1. Dubai was known for its pearl industry until the discovery of oil in the 1960′s.
2.In the 1820s, Dubai was referred to as Al Wasl by British historians.
3. English is spoken widely, even if the official national language is Arabic because of #4.
4. Only 20% of the population are locals, the rest of the population are foreigners (expatriates) from more than 200 different countries.
5. The man-woman ratio is 3:1.
6. There is no direct tax (no income taxes).
7. It is not hot the whole year! We actually have 7-8 months of great weather that’s not too hot and never too cold.
8. Dubai’s economy is largely based on tourism, not oil which makes up of only less than 6% of Dubai’s GDP.
9. On 2 December 1971 Dubai, together with Abu Dhabi and five other emirates, formed the United Arab Emirates
10. Religions aside from Islam are freely practiced. There is a Catholic church and churches of other Christian denominations as well
11. No matter in which part of Dubai you are in, you will hear calls to prayer at least five times a day. Even in shopping malls, the calls to prayer are put out over the speakers, to remind Muslims that it is time to pray.
12. Dubai has the largest population of all the United Arab Emirates.
13. Dubai is NOT a country! – It is one of the seven emirates of the UAE. So abroad, there’s no such establishment as “Dubai Embassy” and Dubai doesn’t have a capital. (I have been asked about this so many times)
Grace (17)
Kayla @ TheEclecticElement (10)
Krista (3)
Maribeth (3)
neph (3)
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
Very, VERY interesting. I especially thought #11 was quite intriguing.
My 13 is posted. Either use the link provided at the top of my Thursday blog or scroll down to the bottom of the entry. It’s English for Dummies!…..fun. Have a great day.
I found hearing the call to prayer weird before but one gets used to it after a while. I will go visit your TT now.
Hootin’ Annis last blog post..
Dubai sounds so interesting. I wish I could visit you. Happy TT!
It IS interesting, you should come visit and please let me know when you do!
Brenda NDs last blog post..Brenda’s Spring Blooms
Number 13 – never knew that!
Really? Well, I didn’t know anything about Dubai too until I visited for the first time in 2006. So many of my friends thought it’s a country.
JanMary, N Irelands last blog post..Lessons Learned – glasses, supermarkets and church family
Your posts are really relevant to me ! Its teaching me alot as I am trying to start a blog now myself! Please do continue posting!
Nicholass last blog post..Quotes of Happiness
Very cool! I definitely did not know a lot of those things – especially about the pearl industry!
I didn’t know too until I went to the Dubai museum!
Annes last blog post..Stop and smell the roses…
I never knew #1 and #8 – very interesting ; )
Mine’s up at http://jengspeaks.blogspot.com/2009/05/thursday-thirteen-quotes-on-kindness.html
Well that was VERY interesting and since having “met” you, I’ve added Dubai to my list of dreams.
I find it so interesting that there are prayer calls when in the US, that would be considered politically incorrect. Everything is politically incorrect.
Even Christmas trees are politically incorrect, right? Sounds a little bit strange to me! If it’s prayer (Islamic)time, we foreigners respect it as they respect us here also – which makes the UAE very peaceful compared to other places in the UAE or other countries in the world for that matter where there are clashes because of religion.
mannequins last blog post..This little skirt
Wow I didn’t know any of those, thanks! Very interesting!
Callistas last blog post..Winning Techniques Camp – Scholarships Available
Reading that makes me wanna visit Dubai
Happy TT!
Thanks for dropping by!
Rimss last blog post..TT # 22
i wonder if there might be a call to prayer at the airport too…or maybe i was just imagining it when i was there:-)
Even in the airport, yes.
and oh, i’m really happy to run into harry potter fans in the blogosphere. nice to meet you
Hazels last blog post..Thursday Thirteen: Harry Potter 6 Quotes
Wow, I didn’t know any of these. Interesting facts. Thanks for sharing.
Sues last blog post..Thursday Thirteen #25 "Pageant Moms"
Interesting and informative post!
Heathers last blog post..Thursday Thirteen 107: Recently Viewed Movies
wow! I never would have known these things. Makes it look like a pretty interesting place.
Happy Thursday!
Krissys last blog post..Thursday 13 – edition 7
Brilliant Work!
i will kepp in mind when i was in dubai
Everything I know about Dubai I learned from you.
That’s great to know!
Alice Audreys last blog post..T13: 13 Telephone Poles
And I’m still lost.
I need to do some serious Geography/History study!
Is the pearl industry still active?
Babas last blog post..Perfect Way To Childproof Drawers!
I knew that it was part of the UAE, but I didn’t quite know what that meant, thanks for the tips! So is there a central government somewhere?
The central govt is in the capital, in Abu Dhabi, but each of the Emirate has their own rules and form of governance.
Kristas last blog post..Book: Beloved Counterfeit
Hi Grace…thanks for the visit! Great things to know about Dubai. Maybe I can persuade MrG (the hubby!) to visit Dubai in the future!
That’s great…just don’t come in the summer months! I’d love to visit or heck, LIVE in New Zealand if given the choice!
mrsgoodings last blog post..Bad News come in Threes?
I never tire of learning about Dubai. Thank you Grace!
That’s great to know!
Jennifers last blog post..What I Learned This Week
Very interesting. I heard completely different things, i.e. 40° C the whole year and women without no rights. But a paradise for stars !
OMG, I wouldn’t be here if it was 40C the whole year!! LOL! During the months of Nov-March, the average daytime temp is about 25C! Night time lows on winter dips to as low as 15C! Women with no rights? I think that Saudi Arabia, not the UAE.
Grace you continue to make me wish I could come visit.
This was very interesting.
Jinxys last blog post..20 weeks old
Thanks so much for sharing. It was so neat to read about all the things I didn’t know, which was pretty much everything listed here!
Monicas last blog post..“Do You Have a Good Baby?”
Wow! I didn’t know any of that! I love your blog and your photographs. I live in the Southern US, so we don’t have anything around here like your photos! They are fantastic!
Neat! Everything I know about Dubai I learned from you too! I was impressed with #10. I had my preconceived notions too…
I’m surprised about the gender ratio. Is this because there’s so many male foreigners immigrating or because many females are leaving?
DTs Flash Drive Blogs last blog post..Writer Blocks
This was really interesting. I love learning new things!
Neas Nuttinesss last blog post..
Oooo! Thanks for the Dubai info. I’ve often wondered what it was like over there after seeing a special on the hotel that looks like a sail.
Well thank you for that. Those were 13 things I did not know about Dubai. 12 things I never even thought about and as for #7, I thought it would be hot all the time. Good post!
You’re welcome. I didn’t expect that post to get lots of comments. I wrote that in like, 10 minutes since I ran out idea and time for Thursday Thirteen!
No, it isn’t hot here all the time. On the months of November to March/early April, we have great weather, blue skies and the max temp do not exceed 28C. Perfect, really!
Anuans last blog post..Swine Flu Still an Issue
Most informative T-13. I love learning new things ;–)
Hugs and blessings,
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