In just a few decades, Dubai has emerged as a Middle East powerhouse.
The largest and most populous centre in the United Arab Emirates, the Gulf super city boasts the world's tallest building — the 828m high Burj Khalifa — and the striking artificial archipelago called Palm Jumeirah.
Once a sleepy fishing village, modern Dubai stretches to the sky along a spectacular length of desert coast, built on immense wealth generated by oil and trade.
The constitutional monarchy has been ruled by the same family for nearly 200 years, and is steering the economy beyond oil towards services, trade and tourism.
