United Arab Emirates has several islands that are sparsely populated and many others where public access is not allowed without permission. The Das Island in UAE is one such place where special permission is required for public access. In recent years, the place has developed into a large oil and natural gas reserves for which the Arab countries are famous.

The UAE islands are rich with the income generated by these oil and petroleum hubs. The government is taking various initiatives to explore oil reserves from Das Island. Extraction of oil and processing is done in the plants located far from the central island. Helicopters and private planes are the only way to get into the island. The closest place is Qatar and Abu Dhabi city. Abu Dhabi is the commercial junction of UAE. Oil barons and country representatives make oil supply deals from this place. Since, commoners are not allowed to visit the island, business executives are the only travelers to the island on permission.

Das Island is located on the Persian Gulf, 160 kms north to UAE mainland. The island stretches for around 0.75 miles and 100 miles offshore. The place was highlighted during 1956 when oil exploration began in this region. Abu Dhabi oil companies took the initiative of exporting oil from the limits of the Das Island to other European countries. On major extractions, there are around 12,000 oil barons and executive heads visiting the place.

Before development on oil extractions and related industries took up, the island was popular for the ecosystem and wildlife such as reptiles and birds. Even today, the southern end of the island has turtle habitats. This part of the island does not have oil spill threats for these species. Historical data also hints at ancient civilization that might have existed here. Historians recovered many broken pieces of Islamic pottery from the Das Island.

Dubai is situated on the Persian Gulf coast of the United Arab Emirates, directly within the Arabian Desert. The city has no natural river bodies or oases, but does have a natural inlet, Dubai Creek, which has been dredged to make it deep enough for large vessels to pass through. Dubai is an important tourist destination and its port, Jebel Ali, constructed in the 1970s, has the largest man-made harbor in the world. Dubai is increasingly developing as a hub for service industries such as technology and finance.

Of the seven Emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, Dubai has the largest population. Dubai’s population comprises mainly of expatriates, with UAE nationals constituting the minority. According to the UAE Ministry of Labor, more than one million residents of Dubai, or 83% of the population is foreign born. The majority of foreign nationals hail from India (51%), followed by Pakistan (16%). Dubai is home to some 100,000 Western Expats.

The official language of Dubuai is Arabic but English is widely spoken, especially in the business sector. Since most road and shop signs, restaurant menus, etc., are in both English and Arabic, one could live quite easily in this city without speaking Arabic. Persian, Malayalam, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, and Tagalog also widely spoken.

Dubai has a desert climate with temperatures ranging from 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter to 118 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. Rainfall is infrequent and UAE residents term the climate as “seven months in paradise and five more in an inferno.” The warm climate makes it acceptable to wear shorts and T-shirts however, as Dubai is a Muslim city, visitors should be aware of their attire: shoulders should be covered and women should avoid wearing tight-fitting clothing.

All visitors, except for nationals of the Arab Gulf Co-operation Council (AGCC), which includes visitors from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, will need to have a visa sponsored by a local entity such as a hotel or tour company. British citizens with the right of abode in the UK and expatriate residents of the AGCC of certain nationalities and professions may qualify for automatic 30 day visit visas on arrival, but regulations should be checked before traveling.

There are several items that should not be brought into the UAE including alcohol, pornography, ivory, drugs, walkie talkies, remote & cordless telephones, religious items (crosses, Buddhas, videos with biblical images), firearms, ammunition, draggers, knives, swords and spears.

The unit of currency is the UAE Dirham (Dh), and there are 100 fils in each Dirham. The Dirham is available in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 notes and in 25 fils, 50 fils. For every day purchases, such as groceries, cash and credit cards are commonly used. Automatic teller machines (ATMs) are available around the clock.

The most popular neighborhoods for expats are areas such as Jumeirah, Umm Sequim, Emirates Lakes, Emirates Hills, Mirdiff for villas and Bur Dubai & Sheikh Zayed for apartments. Each of these areas is prized for its proximity to good schools and shopping. Most expats tend to rent, as until recently they were not allowed to own property in the UAE. However, beginning in the Summer 2002, this started changing. Today, many expatriate subdivisions (including the Dubai Marina, The Greens, The Meadows, Arabian Ranches, the Palm Project, etc.) are available with the option to buy.

