In 2015, Dubai’s GDP was greater than $105 billion. The city’s wealth is visible in numerous ways from its luxury squad cars to its massive buildings. One perhaps more surprising display of wealth, though is the rather popular practice of owning exotic animals. People in Dubai own animals such as monkeys, baboons, and lions—oh my!
It seems the wilder the animal the more it is desired to be a pet. It is often inferred that the more exotic the pet, the more wealthy the owner of the said pet is. The social status that comes with this practice seems to be the biggest incentive for it, which can be a bit of an issue. In 2017, the government banned the practice of owning and keeping exotic pets. However, people still break the law. Not without consequence, though. Owning a lion or a tiger can get you 6 months in jail and a $136,000 fine. Now that’s a wild risk!
It'll be Difficult to Find an Address in Dubai
Something got looked over in the midst of Dubai’s amazingly rapid growth—street signs! Instead of having a standard address system, residents of Dubai draw maps on their letters or write specific instructions such as: “After the white mosque, first street to the left, gold door.”
When visitors come to Dubai from the airport they are strongly advised to carry a map around so that they point out where they are going to drivers. Otherwise, they won’t have any way of communicating where they are going!
License Plates are a Symbol of Social Status in Dubai
It might be funny to think of, but license plates are bought and sold for over $14 million in Dubai. 1-digit-numbers are the most desired, followed by 2-digits, and so on. Who knew something that we take for granted could be such a prized commodity?
Most of us could care less about what our license plate says, but in Dubai, they mean a lot more. License plates symbolize status, power, and prestige. People spend millions to get number plates that mean something to them. However, the more numbers they use, the cheaper the plate is and the less social prowess they can boast from it.
There is Robot Camel Racing in Dubai
Just as the national pastime in the U.S. is baseball and Canada’s main sport is hockey, the national sport in Dubai is camel racing. However, the camel can only support so much weight and race at the same time, so only children can participate in the racing of actual camels.
The need for children to race camels has caused major humanitarian issues in the past. Children have been illegally trafficked into the United Arab Emirates for the sole purpose of participating in camel racing. Luckily, this process has largely been halted due to an unlikely solution. In Dubai, child-sized robots are used to participate in the beloved sport of camel racing. This isn’t a sport for those with shallow pockets though, robots range in price from $300 to $10,000!
Diverse Population
It may be a surprise to read that the majority of residents in Dubai aren’t actually from the United Arab Emirates. Interestingly, only about 17% of people living in Dubai are citizens of the UAE. This is for multiple reasons, but a large reason why is that the city is constantly being constructed by foreign workers who travel to Dubai to make money.
About 83% of the population in Dubai is made up of immigrants who come from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. The large immigrant population means the city is alive with many different cultures. However, there are issues that have arisen due to the mixed population of Dubai. There is an enormous wealth gap between immigrant workers and the citizens of the UAE. Wealthy citizens enjoy the riches of Dubai, the golden cars, and luxurious mansions, while workers who come to Dubai to perform construction often have to endure very poor working conditions as well as poor living conditions. Citizens of the UAE receive free medical care, free education, and free rent. In contrast, immigrant workers often live in labor camps and have to work outside in the blistering heat for very little money compared to citizens.