Dubai Country Profile

Expatriates and foreign visitors - both male and female - can enjoy a relaxed and pleasant lifestyle in Dubai. There is virtually no crime, the city is clean, apartments and villas are modern and spacious and, surprisingly to many, the climate is not only tolerable, but also extremely pleasant for most of the year. Dubai is to the Middle East what Hong Kong is to Asia: a capitalist jewel buzzing with activity. Most visitors to the region stop here for at least a day to browse the shops, eat in the restaurants and soak up the atmosphere of a city oozing wealth and a general air of self-satisfied confidence. Split into two by a long creek, a water taxi is an ideal starting point for orientation purposes and an opportunity to admire the modern, palatial architecture, the hallmark of a successful Arab state. There isn't much here that isn't glistening new. Even the traditional souks that attract thousands of visitors each year are packed with up-to-the-minute gadgets and the latest designer wear.

GEOGRAPHY The second largest of the seven emirates which make up the United Arab Emirates, Dubai is located on the southern shore of the Arabian Gulf. It has an area of some 3,900 square kilometers. Outside the city itself, the emirate is sparsely inhabited and characterized by desert vegetation. Dubai lies between 5516 East and 2516 North.

CLIMATE Dubai has a sub-tropical, arid climate. Sunny, blue skies can be expected most of the year. Rainfall is infrequent and irregular, falling mainly in winter. Temperatures range from a low of about 10.5C/50F to a high of 48C/118F. The mean daily maximum is 24C/75.2F in January rising to 41C/105.8F in July.

LANGUAGE

While Arabic is the official language, English is very widely spoken, especially in business. Given the large size of the expatriate population, several other languages are also used in everyday life, headed by Hindi, Urdu and Farsi.

POPULATION Current population approx. 1.67 million, set to increase to 3.5 million by 2010. 80% comprises of Expatriates - Arab, Asians, European, and others.

RELIGION Mostly Muslim, of which 16 per cent are Shiite and the remainder Sunni.

TIME Dubai Time is + 4 Hours GMT or 4 hours ahead of the Greenwich Mean Time. GMT is used for all 24 of the world's time zones. You can get the right Dubai Time by dialing the 'speaking clock' 140 for English and 141 for Arabic.

ELECTRICITY 220/240 volts AC, 50Hz. Square three-pin plugs are widespread.

COMMUNICATIONS Public Telephones: Public telephones in Dubai take coins and pre-paid phone cards. The Telecommunications provider in Dubai is Etisalat - Emirates Telecommunications Corporation. Website: www.etisalat.ae

Dialling Telephone and Mobile Numbers in Dubai: The local city code for Dubai is 04 and if you are making an international call to Dubai, you would dial Country Code: 971, City Code: 4 and then the Tele/Fax number. To dial a Mobile Number from within the UAE, you dial 050 and then the number. If you are dialing a mobile phone number anywhere in the UAE from outside of the UAE, you would dial, Country Code: 971, City Code: 50 and the the Mobile Number.

Phone Cards: Phone cards are available from bookstores, grocery stores, Etisalat offices and are of denominations of Dhs 30 upwards.

Internet: Internet cafes provide public access to Internet and e-mail services. ISPs include Emirates Telecommunication (www.emirates.net.ae).

Post: Airmail letters and parcels take about five days to reach Europe.

SHOPPING One of Dubai s greatest visitor attractions is its superb shopping. The city draws large numbers of shopping tourists from countries within the region and from as far a field as Eastern Europe, Africa and the Indian Subcontinent.

As an open port with low import duties, Dubai s retail prices are reasonable and the variety of products available is virtually unrivalled. Free of tax, many top brand-name products are cheaper in Dubai than in the countries of their origin.

Whatever the visitor s tastes be it couture from Paris or Milan, hi-tech electronics from Japan, or a piece of silver Bedouin jewelry he or she will find it at the right price in Dubai. In addition to the souk districts and shopping malls, there are many top-class department stores and boutiques throughout the city.

Malls Attractive modern shopping plazas are conveniently located throughout the city, housing a wide range of shops, boutiques, supermarkets, restaurants and fast-food outlets.

Souks Foodstuffs: These range from the traditional narrow streets of the spice souk just a stone s throw from the Creek, to the modern fish souk with the many varieties caught in Gulf waters, and the fruit and vegetable souk with its bustle and vivid colors.

Gold: Dubai s most famous market of all is the gold souk, where narrow streets are lined with shop windows glinting with bracelets, necklaces and earrings in 18, 21 and 22 carat gold. Bars of 24 carat in any form and weight, and bullion coins in 22 and 24 carat are also available. Prices are very reasonable and largely determined by weight, rather than design and craftsmanship.

Carpets: In Deira Tower s shopping mall, carpet traders from countries across the Gulf Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan have established a carpet souk where prices in the 40 shops range from a few hundred dirhams to many thousands.

Consumer goods: In Bur Dubai, Al Fahidi Street is noted for its electronic goods shops while nearby Cosmos Lane is lined with stores selling the textiles of West and East, from cool printed cottons to exotic brocades.

