But there is a lot of confusion surrounding the place, not least in finding out where it is!

For a start, Dubai is not a country, at least not in the official sense. It is an emirate, which forms a part of the country known as the United Arab Emirates along with six other emirates: Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. The United Arab Emirates (or UAE) are situated in Southwest Asia on the coast of the Persion Gulf and are bordered by Saudi Arabia and Oman.

Dubai is a term that can be applied both to the Emirate itself, and the main city of the emirate, which is sometimes known as Dubai City to make things clearer. Much of the country's population is built along the coast-line, as inland sand-dunes which finally make way for desert dominate the geography. In fact, population is so sparse that the desert region to the south is known as 'The Empty Quarter'.

With all of that sand, you would expect Dubai to be a pretty hot place, and you would be right. Temperatures hit an average of 41 degrees centigrade (106 degrees Fahrenheit) in August, with the lowest average temperature being a mild 14 degrees C (58F) in January. These winter months are where Dubai receives most of it's rainfall ? January, February and March. However, the emirate averages only 150mm (6 inches) of rainfall each year, and so there is still not much to talk about!

Roughly 70% of the Dubai population is made up of foreign nationals, of which Indian expatriate workers account for more than half. The majority of these workers are employed in either the construction or tourism services industries ? Dubai's two largest sectors.