About Dubai

City Guide

Government
Dubai is the second largest emirate and commercial capital of the United Arab Emirates. The capital of UAE is Abu Dhabi, the largest emirate; the other members of the federation in addition to Abu Dhabi and Dubai are Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.

Culture
Dubai is a very cosmopolitan city with more than 80% of the population from the expatriate community. The city is clean and virtually crime-free and has an easy-going atmosphere and reputation for hospitality. Dubai is a popular tourist destination and offers visitors and residents an excellent quality of life, ample leisure and entertainment options, access to a variety of water sports and excellent shopping bargains.

Infrastructure
Dubai's infrastructure is well developed and efficient. Its service sector major international banks, lawyers, accountants and other professionals. International ATM access is widely available.

Communications
Global links, including GSM mobile telephones and pagers and Internet, are world-class and inexpensive. Local and foreign television, radio newspapers, magazines and books are readily available. The official language is Arabic, but English is widely used, especially in business. Dubai is four hours ahead of GMT.

Currency
The monetary unit of the UAE is the Dirham (Dhs.), which is divided into 100 fils. The dirham is pegged to the US dollar at the rate of Dhs. 3.67 to $1.00.

Business Hours
Office hours vary but are generally from 8am to 6pm from Saturday to Thursday. Most government offices are open from 7:30am to 2:30pm from Saturday to Wednesday and are closed on Thursday. Banks are open from 8am to 1pm from Saturday to Thursday; some remain open later. Friday is the weekly holiday for all offices. Some companies also close on Thursday afternoons; others, notably in the service sector, work all day on Thursday but are closed on Saturday.

Airport
Dubai International Airport is served by some 70 airlines, which fly to more than 100 destinations around the world. Flights in and out of the city are frequent and travelling is easy.

Tax Free Shopping
The world famous Dubai Duty Free offers cheapest prices for cosmetics, electronics, tobacco and alcohol. Dubai Duty Free also offers departing, arriving & transiting passengers the chance to win luxury cars.

Transport
Hiring a car is recommended for getting around in Dubai. International driving licences are accepted by most car hire agencies. Metered taxis are abundant. Airport taxis and taxis standing at hotels charge a surcharge.

Accommodation
The options range from large villas to five-star beach hotels to small serviced flats. Standards are uniformly high.

Amenities
Dubai has many well-equipped public and private hospitals offering high quality healthcare. At public hospitals, emergency treatment is free; a health card, available at reasonable cost, is needed for non-urgent health care. Schooling from pre-kindergarten to college is available in a variety of institutions, with private schools catering to most of the expatriate communities.

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