Below is a list of 11 interesting facts about Dubai, although some facts
may already be well-known by many, lots of them will not. This guide
will not help much if you are looking to move to Dubai, however it will
give you a brief insight into what you can expect and a few interesting
facts and figures you may not have known about. ENJOY!
Cars - As astonishing as it may sound, in 1968, Dubai’s car registration number stopped at 13. As of 2012, there are now more than 1.13 million registered cars in Dubai. Even though the car industry has and still is going through hard times, companies like Ford, Volvo, Porsche, Hyundai, BMW and Toyota increased their sales in 2012 by between 7% and 40%
Cars - As astonishing as it may sound, in 1968, Dubai’s car registration number stopped at 13. As of 2012, there are now more than 1.13 million registered cars in Dubai. Even though the car industry has and still is going through hard times, companies like Ford, Volvo, Porsche, Hyundai, BMW and Toyota increased their sales in 2012 by between 7% and 40%
- Cranes - Dubai has around 30,000 operating cranes and it is estimated there are a total of 150,000 cranes in the world, this means Dubai holds around 20% of the world’s cranes.
- Skyscrapers - The incredible skyline that Dubai has today began first in 1979 when the Dubai World Trade Centre was finished and remained to be the only skyscraper until 1991. At present, there are approximately 450 skyscrapers in Dubai alone. The tallest skyscraper in Dubai and the rest of the world is the Burj Khalifa at a total height of 828 metres (2716.5 feet).
- Population - Dubai’s population has tripled in less than 20 years. In 1995, Dubai had around 640,000 residents, whereas now there are more than 2.3 million. Another interesting fact is that just over 10% of Dubai’s population are local (Emirati), the remaining 90% are expats.
- Bullion - The second largest distributor in the World is Dubai, importing 360 tons and exporting 350 tons per year.
- Crime - Although many think Dubai is crime free, crime does take place and the crime that does take place can be just as violent as it may be in more dangerous parts of the world, the main difference is the amount of crime, for which in Dubai, very little major crime occurs. The two main reasons crime is minimal in Dubai and the rest of the UAE is first because of law enforcement, and secondly because the majority of Dubai’s residents are middle-class.
DID YOU KNOW: One in every 5 Dubai
residents buy more than 5 pieces of gold jewelry per year? The majority
of UAE gold sales are made from within the Gold Souk in Deira.
- Tax - The concept of having your income 100% free of charge does raise questions. Trying to make a complicated subject simple and understandable, it all depends on where you have your tax residence. Therefore, if you are living in Dubai, but still have your tax residence in the UK, you will still have to pay taxes. It is not as easy as just living in Dubai and like a magical potion your tax responsibilities disappear. In the UK for example, from April 2013 the HMRC has determined a statutory basis. These new rules are known as the Statutory Residence Test (SRT).
- Postal Service - There are no street addresses in Dubai, instead all post is either delivered to your office PO Box (most common) or if you choose to set one up, your personal PO Box address. Also, unless you live on a compound, getting a take-away for the first time may prove to be a bit of a challenge.
