Abu Dhabi
His
Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al
Nahyan is the ruler of Abu Dhabi and
president of the United Arab Emirates. He
is a son of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al
Nahyan, the first president of the United
Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi is the capital
and the second largest city in the United
Arab Emirates.
Abu Dhabi is the wealthiest emirate of the
UAE in terms of Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) and per capita income. More than $1
trillion is invested worldwide in this
city alone. The GDP per capita also
reached $63,000, which is far above the
average income of the United Arab Emirates
and which ranks third in the world after
Luxembourg and Norway. Abu Dhabi is also
planning many future projects sharing with
the Cooperation Council for the Arab
States of the Gulf (GCC) and taking 29% of
all the GCC future plannings.
Abu Dhabi houses important offices of the
federal government, and is the seat for
the United Arab Emirates Government and
the home for the Abu Dhabi Emiri Family
and the President of the UAE from this
family. Abu Dhabi has grown to be a
cosmopolitan metropolis. Its rapid
development and urbanisation, coupled with
the relatively high average income of its
population, has transformed Abu Dhabi to a
larger and advanced metropolis. Today the
city is the country's center of political,
industrial activities, and a major
cultural, and commercial centre due to its
position as the capital.
Abu Dhabi is home to important financial
institutions such as the Abu Dhabi
Securities Exchange, the Central Bank of
the United Arab Emirates and the corporate
headquarters of many companies and
numerous multinational corporations. One
of the world's largest producers of oil,
Abu Dhabi has actively attempted to
diversify its economy in recent years
through investments in financial services
and tourism. Abu Dhabi is the second most
expensive city for expatriate employees in
the region, and 50th most expensive city
in the world. Fortune & CNN stated that
Abu Dhabi is the richest city in the
world.
Tourism
Abu Dhabi is known around the
world for its massive oil reserves and
majestic mosques with towering minarets.
These, combined with the distinct Arabic
hospitality and mystique - and world-class
infrastructure - make Abu Dhabi an
excellent destination both for the
experienced and novice traveller.
The famous Liwa oasis in the south is home
to some of the largest and most beautiful
sand dunes in the world. It is also the
frontier that leads to the legendary Rub
Al-Khali (Empty Quarter), a vast expanse
of desert that extends through Saudi
Arabia and Oman, which has been the object
of many explorers’ conquest in the past.
Abu Dhabi city bursts with dazzling
business-cum-leisure facilities ranging
from state-of-the-art convention centre,
luxurious hotels, spas, designer golf
courses, theatres and very soon, some of
the world’s most famous museums
particularly Guggenheim and Louvre. The
palace-like shopping malls and indigenous
souqs in Abu Dhabi make for a great
shopping expedition, offering the best
handicraft from local Bedouins to the best
of Paris’ or Milan’s high street fashion
brands, sans the ubiquitous sales tax.
Gastronomic treats further abound from
cool and sophisticated cafes, clubs and
restaurants. For the fitness conscious,
jogging and cycling (or even roller
blading) are a welcome treat especially
during the cooler months in the city’s
charming corniche or beachfront, merely
minutes away from the bustling city
centre.
Cultural sites abound in Abu Dhabi, whose
name implies “Father of the Gazelle” most
likely due to the large number of gazelles
and oryx that once flocked the emirate’s
arid deserts. These heritage sites provide
holiday makers with a glimpse of this
emirate’s storied past - reaching as far
back as 5000 BC - and an understanding of
its people’s culture, values and
aspirations. Being the capital, Abu Dhabi
also houses embassies and hosts
ambassadors from all over the world.
Parks and gardens
Abu Dhabi has over 2000 well-maintained
parks and gardens and more than 400 km of
coastline, of which 10 km are public
beaches. Furthermore the garden city of Al
Ain – lying near the Oman border - is home
to one of the famous peaks of the majestic
Hajar Mountain and the highest point in
the Emirat of Abu Dhabi (Jebel Hafeet),
which rises about 1,340 metres.
Economy
The UAE’s large hydrocarbon wealth gives
it one of the highest GDP per capita in
the world and Abu Dhabi owns the majority
of these resources – 95% of the oil and
92% of gas. Abu Dhabi thus holds 9% of the
world’s proven oil reserves (98.2bn
barrels) and almost 5% of the world’s
natural gas (5.8 trillion cu metres).
Its
oil wealth has been wisely utilized to
encourage a healthy atmosphere of trade &
commerce. The large gardens & parks, green
boulevards lining all the streets & roads
make it an attractive city for tourists.
The long coastline, the shallow waters of
the southern Gulf, extends from the base
of the Qatar Peninsula in the west to the
border of Dubai on the Northeast.
