Query: The Burj Khalifa is in Southeast Asia.

Relevant passages:
United Arab Emirates <=SEP=> The United Arab Emirates ( -LSB- juːˌnaɪtᵻd_ˌærəb_ˈɛmɪrᵻts -RSB- دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة ) , sometimes simply called the Emirates or the UAE , is a federal absolute monarchy in Western Asia at the southeast end of the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf , bordering Oman to the east and Saudi Arabia to the south , as well as sharing maritime borders with Qatar to the west and Iran to the north . In 2013 , the UAE 's population was 9.2 million , of which 1.4 million are Emirati citizens and 7.8 million are expatriates .   The country is a federation of seven emirates , and was established on 2 December 1971 . The constituent emirates are Abu Dhabi ( which serves as the capital ) , Ajman , Dubai , Fujairah , Ras al-Khaimah , Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain . Each emirate is governed by an absolute monarch ; together , they jointly form the Federal Supreme Council . One of the monarchs is selected as the President of the United Arab Emirates . Islam is the official religion of the UAE and Arabic is the official language ( although English and Indian-language dialects are widely spoken , with English being the language of business and education particularly in Abu Dhabi and Dubai ) .   The UAE 's oil reserves are the seventh-largest in the world while its natural gas reserves are the world 's seventeenth-largest . Sheikh Zayed , ruler of Abu Dhabi and the first President of the UAE , oversaw the development of the Emirates and steered oil revenues into healthcare , education and infrastructure . The UAE 's economy is the most diversified in the Gulf Cooperation Council , while its most populous city of Dubai is an important global city and an international aviation hub . Nevertheless , the country remains principally reliant on its export of petroleum and natural gas .   The UAE is criticised for its human rights record , including the specific interpretations of Sharia used in its legal system . The UAE 's rising international profile has led some analysts to identify it as a regional and middle power .

Burj Khalifa <=SEP=> The Burj Khalifa ( برج خليفة , Arabic for `` Khalifa Tower '' ; pronounced -LSB- langˈbɝdʒ_kə ` li : fə -RSB- ) , known as the Burj Dubai before its inauguration , is a megatall skyscraper in Dubai , United Arab Emirates . With a total height of 829.8 m including the antenna and a roof height of 828 m , the Burj Khalifa is currently the tallest structure in the world since topping out in late 2008 .   Construction of the Burj Khalifa began in 2004 , with the exterior completed 5 years later in 2009 . The primary structure is reinforced concrete . The building was opened in 2010 as part of a new development called Downtown Dubai . It is designed to be the centrepiece of large-scale , mixed-use development . The decision to construct the building is reportedly based on the government 's decision to diversify from an oil-based economy , and for Dubai to gain international recognition . The building was named in honour of the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates , Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan ; Abu Dhabi and the UAE government lent Dubai money to pay its debts . The building broke numerous height records , including its designation as the tallest tower in the world .   Burj Khalifa was designed by Adrian Smith , then of Skidmore , Owings & Merrill ( SOM ) , whose firm designed the Willis Tower and One World Trade Center . Hyder Consulting was chosen to be the supervising engineer with NORR Group Consultants International Limited chosen to supervise the architecture of the project . The design is derived from the Islamic architecture of the region , such as in the Great Mosque of Samarra . The Y-shaped tripartite floor geometry is designed to optimize residential and hotel space . A buttressed central core and wings are used to support the height of the building . Although this design was derived from Tower Palace III , the Burj Khalifa 's central core houses all vertical transportation with the exception of egress stairs within each of the wings . The structure also features a cladding system which is designed to withstand Dubai 's hot summer temperatures . It contains a total of 57 elevators and 8 escalators .   Critical reception to Burj Khalifa has been generally positive , and the building has received many awards . However , the labour issues during construction were controversial , since the building was built primarily by migrant workers from South Asia with several allegations of mistreatment . Poor working conditions are common , as the result of the lack of minimum wage laws in the United Arab Emirates . Several instances of suicides have been reported , which is not uncommon for migrant construction workers in Dubai despite safety precautions in place .