Geography of Dubai

{{Short description|none}} [[File:Dubai's Rapid Growth.ogv|thumb|This time-lapse video shows the rate of Dubai's growth at one frame per year from 2000 through 2011. In the false-colour satellite images making up the video, bare desert is tan, plant-covered land is red, water is black and urban areas are silver.]] [[File:Dune bashing, Dubai, 2007 (08).JPG|thumb|Dune bashing in one of the deserts of Dubai]] '''[[Dubai]]''' is situated on the [[Persian Gulf]] coast of the United Arab Emirates and is roughly at sea level ({{convert|16|m|abbr=on|disp=or}} above). The emirate of Dubai shares borders with Abu Dhabi in the south, [[Emirate of Sharjah|Sharjah]] in the northeast, and the [[Sultanate of Oman]] in the . [[Hatta, United Arab Emirates|Hatta]], a minor [[exclave]] of the emirate, is surrounded on three sides by Oman and by the emirates of Ajman (in the west) and Ras Al Khaimah (in the north). The Persian Gulf borders the western coast of the emirate. Dubai is positioned at {{Coord|25.2697|N|55.3095|E}} and covers an area of {{convert|1588|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}, which represents a significant expansion beyond its initial {{convert|1500|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}} designation due to [[Land reclamation#Land amounts added|land reclamation from the sea]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-11-18 |title=Dubai – Jumeirah Executive Safaris |url=https://jumeirahsafaris.co.ke/destination/dubai/ |access-date=2024-10-17 |language=en-US}}</ref>

Dubai lies directly within the [[Arabian Desert]]. However, the topography of Dubai is significantly different from that of the southern portion of the UAE in that much of Dubai's landscape is highlighted by sandy desert patterns, while gravel deserts dominate much of the southern region of the country.<ref name=geo1>[http://uaeinteract.com/uaeint_misc/pdf/perspectives/14.pdf Environmental Development and Protection in the UAE] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303172707/http://www.uaeinteract.com/uaeint_misc/pdf/perspectives/14.pdf |date=3 March 2016}}. Aspinall, Simon</ref> The sand consists mostly of crushed shell and coral and is fine, clean and white. East of the city, the salt-crusted coastal plains, known as ''[[sabkha]]'', give way to a north–south running line of dunes. Farther east, the dunes grow larger and are tinged red with [[iron oxide]].<ref name="pop7">{{cite web |url=http://www.ite.org/traffic/documents/AB00H5001.pdf |title=Historic population statistics |access-date=31 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326030537/http://www.ite.org/traffic/documents/AB00H5001.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2009}}</ref>

The flat sandy desert gives way to the Western [[Hajar Mountains]], which run alongside Dubai's border with Oman at Hatta. The Western Hajar chain has an arid, jagged and shattered landscape, whose mountains rise to about {{convert|1300|m|0|abbr=off}} in some places. Dubai has no natural river bodies or oases; however, Dubai does have a natural inlet, [[Dubai Creek]], which has been dredged to make it deep enough for large vessels to pass through. Dubai also has multiple gorges and waterholes, which dot the base of the Western Al Hajar mountains. A vast sea of sand dunes covers much of southern Dubai and eventually leads into the desert known as [[The Empty Quarter]]. [[Seismic]]ally, Dubai is in a very stable zone—the nearest seismic fault line, the Zagros Fault, is {{convert|200|km|0|abbr=off}} from the UAE and is unlikely to have any seismic impact on Dubai.<ref name=seismic>[https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/science/a-straight-line-to-disaster-1.538545/ Far enough from the fault lines.] The National, 23 April 2008.</ref> Experts also predict that the possibility of a [[tsunami]] in the region is minimal because the Persian Gulf waters are not deep enough to trigger a tsunami.<ref name=seismic />

