The United Arab Emirates has always been popular for its oil reserves. But the country is also aware of the environment and is on the way to create a complete carbon free city. Here are some lesser-known facts about the UAE which will certainly surprise you:
1. Dubai Police has cars like Lamborghini, Ferrari and Bentley, so that they can catch the criminal by speeding faster and overtaking other cars.
2. According to a 2014 survey, United Arab Emirates ranks 7th in the world by GDP, and is ahead of developed countries like United States, Canada, Netherlands etc.
3. There are ATMs in Dubai which can be used to withdraw gold bars!
4. UAE is very strict about laws. Once, a British man was sentenced to four years in jail in Dubai after it was proven that he was carrying cannabis weighing less than a grain of sugar, embedded in the tread of his shoe. Later, he was pardoned.
5. UAE is one of the major oil exporters and a major investor in solar power. It frequently asks for a renewal of the Kyoto protocol.
6. In the world, Dubai ranks third in cities to have the highest number of skyscrapers, i.e. 148 skyscrapers and Abu Dhabi ranks 27th with only 30 skyscrapers.
7. People living above the 80th floor in Dubai’s tallest building have to wait for two extra minutes before breaking their fast during the Ramadan, because then they will be able to see the sun longer than those living below.
8. Dubai doesn’t have a sewer system. They use trucks to carry the poop of the entire city.
9. In order to drink from the privacy of their homes, the people in Dubai have to obtain a ‘liquor license’.
10. Masdar City, a city near Abu Dhabi will be the first carbon-free city, to be fully powered by renewable energy and will be the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency.
