– an amazing country full of oriental exoticism and cutting-edge attractions. Having visited at least one of its cities, you will learn a lot of new things, because life there is very different from our everyday life. But just reading about how they live on the shores of the Persian Gulf will be of interest to everyone.
United Arab Emirates - the most interesting facts
So, we bring to your attention 20 of the most interesting facts about the country of the UAE:
- The first and main thing that a potential tourist should learn is how striking the contrast is between the standard of living in the Gulf countries and our native CIS. Thanks to its impressive oil and gas deposits, as well as its favorable location on the route between Europe and the countries of the East, the United Arab Emirates ranks 5th in terms of GDP per capita.
- The main religion of the state is Islam. For this reason, there are quite strict rules regarding appearance. In some emirates (for example, in) they treat this more loyally, in others (such as) - on the contrary, with the utmost severity. These requirements apply not only to local residents, but also to tourists.
- During Ramadan out of respect for the local religion, no one, including foreign guests, is allowed to eat food during the day - with the exception of only a few tourist restaurants with tightly curtained windows. And those people who live on top of the tallest skyscraper (it is located in the city of Dubai) have to wait 2 minutes longer before they see that the sun has disappeared below the horizon and they can start their meal.
- Hydrocarbon production and export form the backbone of the UAE's economy, and even so, the country invests heavily in the development and use of solar energy.
- Tallest building in the world is located right here. It is 828 m high. It has 163 floors. In addition to it, a huge number of others have been built here - most of them are in Dubai, along.
- Retinal scan awaits everyone who enters the country as tourists. The country's state-of-the-art equipment allows this procedure to be carried out, and thanks to it, security in the country is at a high level. There are practically no illegal immigrants here.
- Entry denied awaits those who have an Israeli visa in their passport, confirming that they have previously visited this country.
- Climate in the UAE characterized by high temperature and humidity. In the summer, 50-degree heat and 90% humidity make being outside almost unbearable. Because of this, absolutely all premises, including bus stops, are equipped with air conditioning.
- For beach lovers It will be interesting to know this interesting fact about the UAE: in each emirate, the sand on the coast is of a different color. For example, in it it is snow-white, but in Dubai it has an orange tint.
- Indigenous people of the UAE- privileged class. Only 13% of Arabs live here (the rest of the UAE residents are Indians, Pakistanis, etc.). Many of the natives do not work: they simply do not need it, since they receive an allowance from the state in the amount of about $2 thousand. Arabs can study at the expense of the state at any university in the world and have many social guarantees. For example, young indigenous families receive 70 thousand dirhams (a wedding gift from the state) and a luxury villa in addition. And for the birth of their first child, each family receives $50 thousand. Wealthy Arabs can afford to keep the most unusual pets - for example, leopards.
- Arab sheikhs- the richest people in the world. They buy gold laptops and Jacuzzis, keep huge fleets of cars and have up to 4 wives. The title of sheikh is given for life.
- Founder of the UAE State- Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who raised 19 sons. His fortune was estimated at $20 billion.
- For women There are special conditions in the Emirates. They are provided with a separate carriage, a special “female” section on the bus, and even a special taxi.
- Bribery in the UAE- taboo. If you have any problems with the local police, you should not even try to offer a bribe - this will only increase your problems.
- Police cars here these are the same Bentleys, Ferraris and Lamborghinis that local residents, most of them very wealthy, drive. It is believed that such cars help the police in the fight against criminals driving the same expensive cars.
- Metro in Dubai– automatic, there is no driver. This is the first such experience in the history of the metro.
- Address system differs in many ways from what we are used to. Each house here has not a number, but its own name.
- Some free economic zones located in Dubai, Jebel Ali. There is no need to pay taxes. For this reason, many global companies do business here.
- Unusual ATMs can be seen on the streets and in shops of the UAE - they issue not only paper bills, but also gold bars.
- Festival. In the 21st century, UAE residents prefer to ride not on camels, as before, but on modern, expensive cars. To ensure that traditions are not forgotten, the President of the country established the Camel Festival, which is held in the emirate
The UAE, or United Arab Emirates, is one of the richest countries in the world, a kind of oasis of prosperity in the middle of a barren desert. Oil discovered in the depths served as the basis for the financial well-being of this state, which is now an interesting mixture of modern technology and ancient Arab culture.
Interesting facts about the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
- The pearl of the UAE is called the capital - the city of Abu Dhabi, which alone brings more than half of the annual income to the state treasury (see).
- Fines for violating traffic rules in the UAE are extremely high, starting at US$800.
- Just half a century ago, in the place where the Emirates now lies, there was only a barren desert, but thanks to the oil industry, this country quickly became a world leader. In nearby Qatar, by the way, the situation is very similar - Qatar’s well-being is also tied to oil (see).
