Country Profile

Covering a total area of 83,600 sq km, the UAE borders Saudi Arabia to the west and south and Oman to the east. The country’s coastline stretches 1318 km from the south-eastern shore of the Gulf, nearly reaching the Strait of Hor¬muz in the north. Most of the country is situated along the Gulf. By area, Dubai is the second largest of the emir¬ates behind Abu Dhabi, covering around 4110 sq km in total. A series of land reclamation projects beginning in the early 1990s increased the emirate’s geographical area by 200 sq km and also contrib¬uted to an expansion of its coastline. This chapter contains a viewpoint from Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai; President, Financial Audit Authority; and Chairman, Dubai International Financial Centre.