in the world with over 1,200 stores and many international brands. It has 3.9 million square feet of retail space.
- Located at the center of the enormous Dubai Mall, Dubai Aquarium is the largest suspended aquarium in the world. This wonder provides unique views of 33,000 submarine animals behind the world’s largest acrylic viewing panel and the 48-meter long aquarium walk-through tunnel.
- Dubai is home to the Gold Souk that houses more than 300 retail shops dedicated to gold. It is estimated that the souk contains 10 tons of gold at any given time and it trades 40 % of the world’s physical gold.
- Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, has four 350-foot (107-meter) minarets, 82 white marble domes, and possibly the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet. The mosque and its courtyard are large enough to accommodate more than 40,000 worshippers.
- The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque also contains the world’s largest chandelier that is 15 meters high, 10 meters in diameter, and weighs more than 9 tons.
- The $3-billion Emirates Palace hotel, a kilometer (0.6 miles) from end to end, sprawls on a white beach 4,265 feet (1.3 kilometers) long and features 114 domes, the tallest climbing 238 feet (72.5 meters) and has over a thousand Swarovski crystal chandeliers.
- The huge indoor theme park Ferrari World Abu Dhabi sits under a roof designed in the style of a classic Ferrari GT double-curved body shell. There are more than 20 rides and attractions including the world’s fastest roller coaster.
- The above-ground metro station opened in Dubai in 2009. It consists of 42 stations and was built amazingly in just 18 months.
- The Dubai Metro system is the longest automated network in the world with a 75 km network having 87 automated trains without drivers. The trains are maintained at 20 degrees Celsius for passengers and are carbon neutral in operation.
- Amazingly the Dubai Metro opened on the 9th day of the 9th month of 2009 at 9 pm. It became the first train service to open in the region.
- Infinity Tower is the world’s tallest high-rise building with a twist of 90˚. The unique, almost completed, skyscraper spirals by an amazing 90 degrees from its base to its crown, 305 meters (1,000 feet) above the ground. The 80-story high residential tower has dynamic waterfront views.
- With its striking wave-like design, the five-star Jumeirah Beach Hotel is one of the architectural wonders that graces Dubai’s skyline. Standing 93 meters high and 275 meters long, the 26-story building is curved both in plan and on elevation.
- The extravagant Atlantis Palm Hotel houses two underwater suites that provide views from floor-to-ceiling windows into a lagoon filled with 65,000 marine creatures, including sharks. With more than 1,500 guest rooms, the complex also features a 1.4 km pristine white beach.
- Ski Dubai is a 22,500-square-meter indoor ski resort that offers the incredible opportunity to enjoy real snow in the desert all year round. Located inside the Mall of the Emirates, it features an 85-meter-high indoor mountain with 5 runs that vary in difficulty, height, and gradient, including a 400-meter-long run with a fall of over 60 meters.
- The luxurious JW Marriott Marquis Dubai Hotel is the tallest hotel in the world. The 72-storey, 355 meters (1,165 ft.) skyscraper complex spreads across two iconic towers.
- Dubai holds the record for having the tallest residential building in the world. The Princess Tower, rises to 414 meters, surpassing the nearby Torch building as the tallest.
- The World or World Islands is a collection of 300 manmade islands constructed in the shape of a world map, situated 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) off the coast of Dubai. The entire development is an area that covers 6 by 9 kilometers and is surrounded by an oval-shaped breakwater island.
- The Louvre Museum is the first universal museum in the Arab world showing art and pieces spanning all time periods and all cultures. The 24,000 square meter complex features some 300 pieces of art and other exhibitions from the French museum.
- Masdar City under construction will be home to 60,000 people living and working in the greenest place on earth as more than 80% of the water will be recycled, with its power needs coming from renewable sources. Private vehicles are banned in the city. Instead, transportation is provided through electric cars, clean-energy vehicles, and personal rapid transit pod cars.
- Since November 2008, the luxury liner Queen Elizabeth 2, one of the largest in the world is docked at Port Rashid earmarked as a luxury floating hotel and apartments with a permanent home soon on the Palm Jumeirah.
- Capital Gate tower in Abu Dhabi is 160 meters high but is recognized as the building with the greatest lean. Its tilt is four times greater than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The 35-story building forms the centerpiece for the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition.
- If you want to enjoy heights go dune bashing taking on the Tel Moreeb dune near Liwa on the edge of Rub Al Khali. It has a 50-degree incline and has a height of over 300 meters and it is 1600 meters wide.
- Dubai land will be twice the size of Disneyworld in Florida and is expected to be the largest tourist destination by 2020.
Sports
- Football and cricket are the most popular sports in Dubai. UAE managed to reach the finals of the 1990 football World Cup in Italy.
- The Sharjah Cricket Grounds holds the record for hosting the most ODI tests.
- The Dubai World Cup meeting is the richest night of horse racing anywhere on the planet with prize money of about $27 million.
- Abu Dhabi United Group purchased Manchester City Football Club in 2008.
- The DP World Tour Championship is organized for 60 of the best golfers on the planet for the biggest prize money on the European Tour. It’s held annually at the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates. The maintenance requires amazing 4 million gallons of water a day.
- Meydan Racecourse is home to the longest grandstand in the world which opened in March 2009 and is home to the Dubai World Cup. It is overlooked by a building that is 1.6 km long.
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