For Expats renting a home in Dubai, their rent is usually paid by check. To open a bank account, a passport and visa (or application) will be needed. A work contract or No Objection Letter from a sponsor and a document that can identify one as a local resident, such as a utility bill or driver’s license, may suffice. Non-residents are not able to open bank accounts.

Due to the high expatriate population, the educational system in Dubai is extremely diverse. English is the most common teaching language. The majority of the British curriculum schools have waiting lists and availability of other schools will vary depending on the time of the year the student will be enrolling. Local schools generally have three terms: Autumn, which runs from mid-September to mid-December; Spring, which runs from early January to early April; and Summer, which runs from mid-April through early July.

For university education, many expatriates tend to send their children back to their home country or to Western countries. Even though Dubai has plans to increase more accredited colleges, they continue to send 90% of all potential secondary school students to India for a stronger technological education. A sizable number of foreign accredited universities have been set up in the city over the last ten years. More and more ‘A’ level and International Baccalaurate education institutions are being establishing in the region.

Driving is the most popular mode of transport in Dubai, where people drive on the right hand side of the road. Valid license holders from certain countries will be able to “swap” their licenses for a Dubai one. These countries are: Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States.

Anyone holding a license from a country not listed above will have to take a local driving test. It is mandatory for front seat passengers to wear seatbelts in cars and it is illegal for children under the age of 10 to sit in the front seat. Taxis are plentiful and neighborhood buses are available but most people prefer to drive. If it’s convenient, the abra, a water taxi that crosses Dubai Creek, is another option. There are also buses that provide transportation to many destinations including outside Dubai and throughout the Emirates.

Stores in Dubai are generally open for longer hours than in other countries. Many are open from 10:00am to 10:00pm, with the exception of Fridays when they may be open from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Some of the smaller shops keep to the old tradition of closing for a siesta from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. Dubai has international food companies, white goods stores and pharmacies, all selling a wide variety of items at competitive prices. There are retail outlets to suit most shapes, sizes and budgets. There are also many local tailors who will make virtually anything at a reasonable cost.

For the children, Dubai is comparable to many large towns throughout Europe or North America with a wide range of activities tailored especially for the youngsters. Some of the more popular kid-friendly attractions in the area are softball parks, Wild Wadi Water Park, Dubai Zoo, Cyber Games Park, Children’s City, Wonderland Theme Park and Magic Planet. There are many activities available both during weekends and after school, ranging from sports to arts. One important thing to remember is that the hot sun of Dubai can be very dangerous for young children. It is essential that they drink plenty of water and use sun block.

The United Arab Emirates is a state made up of seven sheikdoms (or emirates) and used to be known as the Trucial States, or Trucial Oman, in reference to the treaties between the British and Oman which guaranteed their independence.

Each of the emirates is extremely different. Dubai, for example, is developing itself as the financial and trading hub of the entire Persian Gulf (perhaps even the Middle East), and Abu Dhabi is running fast to catch up. Sharjah, as a counter example, is doing very little, but investing its share of the oil and gas revenues. Conditions faced by tourists and travellers in each of the emirates can be very different, even though each of them is quite small.

United Arab Emirates Casinos

Currently, there are only three legal casinos in the country. While wealthy Arabs do have a reputation for gambling, this is normally something they prefer to do outside of their own home countries. This may change in coming years in Dubai, as it continues to develop as a tourist destination.

A list of United Arab Emirates Casinos includes:

Fujeirah: Sea Men Club

Umm al Quwai: Leisure Club

Umm al Quwain: Baracuda

It should be noted that some of the emirates are dry, that is no alcohol is allowed. Outside of the legal United Arab Emirates casinos, it may be possible to find a variety of gambling games, but with the exception of betting on camel racing, it is very strongly suggested that visitors do not partake, nor indeed, that they drink alcohol illegally.

In general, law in the Emirates is based on sharia law. This might be better known as the system that prescribes the death penalty for adultery, the chopping off of hands for theft and, what might be less well known, whipping for drinking alcohol.

A large number (in most of the emirates local Gulf Arabs make up 20% or less of the population) of guest workers are in each and every one of the various pieces of the Emirates. They create a series of almost ghettoes, with the Americans and Europeans making up one, the South Asians another, the Palestinians and Jordanians another, and so on. Within these groups, various forms of gambling may take place, as with drinking and other activities, but as a visitor, it is better to avoid such things unless you know your companions well.

