Dubai, the main port and business hub of the United Arab Emirates, is referred to as the Venice of the Gulf. The ancient industries of fishing, pearl diving, and camel husbandry have been mainly replaced by oil wells in the region. The town was a tributary of the state of Abu Dhabi until 1833.

Formerly known as Trucial States or Trucial Oman, Dubai is a constituent emirate of the United Arab Emirates. Approximately rectangular in shape, with a coastline of around 45 miles (72 km) on the Persian Gulf, it is the second most populated and second largest state of the federation, with 1,510 square miles [3,900 square km]. The largest city in the federation is Dubai, which also happens to be the capital of the emirate. Situated on a little creek in the northeast region of the state is the city. The capital and surrounding developed areas are home to more than nine tenths of the emirate's population. Emirates Abu Dhabi and Sharjah encircle Dubai from the south and west, east, and northeast, respectively. Furthermore, the little Al-Ḥajarayn exclave (separate portion) in the Wadi. 

Dubai Town's settlement dates back to 1799. The General Treaty of Peace (1820), backed by the British, was signed by the emirate's minor sheikh (Arabic: shaykh). However, until 1833, the region appeared to be dependent on Abu Dhabi. During a rivalry conflict, a group of Āl Bū Falāsah clansmen from the Banū Yās confederation—mostly pearl fishers—left Abu Dhabi and took over Dubai town without seeing any opposition. From that point on, Dubai grew to be a strong state by local standards. It constantly clashed with the Qawāsim (Āl Qāsimī), who ruled the region immediately north of Dubai, and the rulers of Abu Dhabi, both of whom attempted to seize control of it. However, Dubai's new rulers managed to maintain their independence by using the neighboring sheikhdoms against

Small sections of sand beaches in Dubai's western region are advantageous and have boosted the city's tourism sector. The leadership of Dubai have worked to expand the city's few seafronts, and given the lack of any offshore natural islands, they have encouraged developers to build enormous artificial islands off the city's coast. The most well-known of these is Palm Jumeirah, fashioned like a palm tree. Among the others are the "World" islands, a collection of tiny islands that, when viewed from above, resemble a map of the world.