DUBAI - Dubai's ruler inaugurates the world's tallest building on Monday, in a testament to the emirate's still strong ambitions to become a global business hub despite the debt problems that have dampened investor optimism.

Developer Emaar Properties spent $1.5 billion on the tower since construction began in 2004. The building's official height will be disclosed later Monday, though it is certain to exceed the 800-meter mark. The world's second-highest tower, Taipei 101 in Taiwan, stands at slightly above 500 meters.

Below are the main facts about the building.

* Burj Dubai has 200 storeys of which about 165 are inhabitable, its chairman said on Monday, and opens 1,325 days after excavation work started in 2004. It took 22 million man hours to complete construction.

* The tower contains 330,000 cubic meters of concrete, 39,000 m/t of reinforced steel, 103,000 square meters of glass and 15,500 square meters of embossed stainless steel.

* The weight of the empty building is 500,000 tons.

* Total built-up area is 5.67 million square feet (526,760 square meters), of which 1.85 million square feet (171,870 square meters) is residential and 300,000 square feet (27,870 square meters) is office space.

* The structure will host the highest observation deck, swimming pool, elevator, restaurant and fountain in the world.

* There are 900 residences available in addition to the soon-to-open Armani hotel. Owner Emaar said 90 percent of the building has been sold.

* The building is covered by 24,348 cladding panels to help it withstand the UAE's summer heat.

* At the peak of construction, some 12,000 workers were involved.

(Reporting by Nicolas Parasie; editing by John Irish, John Stonestreet)

United arab emirates Dubai