- Social media is prohibited in the United Arab Emirates. By the way, there is no freedom of speech here either, at least in the Western sense.
- One of the very popular entertainments among UAE residents is a jeep safari in the desert.
- Many public transport stops are equipped with air conditioning.
- Alcohol is officially prohibited in the UAE.
- The crime rate in the United Arab Emirates is one of the lowest in the world. This may be partly due to the strictness of local laws.
- Women and men travel separately on public transport. They have their own halves of buses, their own metro cars and even separate taxis.
- Trains in the UAE metro are controlled by computers, not people. People just look after computers.
- The tallest building in the world, 828 meters high, is located in the United Arab Emirates.
- Traffic police in the UAE drive cars such as Lamborghini, Ferrari and Bentley.
- Some of the ATMs in the UAE can dispense not only banknotes, but also gold.
- Only about 15% of the total population of the United Arab Emirates are Arabs.
- Despite the fact that the UAE's prosperity is based on oil, this country is one of the leaders in the development of solar energy.
- The UAE accounts for approximately a quarter of all construction cranes in the world.
- The famous artificial islands in the shape of a palm tree (as seen from a bird's eye view) are slowly sinking.
The United Emirates is one of the richest countries in the world. An indicator of this is the statistical fact: for every 5,000,000 UAE citizens there are 59,000 dollar millionaires.
Just half a century ago, in what is now the UAE there was nothing but desert.
The Emirates are distinguished by high-quality social support. The salary of civil servants (from among the local population) is $10,000. For a wedding, citizens are allocated $9,000 and a villa, and for the birth of a son, the family is given $50,000.
As in most Muslim countries, there are many strict prohibitions in the Emirates: you cannot throw garbage on the street, hitchhike, take photographs of local women, government buildings, and some types of attractions. The consumption and transportation of alcohol is strictly prohibited.
Freedom of speech is limited, which automatically means no yellow press. The media is prohibited from covering details and facts from the private life of sheikhs, as well as other fairly wealthy citizens. Typically, the UAE has also banned access to social networks, since the Telecommunications Supervision Committee considers them a source of harmful information for citizens.
The Emirates have not adopted a moratorium on the death penalty, which is applied in various forms, according to tradition, from stoning (for example, for a prescribed act of adultery, as in biblical times) to beheading. For drugs, the prison sentence is up to 10 years, but for a drug addict who expresses a willingness to undergo treatment, the clinic will be paid for from the state treasury. Perhaps due to the harsh and radical approach to punishment and generous social support, there is practically no crime in the state: there are not even petty pickpockets or car thieves - cars are even left unlocked.
Violation of traffic rules entails a fine of $800.
Bus stops in the Emirates are air-conditioned.
The climate in the United Arab Emirates is very hot with high humidity. Winter, in its European sense, is simply unknown here: January and December daytime temperatures are about + 28, night temperatures are within +18, while summer allows the air to heat up to + 50 degrees Celsius.
In the Emirates, due to natural and climatic conditions, there are serious difficulties in providing water (which has to be desalinated) and electricity. It is not surprising that utilities here are extremely expensive.
Instead of exciting horse racing, the UAE hosts camel racing (the animals are controlled by robots). Also, jeep safaris in the desert are popular as entertainment.
It is customary here for all segments of society to purchase gold in huge quantities: every year, 1 resident accounts for 38 grams of purchased precious metal. When proposing marriage, as a wedding gift, the groom is obliged to give his bride at least 5 kilograms of gold. However, not everything is so rosy with weddings in the Muslim world, since the choice of the future half for the girl is carried out by her parents. And for extramarital affairs, a fine or 3 months in prison is imposed (for women the punishment is more severe, so it can reach stoning to death). Polygamy is allowed, but it is quite expensive, for this reason it is forced to gradually become obsolete in society.
In transport (as in India), separate travel for men and women has been adopted. They are provided with different carriages, if the trip is on the subway or train; there are separate sections in the interiors of buses, even in taxis, for these purposes.
For the streets, there is also a rule of feigned severity, which is reflected in the dress code requirements. The contrast in society is that next to local Muslim women in burqas you can see openly dressed ladies. However, the latter almost always turn out to be tourists. Although it is customary to treat the latter with tolerance, a fine may be imposed for a very frank appearance. Especially if a lady in this form is walking alone, without a companion.
Ramadan is a major Muslim holiday during which believers abstain from eating and drinking during the daytime. For this reason, foreign tourists are prohibited from drinking and eating on the street during the festival, so as not to be seen by those fasting. In those few public establishments where eating is allowed, windows are sealed. For violation of these rules, a fine is imposed. However, you can make up for the lost joys of life (during this Muslim fast) at night, since at night the ban on eating does not apply.
