Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi (UK: /ˌæbuːˈdæbi/, US: /ˌɑːbuːˈdɑːbi/; Arabic: أَبُو ظَبِي ʾAbū Ẓabī Arabic pronunciation: [ɐˈbuˈðˤɑbi])[5] is the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The city of Abu Dhabi is the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the UAE's second-most populous city after Dubai.
This article is about the city. For the municipal region, see Abu Dhabi Central Capital District. For the emirate, see Emirate of Abu Dhabi. For other uses, see Abu Dhabi (disambiguation).
Abu Dhabi
ʾAbū Ẓabī (أَبُو ظَبِي)
Saif Badr al-Qubaisi
972 km2 (375 sq mi)
27 m (89 ft)
1,807,000
1,900/km2 (4,800/sq mi)
Abu Dhabian, Dhabyani
US$ 118.4 billion (2023)
US$ 75,600 (2023)
The city of Abu Dhabi is located on an island in the Persian Gulf, off the Central West Coast. Most of the city and the Emirate reside on the mainland connected to the rest of the country. As of 2021, Abu Dhabi's urban area had an estimated population of 1.5 million,[6] out of 2.9 million in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, as of 2016.[7] The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority is headquartered in the city, and was the world's 3rd largest sovereign wealth fund in 2022.[8] Abu Dhabi itself has over a trillion US dollars worth of assets under management in a combination of various sovereign wealth funds headquartered there.[9]
Abu Dhabi houses local and federal government offices and is the home of the United Arab Emirates Government and the Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs. The city is home to the UAE's President, a member of the Al Nahyan family. Abu Dhabi's rapid development and urbanisation, coupled with the massive oil and gas reserves and production and relatively high average income, have transformed it into a large, developed metropolis. It is the country's centre of politics and industry, and a major culture and commerce center. Abu Dhabi accounts for about two-thirds of the roughly $503 billion UAE economy.[10]
The Lake Park
A view from Heritage Park
Mangroves at Mangrove National Park, near Al Qurm Corniche on Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Street in the eastern part of the city[26]
![Mangroves at Mangrove National Park, near Al Qurm Corniche on Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Street in the eastern part of the city[26]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/Abu_Dhabi_Mangroves.jpg/268px-Abu_Dhabi_Mangroves.jpg)
Abu Dhabi in the 1970s was planned for a predicted topmost population of 600,000. Following the urban planning ideals of the time period, the city has high-density tower blocks and wide grid-pattern roads.[88] The population density is at its apex on the most northerly part of the island. At this point, the main streets have a large amount of 20- to 30-story towers. These towers are in a rectangular pattern, and inside is an ordinary grid pattern of roads with low rise buildings such as 2-story villas or 6-story low-rise buildings.
Due to this planning, a modern city with tall offices, apartment buildings, broad boulevards, and busy shops is present. Principal thoroughfares are the Corniche, Airport Road, Sheikh Zayed Street, Hamdan Street, and Khalifa Street. Abu Dhabi is known in the region for its greenery; the former desert strip today includes numerous parks and gardens. The design of the inner city roads and main roads are quite organised. Starting from the Corniche, all horizontal streets are oddly numbered, while all vertical streets are evenly numbered. Thus, the Corniche is Street No. 1, Khalifa Street is Street No. 3, Hamdan Street is Street No. 5, Electra Street is Street No. 7 and so on. Conversely, Salam Street is St No. 8.[89]
Mail is generally delivered to post-office boxes only; however, there is door-to-door delivery for commercial organisations. There are many parks throughout the city. Entrance is usually free for children, however, there is often an entrance fee for adults. The Corniche, the city's seaside promenade, is about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) in length, with gardens, playgrounds, and a BMX/skateboard ring.[90]
In 2007 the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) was established, which is the agency responsible for the future of Abu Dhabi's urban environments and the expert authority behind the visionary Plan Abu Dhabi 2030 Urban Structure Framework Plan that was published in September 2007.[51] The UPC is also working on similar plans for the regions of Al-Ain and Al-Gharbia.
Because of the rapid development of Abu Dhabi, a number of challenges to the city's urban organisation have developed, among them:
In 2023, Abu Dhabi was ranked the safest city in the world for the sixth year running by the statistical analysis website Numbeo.[91]
Sites and attractions[edit]
Abu Dhabi has many sites and attractions that include the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Mariam Umm Eisa Mosque, Emirates Palace, Qasr Al Watan, Yas Marina Circuit, The Corniche, Hayyatii Towers, Etihad Towers, Yas Marina, Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Yas Island, Saadiyat Island, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi and Jubail Mangrove Park.[150]
On 29 April 2022, Abu Dhabi announced a 100% capacity for commercial activities, tourist attractions and events in the emirate.[151]
Skyline of Abu Dhabi
NYUAD Library in Abu Dhabi
Red Bull Air Race World Championship in Abu Dhabi
Highway in Abu Dhabi
Highrises in Abu Dhabi
Hudayriyat Island
Ghantoot Marina and Resort
