The city of Dubai, on the Persian Gulf, is one of the most expensive cities in the Middle East, famous for its fast cars, huge shopping malls, and a life of luxury. It is a global city, and makes most of its money from business and tourism.
Once a fishing settlement in the desert, Dubai was already an important port by the start of the 20th century.
Then in 1966, oil was discovered, and the city began to grow at an extremely fast rate. Schools, hospitals and roads were built, as well as a new airport, and the largest man-made harbour in the world.
Thousands of foreign workers started to arrive, and between 1968 and 1975 the city's population grew by over 300%.
Today there are over two million people living in this city of skyscrapers, hotels, and man-made islands.
Dubai is famous for its building projects. The Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest man-made structure.
The Palm Islands are artificial islands made from sand taken from the bottom of the sea. Dubai has more than 70 shopping malls, and has been called the shopping capital of the Middle East.
It even has an indoor ski resort!
But has all this development been positive? There are over 1 million cars in Dubai, and only about 6% of the residents use public transport.
And environmental groups are worried about the negative effect that building places like the Palm Islands is having on wildlife.
By 2020, the population could be more than 3.5 million, and some people are worried about the amount of energy that will be needed to support so many residents.