35 facts about the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is an amazing country located in the middle of the desert, which has everything and even a little more! Such results were achieved thanks to labor, reasonable management and a certain amount of luck: in the middle of the last century, large oil fields were discovered in the country. There are plenty of interesting facts about the UAE, and here are just a few of them:
1. A national holiday in the UAE is celebrated on December 2 each year and marks the unification of the emirates into a federation. At the moment, the UAE includes 7 emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras al-Khaimah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain and Fujairah. Each emirate has its own culture and traditions.
2. Falcon - the national symbol of the UAE. Falconry is the heart of Emirati culture and a very popular pastime in the country. The falcon is also featured on the coat of arms of the emirates. This bird in the UAE is so special that they even make special passports for falcons.
3. The UAE is a Muslim country, women here make up about 70 percent of all university graduates and hold about two-thirds of government positions. In the UAE, women can also become muftis - Sunni Muslim scholars who interpret Islamic law.
4. Masdar City in Abu Dhabi is the world's first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city. The main sources of energy here are solar and wind power, and electricity is generated by photovoltaic panels.
5. More than 200 nationalities live in the UAE, and although the official language is Arabic, many languages are widely spoken: English, Farsi, Hindi, Urdu, Nepali, Mandarin, Russian, Sinhalese, etc.
6. The UAE is the largest customer for Boeing's commercial passenger aircraft. In particular, Emirates Airlines, the world's largest operator of 777 aircraft, operates all types of Boeing models.
7. Sir Bani Yas, a natural island located off the coast of the Western Region of the UAE, was originally home to the largest wildlife sanctuary in Arabia and boasts archaeological finds of the oldest pre-Islamic Christian monument in the UAE.
8. Before oil fields were found in the UAE in the 1970s, pearl mining and fishing were the most important industries and the main source of income for people in the UAE. It is the tradition of pearl fishing that has helped the UAE get onto the map of the world through international trade with Southeast Asia, East Africa, Great Britain and brought the UAE wealth and recognition.
9. Ski Dubai is the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East. Its area is 22,500 square meters, and all this space is covered with real snow!
10. The form of government in the UAE is a monarchy with an elected president. Each emirate of the UAE is ruled by a separate royal family, but the Emir of Abu Dhabi is the country's president and head of state, and the Emir of Dubai is the country's prime minister.
11. There are no permanent rivers in the UAE.
12. The Arabian Oryx, a medium-sized antelope, is the country's national animal.
13. The UAE created the world's first ministry of artificial intelligence. On October 20, 2017, 27-year-old Omar Sultan Al Olama became the first minister for artificial intelligence in the world and the UAE.
14. Dubai has the world's longest metro system with unmanned trains, with a length of more than 28 kilometers.
15. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The height of this skyscraper is 828 meters.
16. Ajman is the smallest emirate in the UAE. It covers an area of about 260 square kilometers, but there are many beautiful beaches and museums.
17. Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, is the largest emirate and accounts for about 87% of the total area of the UAE.
18. Umm al-Quwain is the least populated of the seven emirates. Here you can ride the winding water slides at Dreamland Water Park, the largest water park in the UAE.
19. Fujairah, the fifth largest and only predominantly mountainous emirate. It also houses the oldest mosque in the UAE, built in 1446. Fujairah is the only emirate of the seven with a coastline that runs exclusively along the Gulf of Oman. It is home to the famous Hajar mountain range (known as the Oman Mountains) and many forts.
20. Ras al-Khaimah, located in the northernmost part of the UAE, is the most fertile emirate and receives the most rainfall.
21. Amazing world records are set in the UAE every year. Whether it's "tallest", "biggest", "best", "one of a kind" - the UAE is full of that! To date, 190 world records have been set in the UAE! And Dubai even has its own Guinness Book of Records office.
22. Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport is the largest in the world. This is nothing more than a shopping mall, which has a 5-star hotel - Dubai International Hotel, many shops, a swimming pool, gym, sleep capsules, jacuzzi and two zen gardens!