Shopping is available both in stores and at the bazaar. According to Eastern tradition, it is necessary to bargain in the market, this allows you to reduce the price several times.
There are no drivers in the Emirates metro; trains are controlled automatically. Payment for all transport is possible using a single card. For these purposes, special sensors are located in transport units that read information and also calculate the cost by kilometer.
Despite the monstrous heat, the Emirates has its own ski resort (with slides and snow parks). It's called SkiDubai, and it's located in the Arabian Desert. Thanks to him, to a large extent, in 2011, the Emirates managed to become the first Arab country to enter the International Ice Hockey Federation.
The tallest skyscraper in the world, the Burj Khalifa (828 meters high), was built in the UAE.
The Emirates Palas is the most luxurious of all hotels in the UAE (although all are held to high standards). For New Year's festivities, a Christmas tree worth $11.4 million and 13 m high is installed here. It is typical that instead of ordinary toys, it is replaced by genuine jewelry with large stones. - Hotels in the Emirates truly know how to surprise, so the tree of jewels is not the only exotic innovation that can be found on vacation. - For example, a cake made by culinary specialists from 28 large hotels for the country’s Independence Day holiday was even able to get into the Guinness Book of Records, thanks to its gigantic size (the length of the product was 2530.8 m).
The United Arab Emirates is a very unusual state. In the middle of the endless desert and soils practically unsuitable for agriculture lie luxurious oases and flourishing cities. The UAE includes 7 separate emirates, which are separate state entities. The capital is Dubai. It is also one of the seven emirates.
Read our guide to learn how to plan your own trip to Dubai.
Our short review contains the most interesting and unusual facts about this eastern country, which was able to reach considerable heights in its development and technology thanks to only one natural wealth - huge oil deposits.
History and geography
Anyone who comes to these parts for the first time will find it hard to believe that just a few decades ago the UAE was an endless desert, in which it was incredibly difficult to survive. Today the country is included in the list of the richest countries. Just imagine, out of a population of 5 million, 59 thousand millionaires live here!
Local punishments have long been famous for their severity. For certain crimes you may even face the death penalty. As before, this type of punishment is carried out by cutting off the head or stoning to death. This is why the UAE is included in the list of countries with the least number of crimes.
Social life
Every native resident of the UAE receives impressive support from the state. Almost every special event in the country entails financial assistance. For example, when a son is born into a family of citizens, they receive 50 thousand dollars. Each marriage brings the newlyweds 19 thousand dollars and a personal villa. The size of the salaries of government officials is also impressive. They receive up to 10 thousand dollars monthly.
Since the country belongs to the Muslim world, there are a lot of prohibitions here. For example, drinking alcohol is strictly prohibited, as is its transportation. There is also a taboo against photographing government agencies and even women.
You will never see people hitchhiking on the streets of the UAE. This is also strictly prohibited.
In addition, the ban on the “yellow press” should be considered a local quirk, since the personal life of citizens, especially sheikhs, is taboo. And access to social networks is also prohibited, since in the UAE it is generally accepted that such Internet resources contain a lot of negative information.
The fines in the country are also amazing. Just imagine, for violating the rules on the road you will face a fine of up to $800.
Entertainment and Features
Since the UAE is a desert country, camel racing is a very popular activity here. But the riders are not people at all, but real robots. The locals also love to go on desert safaris and use fancy jeeps for this.
Each bus stop is equipped with air conditioning. And this is not surprising, because in summer the average air temperature during the day does not fall below 50 degrees. And winter here is perhaps the warmest. The air temperature ranges from 18 to 28 degrees at different times of the day.
Gold is one of the most popular commodities in the UAE. According to statistics, every citizen annually buys at least 38 grams of this metal. According to local tradition, during a marriage proposal, the groom is obliged to give the bride 5 kg of gold at once.
By the way, the future of the newlyweds is determined by the parents. From early childhood, every boy and girl pairs up, and with the onset of a certain age, they get married. But for affairs outside of marriage you can even get a real prison sentence.
There is also the right to polygamy. But this is an expensive whim, even for citizens of such a rich country. Therefore, recently the vast majority of marriages are monogamous.
The UAE is considered one of the most expensive countries in terms of paying for utilities and purchasing fresh water.
There is a clear distribution of the roles of men and women in the country. Representatives of different sexes even travel separately on public transport in separate carriages. Even the taxi interior is fenced off with a special partition.
It will take a lot of time to tell about such a country in colors. What is worth knowing is that the most luxurious hotels were built in the UAE, for example, famous all over the world
