In pictures: A look at the Expo 2020 Dubai pavilion designs

UAE Pavillion: In the shape of a falcon in flight, the UAE Pavilion will tell the history of the nation as a connected global hub, and the vision of its leaders to create a peaceful and progressive society with an ambitious future.

The Pavilion will be four storeys tall, 15,000 sqm in area, with dedicated hospitality space and exhibitions showcasing Emirati culture and achievements.

Saudi Arabia Pavilion: The 13,000 sqm pavilion, resembling a huge window opening up from the ground and soaring into the sky, will offer visitors an immersive journey showcasing Saudi Arabia’s transformation. Balancing rich heritage and natural wonders with the energy, creativity and innovativeness of its people, the pavilion will demonstrate how Saudi Arabia is shaping both its own and the world’s future.

Mobility Pavilion: How people, goods, ideas and data move (and what it all means). From 9th-century Baghdad to a virtual world brimming with data, and onwards to the city of tomorrow, it will all be here. You may even be served by a robot or drone waiter along the way

Al Wasl Plaza: Historically, Dubai was called Al Wasl, or the “Connection”. Al Wasl dome encloses the 150-metre diameter Al Wasl Plaza, which will be a central hub during Expo and beyond, connecting the 3 thematic districts: Mobility; Sustainability; Opportunity.

Sustainability Pavilion: Tiptoe underneath a dense forest as the roots communicate with one another. Meet a giant fish who’s furious about plastic waste in his ocean home. It’s not too late for us to save the world.

Opportunity Pavilion: The Opportunity Pavilion aspires to engender empathy in visitors to trigger a desire to act to create a better world.

DP World Pavilion: The DP World Pavilion represents our vision for the future; transforming how we live and work. Discover the future of flow for logistics, data and people so that we can create opportunities for all.

Emirates Pavilion: A technically advanced, must-see opportunity to experience and influence the future of aviation

Australia Pavillion: The theme encapsulates Australian optimism, ambition and creativity. It celebrates Australian diversity and collaboration, and envisions infinite possibilities founded on 60,000 years of innovation.

Austria Pavilion: Austria is a nation reimagining ideas. This is reflected in its decision to use a 9,000-year-old soil to build its pavilion, which comprises 47 truncated cones. The structure will be ventilated through its innovative use of the cones, and will house exhibitions, workshops, installations and more.

Azerbaijan Pavillion: The nature-inspired pavilion, which has a leaf-shaped roof, will encourage visitors to consider the impact of their individual choices and invest in the future now to restore balance to our natural world.

Belarus Pavilion: Belarus is exploring the themes of innovation, investment and the individual at its pavilion, which recreates the look and feel of the nation’s primeval forests.

Belgium Pavilion: Covered in lush greenery, the ark-inspired pavilion is designed to produce more energy than it consumes. Visitors can interact with a host of Belgian innovations while enjoying Belgian delicacies.

Brazil Pavillion: Recreating the Amazon basin, the pavilion will have a water feature that visitors can walk through (or around) as they take in the sights, sounds and scents of Brazil’s riverside areas. Visitors will discover more about the country’s rich biodiversity and its potential in sustainable production.

Canada Pavilion: Embark on a journey through Canada’s past, present and future. Inspired by Canadian landscapes and Arabic architectural elements, the pavilion is symbolic of the strong cultural and economic ties between Canada and the UAE.

China Pavillion: The China Pavilion will symbolise hope and a bright future, and is designed in line with the principle of the “combination of the Chinese and Western culture with Chinese culture as the core”.

Czech Republic Pavilion: Visitors will be impressed by its centrepiece, which creates fertile land in the barren conditions of the desert by extracting water vapour from the air. This feat of technology, which has enormous potential, uses only solar energy and Czech innovations.

Finland Pavilion: Resembling an Arabic tent made of snow, the Finland Pavilion aims to bring together the country’s icy landscapes with the culture of Expo 2020’s host nation. Inside the 'Snow Cape', visitors will find a peaceful haven full of surprises.

France Pavilion: Titled ‘Light, Lights’, the pavilion’s theme explores light as an enabler of progress, a vehicle for connections and a source of heat and creativity. It seeks to embody the Age of Enlightenment, the 18th century movement spearheaded by French intellectuals that emphasised concepts such as knowledge exchange and tolerance.

Germany Pavilion: Based around a campus theme, Germany’s pavilion at Expo 2020 presents a wonderful array of creative environmental ideas with real-life results. Visitors can wear cutting-edge connected devices as they venture through themed areas that include The Energy Lab, The Future City Lab and The Biodiversity Lab.

India Pavilion: Building on India’s culture, heritage and technologies, including its space programme, the Pavilion will reflect ‘new India’ and show the strengths of its human resources and youth’s aspirations.