==Fauna and flora== [[File:Dubai Creek Harbour 1.jpg|left|thumb|A view of the [[Dubai Creek]] from a harbour]] The sandy desert surrounding the city supports wild grasses and occasional date palms. Desert hyacinths grow in the ''sabkha'' plains east of the city, while acacia and [[prosopis cineraria|ghaf]] trees grow in the flat plains within the proximity of the Western Al Hajar mountains. Several indigenous trees such as the date palm and [[neem]] as well as imported trees such as the [[eucalyptus]] grow in Dubai's natural parks. The [[MacQueen's bustard]], [[striped hyena]], [[caracal]], [[fennec fox|desert fox]], falcon and [[Arabian oryx]] are common in Dubai's desert. Dubai is on the migration path between Europe, Asia and Africa, and more than 320 migratory bird species pass through the emirate in spring and autumn. The waters of Dubai are home to more than 300 species of fish, including the [[hammour]]. The typical marine life off the Dubai coast includes tropical fish, jellyfish, coral, [[dugong]], dolphins, whales and sharks. Various types of turtles can also be found in the area including the [[hawksbill]] turtle and [[green turtle]], which are listed as endangered species.<ref>[http://www.gowealthy.com/gowealthy/wcms/en/home/articles/entertainment/events-and-festivals/Flora-fauna-of-Dubai-B0odU6b3Lu.html Flora and fauna of Dubai] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090702064554/http://www.gowealthy.com/gowealthy/wcms/en/home/articles/entertainment/events-and-festivals/Flora-fauna-of-Dubai-B0odU6b3Lu.html |date=2 July 2009}} gowealthy.com</ref><ref>[http://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/default.asp Natural UAE] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100126010401/http://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/default.asp |date=26 January 2010}} UAE Interact. Retrieved 29 April 2010.</ref>

==Urban areas== Dubai Creek runs northeast–southwest through the city. The eastern section of the city forms the locality of [[Deira, Dubai|Deira]] and is flanked by the emirate of [[Sharjah (emirate)|Sharjah]] in the east and the town of [[Al Aweer]] in the south. The [[Dubai International Airport]] is located south of Deira, while the [[Palm Deira#The Palm, Deira|Palm Deira]] is located north of Deira in the [[Persian Gulf]]. Much of Dubai's real-estate boom is concentrated to the west of Dubai Creek, on the [[Jumeirah]] coastal belt. [[Port Rashid]], [[Jebel Ali]], [[Burj Al Arab]], the [[Palm Jumeirah]] and theme-based free-zone clusters such as [[Business Bay]] are all located in this section.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.justproperty.com/en/floorplans/ |title=Dubai Floor Plan & Area Map |access-date=16 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811183913/https://www.justproperty.com/en/floorplans/ |archive-date=11 August 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> Dubai is notable for sculpted artificial island complexes including the [[Palm Islands]] and [[The World (archipelago)|The World]] archipelago. {{clear}}

==Climate== {{Main|Climate of Dubai}} Dubai has a [[hot desert climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] BWh). Summers in Dubai are extremely hot, prolonged, windy, and humid, with an average high around {{convert|40|°C|0|abbr=on}} and overnight lows around {{convert|30|°C|0|abbr=on}} in the hottest month, August. Most days are sunny throughout the year. Winters are comparatively cool, though mild to warm, with an average high of {{convert|24|°C|0|abbr=on}} and overnight lows of {{convert|14|°C|0|abbr=on}} in January, the coolest month. Precipitation, however, has been increasing in the last few decades, with accumulated rain reaching {{convert|110.7|mm|2|abbr=on}} per year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dubaiairport.com/dubaimet/MET/Climate.aspx |title=Climate in Dubai across the year. Dubai Meteorological office |publisher=Dubaiairport.com |access-date=20 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101218070259/http://www.dubaiairport.com/DubaiMet/MET/Climate.aspx |archive-date=18 December 2010}}</ref> Dubai summers are also known for the very high humidity level, which can make it very uncomfortable for many with exceptionally high dew points in summer. [[Heat index]] values can reach over {{convert|60|°C|0|abbr=on}} at the height of summer.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Al Serkal |first1=Mariam M. |title=64 degrees in Dubai – should you worry? |url=https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather/64-degrees-in-dubai---should-you-worry-1.1862007 |website=Gulf News |access-date=17 July 2019 |location=Dubai |date=14 July 2016 |archive-date=17 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717230446/https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather/64-degrees-in-dubai---should-you-worry-1.1862007 |url-status=live}}</ref> The highest recorded temperature in Dubai is {{cvt|48.8|C|F|abbr=}}.

