Emirates Airline / Etihad Airways

For such a small country, the UAE certainly has a they go. And they go far. Emirates is either a part- large global outreach. Through its international ner or sponsor of Fifa, Arsenal FC, AC Milan, Real airlines – Dubai’s Emirates and the national car- Madrid, the HSBC Sevens World Series, Durham rier Etihad – it transports not just its residents, County Cricket Club, the Dubai World Cup, the but its brand and image across the world. Australian Symphonies and more. The role the carriers play in the country’s econ- Meanwhile, Etihad is a partner of Major League omy cannot be understated: last year Emirates’ Soccer and Sydney Opera House and sponsors profit rose by 43 per cent to Dh3.3 billion, while Mumbai Indians cricket team, Sport Australia Etihad reported a 27 per cent rise in first-quarter Hall of Fame and others; most famously, the Pre- revenues this year. mier League champions, Manchester City foot- However, the airlines play what is perhaps an ball club. The lists are seemingly endless. equally important part in communicating the In this way, Emirates and Etihad, which means country’s values and identity through their ‘union’, are able to not only represent the UAE to sponsorship of leading sports teams and events future tourists and residents, but also to cement around the world. They are ambassadors, bear- the country’s reputation as a rising centre for lo- ing the country’s reputation and name wherever gistics, sports, arts and business. Environment

The passion of the Founding Presi- poses of environmental regulation dent, Sheikh Zayed, did not stop at and conservation. His legacy has humanitarian duty, but extended been immortalised through the UAE’s to our duty to the environment. For continuing work in the field – from this vision, he was the first head of the Zayed Future Energy Prize, which state awarded the Golden Panda, the awards eco-friendly solutions and in- WWF’s highest conservation award. ventions, to Masdar City, Abu Dhabi’s On the UAE’s first Environment Day, landmark arcology project trying to in 1998, Sheikh Zayed said the envi- set new standards in sustainability. ronment was cherished as an inte- Coincidentally, E is also for Estid- gral part of the country, its history ama – an Abu Dhabi project trying and its heritage. He added: “On land to improve upon best practices in and in the sea, our forefathers lived sustainable construction, such as the and survived in this environment. Leed building rating system. Today, They were able to do so only be- all new buildings in the capital must cause they recognised the need to introduce basic energy and water conserve it, to take from it only what consumption reduction measures they needed to live, and to preserve and other steps, earning themselves it for succeeding generations.” one pearl – out of a maximum of five In this endeavour, he created federal pearls. Government projects have to bodies and institutions for the pur- score at least two pearls. Expo 2020

Dubai’s Expo 2020 win was not so If the 1980s and 1990s were a time of much a coup for the emirate, but the rapid development, with pearl diving icing on the cake of the city’s return replaced by gold, oil and trade, the to prosperity. 2000s were an economic explosion It is also, by extension, an affirmation – during this time the city diversified of the country’s status as an ever- its economy into a haven for tourism, emerging international economic finance, property and retail. Through- powerhouse. Winning the bid means out the course of this story, more global recognition of a 40-year story in and more expatriate workers have which Dubai grew from a coastal set- flocked to the city, further bolstering tlement dependent on pearl diving, to its growth. Although this development a modern metropolis, rivalling some of was followed by the 2008 financial the world’s most developed cities. crisis, the country soon made a gritty Even in the 1990s, before Burj Al Arab return to prosperity. Today, ever-rising was built, and before the city was a real estate prices and an entrepreneur- household name, people spoke of its ial ecosystem welcoming increasing rapid development. numbers of companies and entrepre- When the World Trade Centre was neurs from all over the world. inaugurated in 1979, it was the tallest Expo 2020 is expected to create building in the Arabian Gulf. But few 277,000 new jobs and bring in 25 expected the true magnitude of the million visitors – and Dh89 billion. vision of the Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh However, it serves not as a welcome Rashid bin Saeed – a vision his sons, lifejacket, but a unique opportunity the late Sheikh Maktoum and the pre- to show the world what a country can sent Ruler, Sheikh Mohammed, would achieve with bold ambitions. produce. E11

If the UAE’s infrastructure was an Ghantoot. Here, the E11 once again organism, this would be its aorta; a runs through a desert landscape as lifeline linking the coastal emirates Sheikh Zayed Road, which later divides from Ras Al Khaimah to Al Gharbia, and the city’s iconic rows of modern sky- beyond. If it were a tree, the road would scrapers. This continues until Sharjah, be the trunk, from which the country’s where the ever-vibrant Al Ittihad Road network of infrastucture branches out. runs into Ajman and becomes Wasit The road runs not just through the Street and Sheikh Zayed Street. country, but beyond its borders, into Next, it travels into Umm Al Quwain Saudi Arabia and Oman – predomi- and then to Ras Al Khaimah, where it nantly along, or parallel to, the coast. becomes Sheikh Mohammed bin Sa- On the Saudi side of the border, two lem Road. roads coalesce into the E11. Once in The E11 eventually meets Ras Al the UAE, this runs across the desert Khaimah’s Al Rams road and runs expanses of Al Gharbia, as the Mafraq- into north-east Oman, meandering Ghweifat highway, until it becomes around the country’s coast until it hits Abu Dhabi-Tarif Road, just before Ma- the town of Khasab, capital of the Mu- dinat Zayed. This then continues past sandam peninsula. Abu Dhabi International Airport and Such a journey could offer one a becomes Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid glimpse into the UAE’s soul, reflect- Road shortly after Al Rahba. The road ing not just its collective values and is then enveloped on either side with culture, but those specific to its indi- trees until the border with Dubai, near vidual emirates too.