23. The Capital Gate in Abu Dhabi is the most inclined building in the world. It is 35 stories high and has a slope of 18 degrees, which is 14 degrees more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
24. Burj Al Arab is the first 7-star hotel and is considered one of the most luxurious in the world. The hotel's interiors are adorned with 24-karat gold leaf, covering an area of approximately 1,790 square meters. The funny thing is that there is even a "Pillow Menu", which offers guests nine types of pillows to choose from.
25. Dubai Mall is one of the largest shopping centers in the world! It covers an area of 12 million square meters. There are over 1200 shops, 26 cinemas and over 120 cafes and restaurants.
26. IMG Worlds of Adventure, located in Dubai, is the world's largest indoor themed entertainment destination. It is located on a huge area of 1.5 million square meters and can receive over 20,000 guests a day. The park features 17 themed rides featuring popular Cartoon Network characters, Marvel superheroes, and animated dinosaurs.
27. Miracle Garden in Dubai - the largest flower garden in the world. It covers an area of 72,000 square meters and is decorated with numerous flower sculptures and flower beds. More than 50 million flowers and 250 million plants can be found here.
28. Ferrari World, located in the UAE, is the world's first theme park under the Ferrari brand. It is also home to the world's fastest roller coaster Formula Rosso, which can accelerate to a staggering 239 kilometers per hour in about 4 seconds!
29. The 10 Million Liter Dubai Aquarium is the largest hanging aquarium in the world. It is located on the ground floor of the Dubai Mall. Here is the largest collection of sand tiger sharks in the world. The aquarium is home to over 33,000 aquatic animals.
30. Dubai boasts the world's largest picture frame. The Dubai Frame, 305 meters high, rises above the city and is a famous tourist destination.
31. In the Dubai Mall, you can see the fossil of a diplodocus dinosaur named Long, known as the "Dubai Dinosaur". Its age is 155 million years. This is one of the few fossils in the world where almost all bones are preserved in their original form.
32. To commemorate the 43rd National Day of the UAE, a copy of the Burj Khalifa was made from Belgian chocolate. The sculpture is 13.52 meters high and is the tallest chocolate structure in the world.
33. There are four artificial islands in Dubai - Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali, Deira Island and Mir. Palm Jumeirah is one of the largest man-made islands in the world. This island is designed in the form of a palm tree with spreading leaves and branches and looks more like a mini-city. There are many hotels, houses on the Palm Jumeirah, and there is even a monorail.
34. The working week in the UAE starts on Sunday: children go to school and people go to work. In this country, the weekend is Friday and Saturday, and many countries in the Middle East follow this schedule because Friday in Islam is an important religious day for afternoon prayers.
35. Camel racing is the favorite sport in the UAE. The country even has 15 fully equipped camel tracks. And camels in the UAE have their own beauty pageant! The Al Dhafra Camel Festival is held every December in Abu Dhabi.
36. Four kilometers from the coastline of Dubai is the artificial Mir archipelago, consisting of many small islands, which in general shape resemble the continents of the Earth. Here any investor can buy his own island - any part of the planet ”, starting with“ England ”and“ France ”and ending with any“ state of America ”.
37. Abu Dhabi is known as one of the safest cities in the world and boasts virtually zero crime rates.
38. Until 2015, Dubai had no address system, postal codes and city codes. In order to deliver a package anywhere, very detailed instructions had to be drawn up. However, in 2015, all buildings were assigned a unique 10-digit code called Makani numbers, so that the process of finding the right address does not turn into a whole quest.
39. The Dubai Police Force is far more chic than any other police force in the world. Here at the disposal of the police - supercars Bugatti, Ferrari, Bentley, Lamborghini, Camaro, Mercedes and many others. The fastest Veyron car can accelerate to 407 kilometers per hour! These luxury vehicles are used to patrol cultural heritage sites and tourist areas.
40. In the UAE, camel milk is used to make cookies and chocolate. Camel milk is believed to contain ten times more iron and three times more vitamin C than cow's milk. In addition, it is better absorbed and has a lower cholesterol content than cow's.
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