The New Mecca: Dubai

It's been called the Vegas of the Middle East, but Dubai goes way, way beyond that: by 2010, if all goes according to plan, it may well be the greatest city on earth. In fact, it may be already.

Some features to expect:
-$12,000 a night for a hotel suite
-gold-plated four-story columns
-remote-control door openers
-personal butlers
-consumerism in its hottest form
-four artificial mega-island archipelagoes
-the world's largest sky scraper (coming in 2007)
-the world's only seven-star hotel
-indoor ski runs (with real fake snow)

Just a few of the attractions:
THE WORLD- 300 man-made private islands 2.5 miles off the Dubai coast that, when looked at from on high, form a map of the world! All the islands, ranging from 150,000 to 450,000 square feet are available for private ownership--Rod Stewart, for instance, is reported to have purchase Great Britain for $30 million. It will open in 2008 and costs between $2 and $3 billion to build.

HYDROPOLIS-A super-luxe underwater hotel. Everyone of the 200 suites will have a clear, domed ceiling because the nice people at Hydropolis thought you'd might like to see the fish swim by. There are even fog machines that pump out sun-blocking underwater "clouds". It will open in 2007 and will run about $4,250 a night.

DUBAILAND-A 3-billion-square-foot project that will include the biggest mall in the world, the largest indoor ski resort in the world, a "rotating city" with villas that "fly", and the world's largest cruise ship, in the middle of the Middle East's largest amusement park. The first phase of development is slated to open in mid-2008 and will cost $10 billion to build. Here's the kicker: the Eiffel Tower and Taj Mahal replicas in Dubailand's Falson City of Wonders will be seventy feet taller and 150 percent larger, respectively, than the originals!!

Geography: The second largest of the seven Emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, Dubai is located on the southern shore of the Arabian Gulf. Dubai city is a bustling metropolis, while outside the city itself the Emirate is sparsely inhabited and characterized by desert vegetation.

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.

Climate: Dubai has a sub-tropical, arid climate. Rainfall is infrequent and irregular. Falling mainly in winter, it amounts to some five days a year. Temperatures range from a low of about 50 degrees Fahrenheit to a high 118 degrees. The mean daily maximum is 75 degrees Fahrenheit in January rising to 105 degrees Fahrenheit in July.

Language: The official language is Arabic, Arabic and English are commonly used in business and commerce. Hindi and Urdu are also widely used.

Religions: 96% Muslim, Hindu, Christian, 4% other