{{Weather box | location = Dubai (1977–2015 normals) | metric first = yes | single line = yes | Jan record high C = 31.8 | Feb record high C = 37.5 | Mar record high C = 41.3 | Apr record high C = 43.5 | May record high C = 47.0 | Jun record high C = 47.9 | Jul record high C = 48.5 | Aug record high C = 48.8 | Sep record high C = 45.1 | Oct record high C = 42.4 | Nov record high C = 38.0 | Dec record high C = 33.2 | Jan high C = 23.9 | Feb high C = 25.4 | Mar high C = 28.9 | Apr high C = 33.3 | May high C = 37.7 | Jun high C = 39.8 | Jul high C = 40.9 | Aug high C = 41.3 | Sep high C = 38.9 | Oct high C = 35.4 | Nov high C = 30.6 | Dec high C = 26.2 | Jan mean C = 19.1 | Feb mean C = 20.5 | Mar mean C = 23.6 | Apr mean C = 27.5 | May mean C = 31.4 | Jun mean C = 33.4 | Jul mean C = 35.5 | Aug mean C = 35.9 | Sep mean C = 33.3 | Oct mean C = 29.8 | Nov mean C = 25.4 | Dec mean C = 21.2 | Jan low C = 14.3 | Feb low C = 15.5 | Mar low C = 18.3 | Apr low C = 21.7 | May low C = 25.1 | Jun low C = 27.3 | Jul low C = 30.0 | Aug low C = 30.4 | Sep low C = 27.7 | Oct low C = 24.1 | Nov low C = 20.1 | Dec low C = 16.3 | Jan record low C = 7.7 | Feb record low C = 7.4 | Mar record low C = 11.0 | Apr record low C = 13.7 | May record low C = 15.7 | Jun record low C = 21.3 | Jul record low C = 24.1 | Aug record low C = 24.0 | Sep record low C = 22.0 | Oct record low C = 15.0 | Nov record low C = 10.8 | Dec record low C = 8.2 | precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation mm = 18.8 | Feb precipitation mm = 25.0 | Mar precipitation mm = 22.1 | Apr precipitation mm = 7.2 | May precipitation mm = 0.4 | Jun precipitation mm = 0.0 | Jul precipitation mm = 0.8 | Aug precipitation mm = 0.0 | Sep precipitation mm = 0.0 | Oct precipitation mm = 1.1 | Nov precipitation mm = 2.7 | Dec precipitation mm = 16.2 | Jan precipitation days = 5.5 | Feb precipitation days = 4.7 | Mar precipitation days = 5.8 | Apr precipitation days = 2.6 | May precipitation days = 0.3 | Jun precipitation days = 0.0 | Jul precipitation days = 0.5 | Aug precipitation days = 0.5 | Sep precipitation days = 0.1 | Oct precipitation days = 0.2 | Nov precipitation days = 1.3 | Dec precipitation days = 3.8 | Jan sun = 251 | Feb sun = 241 | Mar sun = 270 | Apr sun = 306 | May sun = 350 | Jun sun = 345 | Jul sun = 332 | Aug sun = 326 | Sep sun = 309 | Oct sun = 307 | Nov sun = 279 | Dec sun = 254 | Jand sun = 8.1 | Febd sun = 8.6 | Mard sun = 8.7 | Aprd sun = 10.2 | Mayd sun = 11.3 | Jund sun = 11.5 | Juld sun = 10.7 | Augd sun = 10.5 | Sepd sun = 10.3 | Octd sun = 9.9 | Novd sun = 9.3 | Decd sun = 8.2 | source 1 = Dubai Meteorological Office<ref name="weather">{{cite web | url = https://services.dubaiairports.ae/dubaimet/MET/Climate.aspx | title = Climate (Average Temperatures:1977–2015;Precipitation:1967-2009) | access-date = 14 February 2019 | publisher = Dubai Meteorological Office | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131004223556/https://services.dubaiairports.ae/dubaimet/MET/Climate.aspx | archive-date = 4 October 2013 | url-status=dead | df = dmy-all }}</ref> | source 2 = UAE National Center of Meteorology<ref name="UAE NCM Climate">{{cite web | url = http://www.ncm.ae/en/climate-reports-yearly.html?id=8803 | title = Climate Yearly Report 2003–2018 | access-date = 14 February 2019 | publisher = UAE National Center of Meteorology NCM | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190215050649/http://www.ncm.ae/en/climate-reports-yearly.html?id=8803 | archive-date = 15 February 2019 | url-status=live | df = dmy-all }}</ref> | source = }}

==References== {{reflist}}

[[Category:Geography of Dubai| ]] [[Category:Geography of the United Arab Emirates|Dubai]]