11 Facts About Dubai That Turned Out To Be False. Interesting Facts That Smash the Figure of the Extraordinary City

#1 Dubai is not a country but a city located in the United Arab Emirates. It is the largest metropolitan area in the country, but it is not the capital city, contrary to the opinion of some internet users

#2 Dubai is not a city of billionaires and this is probably the most popular myth about this city. More wealthy people live in Beijing or New York, out of the top 500 American billionaires, only 20 live in Dubai

#3 Skyscrapers are everywhere… In photos. Around the city center "flourishes" the neighborhood of the less wealthy, while the rich buy up large plots of land and settle down away from the hustle and bustle of the big city

#4 A paradise on earth for your child? Not really. Basic education is very expensive (100 000 US dollars for 11 years of schooling), let alone college… In addition, the climate is not conducive to outdoor play and most of the time our child would spend in air-conditioned rooms

#5 Expensive cars are a hallmark of Dubai. However, after 2009 and the economic crisis, many owners abandoned their valuable vehicles. You can still find an abandoned Ferrari or Porsche on the streets that remember better times

#6 Police only drives expensive sports cars? No, they are mostly for show and to create a vision of the city's wealth. Occasionally, police officers patrol the tourist districts in them to reinforce the vision of "rich police". However, it is true that sometimes police has to use fast cars in pursuit of the owner of a similar car

#7 The main source of income in Dubai was not oil, but pearls. It was thanks to pearl jewelry that the city began to gain in importance. Later, deposits of black gold were discovered, which sealed Dubai's economic dominance

#8 A city so rich that there is no poverty? Not true and it is very visible. Economic immigrants are the norm, but they are paid salaries of $250-350. Is that a lot? Taking into account that life in Dubai is very expensive (for example, public transport package costs $ 30 per month), this amount is ridiculously low. That is why on average workers' apartments we can find 5 people in one room

#9 In Dubai, only 23 percent of residents were born there and are true "Dubaiites." the other 77 percent are economic immigrants mainly from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh

#10 Dubai is not a fully automated city, although many see it as the city of the future. There are areas of the city where even the sewage system doesn't work properly!

#11 In the past, sheikhs loved to boast about chained wild cats and other exotic animals. But in 2017, a ban on owning dangerous animals was introduced. The fine for showing off a cheetah or tiger in public is 156,486 US dollars (500,000 dirhams)