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There was a pearl-diving and fishing community at the mouth of Dubai Creek for many centuries, but modern Dubai dates its existence to the 1830s when the Baniyas tribe under the Al-Maktoum family settled there and renounced allegiance to Abu Dhabi. Successive sheikhs encouraged contacts with outsiders, especially the British, who made Dubai a regular port of call.

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

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.

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.

Emaar properties is on course to construct the world's tallest building, Burj Dubai. The corporation claims: "Burj Dubai's height is a closely guarded secret but it will beat all records and on a scale that will be a dramatic testament to Dubai's faith in the future."

The annual Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) draws shoppers from the Indian subcontinent and around the region. Other, smaller shopping festivals such as Dubai Summer Surprises are held throughout the year.

Dubai International Airport is a fortress hub for Emirates airlines and has a vast Duty Free shopping centre. It is also considered to be among the world's best and finest airports. Dubai airport has won many awards for its excellence in design and services.

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.

Islam is the official religion of all the emirates. A vast majority of the people are Sunnis. There are foreign minority Hindus and Christians as well. Dubai is the only Emirate to house a Hindu temple.

Dubai is the second largest emirate in the federation after Abu Dhabi. The emirate is located on the Persian Gulf, southwest of Sharjah and northeast of Abu Dhabi, and reaches into the interior. The town of Hatta is a segregated portion of the emirate of Dubai and borders Wajajah, Oman.

In February 2005 Dubai Waterfront was announced, it will be 2½ times size of Washington D.C. or the size of the island of Manhattan. Dubai Waterfront will be a mix of canals and islands full of hotels and residential areas that will add 500 miles of man-made waterfront. Dubai Also has launched Dubiotech. this is a new park to be targeted at Biotech companies working in pharma, medical fields, genetic research and even biodefense. the aim from creating this park is to foster the growth of this sector in Dubai and to utilize the regions's talent in addressing such a vital and rapidly growing sector.

Dubai refers to either one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates on the Arabian Peninsula, or that emirate's main city, sometimes called "Dubai City" to distinguish it from the emirate.

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.

There are an increasing number of "freehold" villas and flats which come with a guaranteed residence visa renewable every three years for a around US$1350 per person. The Jumeira Palm, an artificial island in the shape of a palm tree, is one of these. It is illegal to seek employment on this visa though, and a separate job visa must be obtained from an employer. It is common practice among Dubai employers to hold on to employees' passports for the duration of the employment contract. This is done to prevent expatriate employees from moving to higher paying jobs. On termination of an employment contract, expatriates and their families are usually banned from the country for six months.

Dubailand, a proposed entertainment complex, is to include the Mall of Arabia, the largest shopping mall in the world. Dubailand is slated to open in 2006.