If you are moving to Dubai for work you may be planning on renting a house or flat to live in during your stay there. One thing to keep in mind is that you will not be able to rent any properties unless you are the holder of a residential visa. If your company is moving you, they will have to sign the lease or rental promise instead. In the event that your employer signs the rental agreement, they will be the one who will pay the bill and then work out a plan with you. If you hold the residential visa, you can choose the house or flat you want to rent and you will be required to sign any subsequent paper work and will be responsible for the payment of all rents. In this case the employer will often keep your passport for the entire rent period, though this is different from company to company.

Another complicated thing, while renting an apartment in Dubai, is that almost all the owners require the whole payment in advance for one year. Because most people do not have this amount of money the renting process usually happens the following way. You will provide 4 cheques to the property owner that will be cashed by him every quarter. If he tries to cash the cheque and there is not enough money on your banking account you will have problems with both the bank and the property owner.

The best way to find property to lease is to go to a realtor who specialises in renting properties in Dubai. You will need to pay these specialists a percentage of the yearly lease, typically five percent, for them to place you in a flat. This can be well worth the cost as they will have photographs and demographic locations for you to choose from. If you know the area of Dubai you will be working at, a realtor can show you apartments in the same area as they are well versed in the city and the layout of the city. You will not need to do much leg work yourself if you allow a realtor to do this for you.

If you prefer to do most of the leg work when finding a flat or home to rent in Dubai, you can use the internet as a tool to aid you in finding apartments for rent in Dubai. If you search in your web browser for rental properties in Dubai, you will find results for forum boards and realtors that deal in Dubai rentals. Your best option in this instance is to go with the forums that specialise in out of country rentals. These are typically people who own properties that they are looking to lease and have posted them on the forum boards. You can post replies with any questions you may have regarding the property and then decide if the property is suited to you or not. This is a great tool and will typically save you realtor fees as the homes are owned by those who post them.

When renting an apartment you should also consider obvious things like location. The things to consider is distance from parks, the city and shopping centres, the beach and your job. I cannot provide exact advice in this matter because it depends on what is more important for you.

For example if you work in Media or Internet City it is not a good idea to have an apartment in Bur Dubai or Deirah because you will spend more than 4 hours per day only driving to your job and back. These precious hours can be very well spent on fine Dubai beaches with your family. Instead it is a better idea to rent an apartment in “the Gardens” or “the Greens” regions, which are both very close to Dubai Internet and Media city. At least you can look for apartments on the Jumeirah road it will be closer to both your work and beaches.

Dubai in the United Arab Emirates offers tourists a wealth of activities and things to see, and a five day vacation will provide you with enough time to see and experience the best of what the city has to offer. Below a look at some ideas to help you enjoy five days in Dubai.

1. See the City – Begin your trip by sightseeing; the best way to go around the city is by taking a boat ride down the Dubai Creek as many of Dubai’s most prominent areas can be seen from the river. Travelers can also make a trip to the Dubai Zoo, which houses a wide variety of animal life and then go on to see the museums in the region.

2. Plan a trip to the desert – A trip to Dubai would not be complete without a visit to the desert. Tourists can opt to go on a desert safari or take a hot air balloon ride. A desert safari on an all terrain vehicle is one of the best ways to see the desert up close, while a hot air balloon ride offers a different view of things from above. Travelers can end the day with an unforgettable desert dining experience at one of the numerous desert restaurants in the city.

3. Enjoy Golf or Skiing – Despite being a desert city, Dubai is home to some of the best championship golf courses in the Middle East and the city spends millions of dollars in maintaining these lush green courses. Dubai also has a large indoor skiing complex that can be found in the Mall of the Emirates. This city prides itself on its sports facilities and most golf and ski related venues in the city are of a very high standard.

4. A day at the beach – Dubai is home to scenic white sand beaches with warm pristine waters. The region boasts many establishments that offer short cruises and wreck diving. Dubai also has a number of notable coral reefs, which make for excellent snorkeling.

5. Go Shopping – A trip to Dubai will not be complete without a visit to the city’s famous shopping centers and malls. You can also visit Dubai’s famous gold souk and walk through streets lined with shops selling gold. The city overall is excellent for shopping and prices range from very cheap through to the incredibly expensive.