Dubai, 1990, satellite image. North is at top. Water is dark blue, urbanized areas are grey, vegetation is red and desert is light brown. Dubai is located on the coast of the Persian Gulf in the Arabian Peninsula, within the Arabian Desert. It is one of the seven emirates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which formed in 1971. Dubai City, is situated on the banks of Dubai Creek, (centre) a natural inlet used for shipping. The creek was dredged in the 1970s to allow the passage of large vessels. The population of Dubai began to increase rapidly from the early 1970s, after the discovery of reserves of oil fuelled economic growth. There was significant urban development in the area from the 1970s to 1990. To compare an earlier image of Dubai see E780/1456, to see a later image, see E780/1458. This iumage was obtained on 28/08/90 by Landsat 4.