Dubai World Central is the company under which a number of planned projects are being constructed in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. According to the commercial website, the eight project companies that form this brand are:

The construction area is two times the size of Hong Kong Island.

Dubai World (Arabic: دبي العالمية‎) is an investment company that manages and supervises a portfolio of businesses and projects for the Dubai government across a wide range of industry segments and projects that promote Dubai as a hub for commerce and trading. It is the emirate's flag bearer in global investments and has a central role in the direction of Dubai's economy. Assets include DP World, which caused considerable controversy when trying to take over six US ports, and Nakheel, its property arm, which built The Palm Islands and The World developments, and Istithmar World, its investment company. It is chaired by Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

Dubai World was established under a decree ratified on 2 March 2006 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai. He also holds the majority stake in Dubai World.

On 2 July 2006, it was launched as a holding company with more than 50,000 employees in over 100 cities around the globe. The group now has extensive real estate investments in the United States, the United Kingdom and South Africa. Dubai World made headlines in March 2008 after its chairman, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, threatened to take the fund's money out of Europe. Dubai World's threats came shortly after the European Union attempted to lay out "a set of principles for transparency, predictability and accountability" for sovereign wealth funds.

Dubai (/duːˈbaɪ/ doo-BY; Arabic: دبيّ‎ Dubeii; IPA: [du'beii]) is an emirate within the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A city within the emirate is also named Dubai. The emirate is located south east of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the only two emirates to have veto power over critical matters of national importance in the country's legislature. Dubai City is located on the emirate's northern coastline.

The earliest mention of Dubai is in 1095, and the earliest settlement known as Dubai town dates from 1799. Dubai was formally established in 1833 by Sheikh Maktoum bin Buti al Maktoum when he persuaded 800 members of the Bani Yas tribe, living in what is now part of Saudi Arabia, to follow him to the Dubai Creek by the Al Abu Falasa clan of Bani Yas. It remained under clan control when the United Kingdom assumed the protection of Dubai in 1892. Its geographical location made it an important trading hub and by the beginning of the 20th century, it was an important port.