Geography

Visitors to Dubai are often amazed at the contrasts, finding a Country with endless stretches of desert, rugged mountains and modern towns. The City of Dubai itself is situated on the banks of a natural inlet from the Arabian Gulf, the Dubai Creek, that divides the City neatly into two. Dubai is one of the seven Emirates that joined together in 1971 to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The other members are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain. Each Emirate is named after its main City.

Dubai is situated on the UAE’s west coast in the south western part of the Arabian Gulf. It lies at a longitude of 55 degrees east and latitude of 25 degrees north, covering an area of 3,885 square kilometres. Except for a tiny enclave in the Hajar Mountains in Hatta, the Emirates is one single block of territory. Most of the land is sparsely populated and most people live in the City. Dubai Creek divides the City into two main parts - Deira and Bur Dubai. The Emirate of Sharjah lies to the north of Dubai and Abu Dhabi lies to the immediate south.