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Apart from donated land for the construction of churches and other religious facilities, including cemeteries, non-Muslim groups are not supported financially or subsidized by the Government. However, they are permitted to raise money from among their congregants and to receive financial support from abroad. Christian churches are permitted to openly advertise certain church functions, such as memorial services, in the press.

In early 2001, ground was broken for the construction of several churches on a parcel of land in Jebel Ali donated by the Government of Dubai for four Protestant congregations and a Catholic congregation. In May 2001, the Crown Prince of Dubai authorised the construction of a Greek Orthodox church on donated land.

The horse race known as the Dubai World Cup is held annually, and is the world's richest horse race with over US$15,000,000 worth of prize money.

Dubai has become an important tourist destination, helped by its rapidly-expanding airline Emirates, which is headed by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, an uncle of the emir. Dubai is also diversifying as a hub for service based industries such as IT and finance, with the new Dubai International Financial Centre or DIFC. The government has set up enclaves and freezones for industry specific corporations. Dubai Internet City, now combined with Dubai Media City as part of TECOM (Dubai Technology, Electronic Commerce and Media Free Zone Authority) is one such enclave and houses IT companies such as EMC Corporation, Oracle, Microsoft and IBM, and media organisations such as MBC, CNN, Reuters and AP.

The government's vision to diversify from a trade based, but oil reliant economy to one that is service and tourism oriented, has been conducive to the growth of real estate corporations such as Emaar Properties, and Nakheel. Corporate office enclaves on Sheikh Zayed road were developed to shift Dubai's traditional business area from the creek to the western parts of the city.

Nearly all the commercial establishments are run by expatriates with a silent local partner who merely "rents" the business license for a negotiated annual fee without taking part in any capital investment. The numerous free trade zones allow for full expatriate ownership, but are only suitable for large businesses.

Dubai became one of the Trucial States in 1853. It joined the UAE on December 2, 1971. It has since become a large and modern city, with an estimated population of close to one million in 2004.

The official language is Arabic, but English and Hindi are widely spoken.

The International Media Production Zone is a project targeted at creating a hub for printers, publishers, media production companies, and related industry segments. This project was launched in 2003 and is estimated to be completed by 2006.

One of the most imporant personality figures in Dubai is Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoom. He ruled Dubai for over 30 years within which he created major large projects like the Jebel Ali free zone, world trade center and the airport.

The Dubai Post Department took over the postal service June 14, 1963 and the following day issued a series of stamps depicting sea life, views of Dubai, and Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum. This was the opening salvo of a barrage of issue over the next few years; the emirate discovered that stamp collectors were willing to give it money for colored labels with "Dubai" printed on them, and by the time the postal system was merged with that of other emirates, in mid-1972, it had issued over 400 stamps, few of which ever saw usage on mail.