The UAE is a federation of seven emirates along the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula, each governed by a hereditary emir, with a single national president. The capital is Abu Dhabi, which is also the state’s center of political, industrial and cultural activity. Dubai is both an emirate and the region’s largest city. It is home to the world’s tallest building, longest indoor ski slope and biggest shopping mall outside North America. Dubai offers worldly luxury in its most extreme form. The economic recession of 2009 and subsequent pandemic put many of the more grandiose construction projects on hold, but new luxury hotels are again popping up apace.