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Getting to know Dubai
Dubai, a jewel in the Arabian Desert, has in recent past etched a place for itself on the world map. Dubai, the second largest emirate in the UAE is the most populous.
It is located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Penensula and as a cathedral of consumerism, Dubai has its major revenue sources in the massive shopping malls, the haunting beauty of hotels, the ethereally alluring real estate with an option of ‘freehold’ and a staggering rate of tourism. It boasts of a host of chart breakers like the tallest, biggest, oldest etc.
Dubai also owes its charm to the demography – it revels in blending the polarized extremes of traditionalism & modernity. It has generally torrid summers & cold winters. It is also home to over 40 universities / Institutes which offer higher education. Dubai has over the year become a hub for education, entertainment and technologies and is now reckoned with the ‘FIRSTS’ in the world
Climate
Dubai has a hot arid climate. Summers in Dubai are extremely hot, with an average high around 40 °C and overnight lows around 30 °C. Sunny days can be expected throughout the year. Winters are warm and short with an average high of 23 °C and overnight lows of 14 °C.
| Weather data for Dubai | ||||||||||||
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Average high °C (°F) | 24.0 (75) | 25.4 (78) | 28.2 (83) | 32.9 (91) | 37.6 (100) | 39.5 (103) | 40.8 (105) | 41.3 (106) | 38.9 (102) | 35.4 (96) | 30.5 (87) | 26.2 (79) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 14.3 (58) | 15.4 (60) | 17.6 (64) | 20.8 (69) | 24.6 (76) | 27.2 (81) | 29.9 (86) | 30.2 (86) | 27.5 (82) | 23.9 (75) | 19.9 (68) | 16.3 (61) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 15.6 (0.61) | 25.0 (0.98) | 21.0 (0.83) | 7.0 (0.28) | 0.4 (0.02) | 0.0 (0) | 0.8 (0.03) | 0.0 (0) | 0.0 (0) | 1.2 (0.05) | 2.7 (0.11) | 14.9 (0.59) |
| Source: Dubai Meteorological Office 2008 | ||||||||||||
Culture:
Dubai has a diverse and multicultural society. The city's cultural imprint as a small, ethnically homogenous pearling community was changed with the arrival of other ethnic groups and nationals — first by the Iranians in the early 1900s, and later by Indians and Pakistanis in the 1960s. Major holidays in Dubai include Eid al Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and National Day (2 December), which marks the formation of the United Arab Emirates. Annual entertainment events such as the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) and Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) attract over 4 million visitors from across the region.
