Where are we?

So, I think we take for granted that everyone knows where we are in the world. Thought it might be helpful to show our location on some maps.  Above, I have drawn a red X over Dubai.

As you can see, we are in the very middle of the Middle East, technically a part of Asia. We are driving distance to Saudi Arabia whose capital Riyadh is only a 50 minute flight. Qatar is so close that sports fans stayed in Dubai hotels and took day flights to the World Cup games last year.  Tehran is a quick 2 hour flight, definitely not on our bucket list (don’t worry everyone!).  In fact, the Iranian border is a mere 133 miles as the crow flies, across the Strait of Hormuz, shown in the satellite photo below . . . .

Speaking of the Strait of Hormuz, it is only 21 miles wide and is considered one of the world’s most strategically important choke points. 25% of global oil consumption flows through this narrow spot, as well as 33% of all natural gas. It is the only passage from the Persian Gulf into the Gulf of Oman (i.e. open ocean). Its name derives from an Arabic word meaning “the door of peace.”  Ha Ha, yeah right!

Drilling down further, the image above shows a high level map of Dubai. There is a blue dot over the Dubai Marina where we live. Below, a closer look shows where we live in relation to the Palm Jumeirah.

Some photos of our building. We live on the 30th floor of the building on the right . . . .