Dubai

Tracing its origins back to 3,000 BC, Dubai's inhabitants made their livelihood from the sea: fishing, pearl diving, boat building, and sea trading. From a small town with approximately 7,800 members in the 18th century, Dubai has transformed to one of the most cosmopolitan and innovative cities in the world, its development accelerated by the discovery of oil in the late 1960s. Mindful of the limit of its oil reserves, modern-day Dubai relies on tourism, attracting the world attention through large construction projects and sports events, housing the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.