Snapshot Of The Emirates
ABU DHABI
HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al
Nahyan, Founding Father of the UAE
and former Ruler of Abu Dhabi.
HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al
Nayhan, UAE President and the Ruler
of Abu Dhabi.
Founding Father: HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayhan (1966 – 2004)
Current Ruler: HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nayhan (2004 – present)
Important Landmarks: The Grand Mosque, Maqta Bridge
Key Industries: Tourism, Oil & Gas Production and Free Zone Business Investment Opportunities
T
he emirate of Abu Dhabi is
the capital of the United Arab
Emirates and is also the
second most populous of the
seven emirates. Under the diligent
guidance of their visionary founding
father HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan
Al Nahyan and the current Ruler of
Abu Dhabi, President of the UAE and
commander of the Union Defence
Force, HH Sheikh Kalifa bin Zayed Al
Nahyan, Abu Dhabi has grown into a
cosmopolitan metropolis.
• Jebel Hafeet, located in Al Ain, is the
UAE’s second tallest mountain and
has evidence of early civilisations
around it.
• Abu Dhabi was also known for
conducting business in the pearling
industry.
• The first town bus entered service
in 1969 but was part of an informal
service.
Today,
transportation
throughout the emirate includes
public buses, taxis, ferries and
airplanes.
• Oil was discovered in Abu Dhabi in
1960. Production and export began
offshore in 1962 and onshore in
1963. The emirate remains the
largest producer of oil in the UAE.
• The Abu Dhabi International Airport is
the city’s main aviation hub and the
second busiest airport in the UAE. Its
terminals are dominated by Etihad
Airways, which is the UAE’s national
carrier and the country’s second
largest airline.
• The literal translation of the words Abu
Dhabi means “Father of the Deer”
which has references of gazelles
that inhabited the emirate.
• Abu Dhabi is the wealthiest emirate
in the UAE as it relates to Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) and per
capita income. In 2007, Forbes and
CNN named the emirate as the
wealthiest in the world.
• Abu Dhabi is the home to numerous
education institutions, which include
local and international schools. All
schools in the emirate are under the
authority of the Abu Dhabi Education
Council (ADEC).
• Abu Dhabi is full of archaeological
evidence that points to civilisations
dating as far back as the 3rd
millennium BC.
• The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is
the official mosque of the UAE and is
also considered to be one of the most
important landmarks in Abu Dhabi.
Source: National Archives – Abu Dhabi
(Photo Credit: National Archives, UAE)
Here are some interesting facts
about Abu Dhabi:
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Nov - Dec 2014
Special Feature