United Arab Emirates

Fifty years ago, the United Arab Emirates was a collection of small fishing and pearl-diving villages scattered along the Persian Gulf coast. Today, Dubai alone has the world's tallest building, the world's largest shopping mall, artificial islands shaped like palm trees visible from space, and an indoor ski slope in the middle of a desert where summer temperatures hit 50 degrees Celsius. The transformation of the UAE from one of the poorest regions on Earth to one of the wealthiest is the most dramatic economic makeover in modern history.

The UAE is a federation of seven emirates - Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah, and Ras Al Khaimah - each with its own ruler and personality. Abu Dhabi, the capital and by far the largest emirate, holds most of the oil wealth and plays the role of the steady, cultured elder sibling with the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Dubai is the flashy younger sibling, a global brand built on sheer audacity and an if-you-can-dream-it-we-can-build-it philosophy. Together they have created a country where over 85% of the population are expatriates from every corner of the globe.

But there is more to the UAE than glass towers and luxury malls. The Al Hajar Mountains in the east offer rugged hiking. The Rub al Khali, the Empty Quarter, is the largest sand desert in the world. Emirati culture, rooted in Bedouin traditions of hospitality, falconry, and pearl diving, persists beneath the gleaming surface. And the ambition shows no sign of slowing down - the UAE has sent a probe to Mars, is building a museum of the future, and is planning for a post-oil economy with investments in renewable energy and artificial intelligence.