Dubai is the largest and capital city in the United Arab Emirates. Dubai is located in the northwestern part of the country, along the Persian Golf. Dubai covers a total area of 1,588.4 square miles (4,114 square kilometers.) Dubai has a population of more than 2,260,000 people, or roughly half of the country's population. Dubai's population has been rapidly growing since the 1960's, when it was home to less than 60,000 people at the time. Today, more than 80% of Dubai's population consists of foreigners, mainly from southeast Asian countries of Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Most of this foreign population includes temporary workers. Although the official language in Dubai is Arabic, strong foreign influence has made English, Persian, Bengali, Hindi, Malayalam, Tagalog, and Urdu widely spoken. Contrary to popular belief, Dubai's foreign population of "westerners" makes up only a few percent of the total population.

Dubai lies in the Arabian Desert, and has a mostly arid climate. Dubai has a hot and, at times, humid climate with many months recording temperatures of over 40 °C (104 °F). Rainfall is generally light, with a mean of about 150 millimetres (6 in) per year; precipitation is usually centered around the late winter months of January, February and March.

Dubai has a sophisticated modern transportation network unrivaled in many parts of the Middle East. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) regulates transportation within the city.

Dubai has a very large bus system run by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). Dubai's bus system has 193 routes on weekdays and is large and advanced but not large enough to accommodate the growing volume of people who use it. This means that in busy areas it is common that at the end of the day commuters may have to wait more than an hour before they can board a bus. The (RTA) has announced that Dubai roads will witness the addition of 1616 new buses; a world record bus purchase. The Dubai buses will be of various sizes & models manufactured at the highest security & safety standards.

The Dubai Metro is a driverless, fully automated metro network which is currently under construction in the. The Red and Green Lines are under construction, and further lines of Blue and Purple are planned. The first two lines will run underground in the city centre and on elevated viaducts elsewhere. The Dubai Metro will be the longest fully automated rail system in the world when it opens in 2010. Overall, the Dubai Metro will include four lines and 47 stations. Additionally, there are plans for trams to be built in Dubai by 2011. The first is the Downtown Burj Dubai Tram System and the second is the Al Sufouh Tram.

Dubai operates two large commercial ports, Port Rashid and Port Jebel Ali. Dubai Creek and Port Saeed are used by local traders in dhows, or sailing vessels. One of the more traditional methods of getting across Dubai Creek from Bur Dubai to Deira is through abras, small boats that ferry passengers across the Dubai Creek.

Dubai International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the Middle East and the world, handling more than 37 million passengers in 2008. In recent years, the airport has been growing and expanding to become one of the best in the world. Dubai International Airport is a major hub for Emirates Airlines, Emirates SkyCargo and flydubai.

Currently, Dubai has plans and construction for Dubai World Central International Airport, including Al Maktoum International Airport scheduled to be the world's largest passenger and cargo hub.

Dubai's main revenues are from tourism, trade, real estate and financial services. Revenues from petroleum and natural gas comprise less than 6% (2006) of Dubai's US$ 37 billion economy (2005). Real estate and construction made up 22.6% to the economy in 2005, before the current large-scale construction boom. In recent years Dubai has become a major tourist destination with its world class hotels and resorts, attractions, sporting events. Dubai's new prime real estate has attracted wealthy buyers and investors from all over the world.

Dubai boasts many attractions and architectural wonders. Burj Al Arab is the world's tallest hotel and Burj Dubai is the world's tallest building. The Mall of Arabia is expected to become the world's largest mall. The man-made Palm Islands and The World Islands will accommodate millions of people for residence, vacation, and business. Dubailand is a multi-purpose complex that incorporates business, culture, entertainment, education, sports, theme parks, and retail in one area. The list of unprecedented attractions and accomplishments in Dubai goes on and on. Dubai is a rapidly growing and dynamic city that has gone a phenomenal transformation over the past decade, quickly rising to the ranks as a world class city.