This was once the world's best
water for pearling. When the pearling industry
declined, oil discovery in the offshore oilfields
of the southern Gulf revived the economy of Abu
Dhabi. Abu Dhabi was also the first Emirate to
export oil from Umm Saif offshore field in 1962.
Utility services
The water supply in Abu Dhabi
is managed by the Abu Dhabi Water and
Electricity Company. As of 2006, it
supplied 560.2 MiGD (million imperial
gallons per day) of water, while the water
demand for 2005–06 was estimated to be 511
MiGD. The Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi
(EAD) states that groundwater is the most
significant source of water, as well as
desalinated potable water, and treated
sewage effluent. At 40.6 MiGD, the Umm Al
Nar storage is the largest water source
for Abu Dhabi, followed by the rivers
Shuweihat and Taweelah. With falling
groundwater level and rising population
density, Abu Dhabi faces a severely acute
water shortage. On average each Abu Dhabi
resident uses 550 litres (120 imp gal; 150
U.S. gal) of water per day. Abu Dhabi
daily produces 1,532 tonnes of solid
wastes which is dumped at three landfill
sites by Abu Dhabi Municipality. The daily
domestic waste water production is 330
MiGD and industrial waste water is 40 MiGD.
A large portion of the sewerage flows as
waste into streams, and separation plants.
State-owned Etisalat and private du
communication companies provide telephone
and cell phone service to the city.
Cellular coverage is extensive, and both
GSM and CDMA (from Etisalat and Du)
services are available. Etisalat, the
government owned telecommunications
provider, held a virtual monopoly over
telecommunication services in Abu Dhabi
prior to the establishment of other,
smaller telecommunications companies such
as Emirates Integrated Telecommunications
Company (EITC — better known as Du) in
2006. Internet was introduced into Abu
Dhabi in 1995. The current network is
supported by a bandwidth of 6 GB, with
50,000 dialup and 150,000 broadband ports.
Etisalat recently announced implememnting
a fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network in Abu
Dhabi during the third quarter of 2009 to
make the emirate the world's first city to
have such a network.
Demographics
As the emirate covers 67,341 km2 (26,001
sq mi), nearly 87% of the UAE, the
population density is 21.73 /km2 (56.3 /sq
mi).
The majority of the inhabitants of Abu
Dhabi are expatriate workers from India,
Pakistan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Philippines, the
United Kingdom and various countries from
across the Arab world. Consequently,
English, Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Tigrinya,
Amharic and Bengali are widely spoken.
Apart from Urdu and Hindi spoken by
Indians and Pakistanis, many South Asian
expatriates also contribute other South
Asian languages to the cultural milieu,
including Malayalam, the main language
spoken in the state of Kerala.
The native-born population are
Arabic-speaking Gulf Arabs who are part of
a clan-based society. The Al Nahyan
family, part of the al-Falah branch of the
Bani Yas clan, rules the emirate and has a
central place in society.
Transportation
Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) is
the city's main aviation hub and the
second busiest airport in the UAE. Its
terminal spaces are dominated by Etihad
Airways which is the UAE's national
carrier and the country's second largest
airline. A new terminal opened in 2009
with total capacity reaching 12 million
passengers per annum by 2011.
Public transport systems in Abu Dhabi
include the Abu Dhabi public buses, taxis,
ferries, and airplanes.
Culture
Abu Dhabi has a diverse and multicultural
society. Major holidays in Abu Dhabi
include Eid al Fitr, which marks the end
of Ramadan, Eid ul-Azha which marks the
end of Haj, and National Day (2 December),
which marks the formation of the United
Arab Emirates.
This unique socioeconomic development in
the Persian Gulf has meant that Abu Dhabi
is generally more tolerant than its
neighbours. The country is home to several
communities that have faced persecution
elsewhere. The cosmopolitan atmosphere is
gradually growing and as a result, there
are a variety of Asian and Western
schools, cultural centers and themed
restaurants.
The diversity of cuisine in Abu Dhabi is a
reflection of the cosmopolitan nature of
the society. Arab food is very popular and
is available everywhere in the city, from
the small shawarma to the upscale
restaurants in the city's many hotels.
Fast food and South Asian cuisine are also
very popular and are widely available. The
sale and consumption of pork, though not
illegal, is regulated and it is sold only
to non-Muslims in designated areas.
Similarly, the sale of alcoholic beverages
is regulated. A liquor permit is required
to purchase alcohol; however, alcohol is
available in bars and restaurants within
four or five star hotels. Shisha and qahwa
boutiques are also popular in Abu Dhabi.
Education
Abu Dhabi is home to several international
and local private schools and
universities, including
government-sponsored United Arab Emirates
University in Al-Ain and New York Film
Academy, Paris-Sorbonne University Abu
Dhabi and Abu Dhabi University in Abu
Dhabi.
