The United Arab Emirates was the last country we visited on our Rome to Dubai cruise.   It certainly is an affluent country, especially for native residents of the country.  If you were born there when you marry you are given a land, a new home and a onetime payment.    The majority of the population of the country is people there on extended work visas since the pay is so much better than they can find in many of their home countries.

 Like the other middle east countries it is all sand and water,  The Cities are  new and modern and you see very little of older cities like so much of Europe as an example.

We flew home from Dubai to Boston on an Emirates flight, one of the two national airlines from the U.A.E.  Not one employee on the plane was actually from the U.A.E.   Our pilot was from Texas.