Travel the World - Week 25

This is the 25th week in my Travel the World personal challenge. Each week I am randomly choosing one country (there are 195 countries in the world) and doing a little research on that country. I then select one tidbit of information about the country as inspiration for the card I make.

This week's country is...

United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates is a federation made up of 7 emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ra’s al-Khaimah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain and Fujairah.

Almost everyone here is rich and there are no taxes on income.

Everything in this middle-eastern country is opulent. The world’s largest fleet of the largest airplane in the world is operated by the UAE and it was the very first airline to provide its passengers with an on-board shower.

More than 50% of the citizens of the United Arab Emirates are under the age of 25, making it one of the most youthful nations in the world.

The week starts on Sunday in United Arab Emirates; being the day that children head off to school and their parents head off to work. But don’t worry, they get two days off in a week—Friday and Saturday. Most Middle Eastern countries follow this pattern because Friday is a special day for afternoon prayers in Islam, and this pattern enables Muslims to fulfill this duty. 

Dubai, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, has 1,344 completed skyscrapers – that’s very little compared with Hong Kong (6,606) and New York (6,180). The city is indeed home to the world’s tallest tower (Burj Khalifa), which peaks at 828 metres.

The Dubai Mall is the world’s largest shopping mall. Its internal area covers 5.9 million square feet.

Dubai also has the largest man-made island in the world, the Palm Islands. It consists of hotels and resorts as well.

The United Arab Emirates has a literacy rate of 93%.

Women in the United Arab Emirates account for about 70 per cent of all university graduates in the country and fill around two thirds of government jobs.

Camels are an important and fascinating part of the country’s tradition and history. From owning camel farms, partaking in camel racing and even drinking camel milk, no visit to the United Arab Emirates is complete without understanding how integral this animal is to Emirati culture and tradition.

The city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates holds the Guinness World Record for the longest driverless metro system with a total of 46.35 miles of track. The temperature in the station is also maintained at a constant 20°C!

The police forces in the United Arab Emirates have some extravagant cars to catch speedsters; these include a Lamborghini, a Ferrari and a Bentley!

There are close to 3,500 native plant species in the United Arab Emirates and the date plant is the most well-known indigenous plant.

The country grows dates, vegetables and watermelons; they also rear poultry and cattle, catch fish and produce dairy products.

The dried date fruit, from the local palm trees of the United Arab Emirates, is one of the most well-known and popular points of pride for local Emirati families. Cultivated for thousands of years, many families still own large date farms and continue to pass down the tactics of how to collect and harvest these special dates.

Every state in the United States exports to the United Arab Emirates, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Dubai has no address system, no zip codes, no area codes and no postal system. For a package to be sent properly, the sender would have to leave proper directions to the destination of said package.

I decided to let this United Arab Emirates fact be the inspiration for this week's card... The United Arab Emirates is the largest customer for Boeing commercial aircraft and has more than 40 airports. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: Unity All About the Journey stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Die: Sizzix Destination

Papers: Recollections Black and 110# White and SU Taken with Teal CS and DP from my scrap file

Embellishments: My Mind's Eye Enamel Dots