Italy Pavilion: Set under the overturned hulls of three ships, the Italian pavilion will tell a memorable story of culture, art, sustainability, education, science, security and innovation. Inspired by the connecting routes of the Mediterranean, it will take visitors on a journey through history to the future.

Japan Pavilion: The pavilion’s lattice exterior combines traditional Japanese and Arabesque patterns, paying homage to the ancient Silk Road trade route that connected the two.

Republic of Korea Pavilion: As the link to infinite possibilities, the exhibition featuring Korea’s soft power and technology in the field of mobility will bring an imagination as well as searching for deeper meaning and glimpses of the future mobility.

Latvia Pavilion: The design of the pavilion means it unfolds as one open surface, creating a distinct climate inside its own limits. It will be a space that is continuous, unobstructed and accessible for all.

Luxembourg Pavilion: The design of the pavilion, resembling a Mobius strip, symbolises Luxembourg’s openness, dynamism and reliability.

Malaysia Pavilion: The pavilion’s ‘Energising Sustainability’ theme captures Malaysia’s commitment to balance socio-economic progress with environmental concerns, to ensure a secure and sustainable future.

Monaco Pavilion: Inspired by the 'Rock of Monaco', this gem-like, polygonal pavilion will take visitors on a multi-sensory journey through mirrored exhibition spaces, replicating the sights and smells of the French Riviera.

Montenegro Pavilion: The Montenegro pavilion will offer visitors an insight into the country’s multi-religious cultural heritage, its national parks, water resources and diverse ecosystems, while celebrating it as an open and safe investment destination.

Morocco Pavilion: The pavilion architecture combines modernity and tradition with a building that, while being at the forefront of construction techniques, is inspired by ancestral methods using earth, like in some Moroccan villages.

Netherlands Pavilion: Brimming with sustainable solutions, the Netherlands Pavilion will harvest water, energy and food through innovations including a cone-shaped vertical farm.

New Zealand Pavilion: The New Zealand Pavilion’s theme reflects the Maori value of ""kaitiakitanga"", which emphasizes the deep kinship between people and the environment.

Norway Pavilion: The Norway Pavilion will allow you to explore the deep blue sea and learn about the importance of ocean conservation – all without changing into a wetsuit.

Oman Pavilion: The Oman Pavilion pays tribute to this precious resin, with its exterior resembling the tree that produces frankincense. Inside there are five zones detailing the diverse ways in which frankincense has benefited Oman – spanning everything from medicine to food to cosmetics.

Peru Pavilion: Peru’s cultural diversity, infinite wealth and ancient wisdom are the greatest protagonists that still surprise the world and will help humanity to build a better future.

Philippines Pavilion: The natural, organic shape of the coral reef, or Bangkóta will draw visitors to the Philippine Pavilion into defined, free-flowing, open spaces, reflecting how Filipino culture embraces openness, meaningful encounters, and are connected around the world by travel, migration, and technology.

Poland Pavilion: The tree-like structure, which references the large-scale migration of birds from Poland to the Arab world, explores the nation's diverse global connections, as well as its role as a leading producer of goods.

Russia Pavilion: Showcasing Russia’s extensive knowledge in various fields, the pavilion will take visitors to the next level, where they will be able to experience the possibilities of tomorrow.

Singapore Pavilion: Showcasing Singapore’s urban innovations, the net-zero energy pavilion designed by WOHA explores our journey towards liveability and resilience.

Spain Pavilion: Exploring everything from historical innovation and adventure to biodiversity and organ transplants, the Spain Pavilion offers a diverse experience with a town square atmosphere.

Sweden Pavilion: The Scandinavian woodlands combine with Islamic geometric design to inspire the architecture and storytelling of the Sweden Pavilion.

Switzerland Pavilion: Visitors can ‘hike’ through the Switzerland Pavilion, which will show the country's cultural values and progressive ideas in a structure inspired by Bedouin tents.

Thailand Pavilion: Covered on the outside by a curtain of 500-plus woven artificial flowers, the Thailand Pavilion will present the nation’s warm hospitality and its capabilities in digital innovation and technology.

Turkmenistan Pavilion: Native to Turkmenistan and symbolising national pride, the horses will play a prominent role in a pavilion experience that promises to immerse the senses. 360 degree imagery of five horses will be projected onto the walls, reflecting the movement of people within the pavilion and accompanying visitors through an interactive three-sided hologram.

UK Pavilion: Gaze into the future and add your voice to a continuously changing poem. The UK Pavilion is inspired by a project from the late scientist Stephen Hawking, in which he pondered how humanity could express itself to an extraterrestrial civilisation. The pavilion will offer an awe-inspiring glimpse into the future.