Further out from the city centre, Karama is Dubai s bargain basement with an array of busy shops selling toys, household goods, textiles, fashions, accessories and much more.

ALCOHOL Alcohol is available in all clubs and restaurants and pubs/bars, that are located in hotels. Restaurants outside a hotel are not allowed to sell or serve alcohol. Muslims are not permitted to buy alcohol. Residents need an Alcohol License to purchase alcohol.

UAE. The UAE ranks 24th in the world and first among Arab countries in its use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance competitiveness and development, according to The Global Information Technology Report 2010-2011, Transformations 2.0, released by the World Economic Forum.

Other Arab countries are prominently featured in the ranking as well: Qatar (25), Bahrain (30), Saudi Arabia (33), Oman (41).

Sweden and Singapore continue to top the rankings of The Global Information Technology Report 20102011, Transformations 2.0, released today by the World Economic Forum, confirming the leadership of the Nordic countries and the Asian Tiger economies in adopting and implementing ICT advances for increased growth and development.

Finland jumps to third place, while Switzerland and the United States are steady in fourth and fifth place respectively. The 10th anniversary edition of the report focuses on ICT s power to transform society in the next decade through modernization and innovation.

The Nordic countries lead the way in leveraging ICT. With Denmark in 7th and Norway in 9th place, all are in the top 10, except for Iceland, which is ranked in 16th position. Led by Singapore in second place, the other Asian Tiger economies continue to make progress in the ranking, with both Taiwan, China, and Korea improving five places to 6th and 10th respectively, and Hong Kong SAR following closely at 12th.

With a record coverage of 138 economies worldwide, the report remains the world s most comprehensive and authoritative international assessment of the impact of ICT on the development process and the competitiveness of nations.

The Networked Readiness Index (NRI) featured in the report examines how prepared countries are to use ICT effectively on three dimensions: the general business, regulatory and infrastructure environment for ICT; the readiness of the three key societal actors - individuals, businesses and governments - to use and benefit from ICT; and their actual usage of available ICT.

While the UAE scored relatively well in both the environment and usage categories (#25 and #30, respectively), its strongest performance is in the readiness measurement, where it finished 6th out of the 138 countries measured.

In several subcategories, the UAE scored even higher: Its level of company-wide technology adoption in the private sector is 5th in the world, the government s procurement of advanced tech products is 3rd, and its per-capita number of mobile telephone subscriptions is 1st.

Under the theme Transformations 2.0, this 10th anniversary edition explores the coming transformations powered by ICT, with a focus on the impact they will have on individuals, businesses and governments over the next few years. Since the beginning of the report, the sheer amount of information generated by today s digital society has increased at an astounding rate.

Innovation and ICT have proven a crucial lever for long-term growth, with countless social and economic benefits and the capacity to significantly improve people s life around the world, said Alan Marcus, Senior Director and Head of Information Technology and Telecommunications, World Economic Forum. Countries fully integrating new technologies and leveraging the new data revolution in their development and growth strategies are laying the foundations for competitive, resilient economies for the future.

As digital economies steadily become the norm, our goal at Booz & Company is to continue exploring the economic and social benefits that ICT can bring and the ways in which they are increasingly interconnected, said Karim Sabbagh, Senior Partner and the global leader of the Communications, Media, and Technology practice.

Booz & Company s contribution to the GITR report discusses the ways in which broadband can enable digital communities, allowing leaders in government, health, transportation and other sectors to capitalize on ICT s potential.

Globally, it is becoming more and more apparent that widely available and affordable high-speed broadband is essential in driving national competitiveness and enabling advancements in key priority areas including education, healthcare, energy and the environment, and civic engagement.

Governments around the world are now spending billions and setting ambitious targets as they recognize that a crucial foundation for many areas of socioeconomic development are digital highways defined as nationwide high-speed broadband enabled by a combination of fixed as well as wireless networks.

Just as actual highways connect people and foster social and commercial activity, digital highways can facilitate the creation of virtual communities in vital areas. When policymakers and telecommunications operators collaborate with leaders in other sectors, such as health and education, they are laying the groundwork for profound improvements boosting national competitiveness, innovation, economic productivity, and social inclusion.

However, accelerating the deployment of digital highways and deriving their full benefits is not a simple task. It requires fundamental changes in vision and action throughout the entire broadband ecosystem. Policymakers and network operators must first look beyond broadband networks alone and facilitate the development of a host of related services and applications (apps), then actively encourage citizens to use them.

There is also a strong need for collaboration among other sector participants such as device manufacturers, application developers, and counterparts in adjoining sectors. Finally, the members of the broadband ecosystem must work with their counterparts in adjacent industries such as health, energy, education, and transportation to develop the apps that will help those sectors to reap broadband s benefits.

Only when all of these stakeholders are fully engaged can digital highways reach their full potential and facilitate efficiency, competitiveness, and prosperity in the communities they serve.