Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is on the eastern side of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a coastal city, 70 miles across the Persian (or Arabian) Gulf from Iran. It borders on Saudi Arabia and Oman. It is the stunning creation of oil wealth since the discovery of crude in 1966.

In 1968, there were thirteen registered automobiles in Dubai. Today there are 1.13 million. In 1995, Dubai had 640,000 residents; now there are more than 2.3 million. At one point, during the building boom, the city had 30% of the world’s cranes in operation.

In 1990, there were no skyscrapers (more than 40 floors). Today there are over 450. The tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, is in Dubai (2,716.5 feet; compare the Sears Tower in Chicago, 1,451 feet).

Stunning and Safe

In the coastal waters of Dubai, there are two man-made neighborhoods dredged up into the shape of palm tree branches with homes and businesses being built in rows along each branch. Nearby there is a map of the world composed of man-made islands. They are for sale.

While Dubai’s economy was built on oil and natural gas, it now relies on tourism, trade, and real estate to keep the money flowing. There are spectacular (click)