TheEmirate of Abu Dhabi[a] is one of sevenemirates that constitute theUnited Arab Emirates. It is the largest emirate, accounting for 87% of the nation's total land area or 67,340 km2 (26,000 sq mi).[4]
Abu Dhabi also has the second-largest population of the seven emirates. In mid-2016, it had a population of 2,908,000, with 551,500 being Emirati citizens, accounting for around 19% of the population.[5] In 2023, the emirate's population had grown to 3,789,860.[6] The city ofAbu Dhabi, after which the emirate is named, is the capital of both the emirate and the federation.[7]
In the early 1970s, two important developments influenced the status of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The first was the establishment of the United Arab Emirates in December 1971, with Abu Dhabi as its initially temporary political and administrative capital. The second was the sharp increase in oil prices after theYom Kippur War, which accompanied a change in the relationship between the oil-exporting countries in the Middle East and foreign oil companies, leading to a dramatic rise in oil revenues.[8]
In 2023, Abu Dhabi had a nominal GDP of AED 1.02 trillion (US$277.9 billion), a nominal GDP per capita of US$84,900, and a government debt to GDP ratio of 16%.[2] In 2022, the size of oil and mining trade increased by 54% and accounted for 48% of GDP. Construction was the next-largest contributor at 7.9%, followed by the financial sector at 6.1%.[9]
In recent times,[when?] the Emirate of Abu Dhabi has continuously contributed around 60% of the GDP of the United Arab Emirates, while its population constitutes only 34% of the total UAE population, according to the 2005 census.[8]
Before the area got the name Abu Dhabi, it was known asMilh, which meanssalt in Arabic, probably because of thesalt water in the area. Milh is still the name of one of the islands in Abu Dhabi.[10]
Abu Dhabi means "father of thegazelle". The first use of the name goes back over 300 years. Since the origin of this name has been passed down from generation to generation throughpoems andlegends, it is difficult to know its actualetymology. It is thought that the name came about because of the abundance of gazelles in the area and a popular folk tale about the founding of the city of Abu Dhabi involving SheikhShakhbut bin Dhiyab Al Nahyan.[10][11]
Al-Hosn Fort in Abu Dhabi, dating to the 18th century
Parts of Abu Dhabi were settled millennia ago, and its early history fits the nomadic herding and fishing pattern typical of the broader region. The Emirate shares thehistorical region of Al-Buraimi or Tawam (which includes modern-dayAl Ain) with Oman,[12][13][14][15] and is demonstrated to have been inhabited for over 7000 years.[16]
Modern Abu Dhabi traces its origins to the rise of an important tribal confederation, theBani Yas, in the late 14th century, which also assumed control ofDubai. In the late 18th century Abu Dhabi was formed. In the early 19th century, Dubai and Abu Dhabi branches parted ways.[17]
The Emirate of Abu Dhabi was first established in 1540 after the fall of theJabrids as the Emirate of Al Dhafrah. It was ruled by theBani Yas, who are originally from theBani Hilal tribe. Their rule in Al Dhafrah was cemented by the construction of the Al Dhafrah fort in 1543. Around 1761, the tribe discovered freshwater sources onAbu Dhabi Island, which led them to establish the Abu Dhabi Emirate.
From 1881 to 1893, the emirate, underZayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, was embroiled in a fiercewar withQatar. This culminated in theBattle of Khannour near the village of Maza'a from January to February 1889, which extended to several regions within the emirate, includingLiwa,Al Dhafra and Al Ain.[18] The emirate also had several victories overQatar. Abu Dhabi demolished the capital, Doha, twice and occupied the broader Al Hasa region after Ottoman intervention. In 1893, an agreement jointly brokered by the British and Ottomans resolved the long-standing conflict between Qatar and Abu Dhabi.[19]
The Emirate at its greatest extent stretched fromSohar, Oman toAl Hasa, Saudi Arabia, during the wars of the 3rd & 4th Destruction of Doha, when the Emirate declared war on the Ottoman Empire and Qatar over a dispute. Contrary to popular belief, the emirate and the other six emirates were not under Omani rule but independent and self-governing. The name Omani Coast refers to the emirate’s location within the historical and cultural region of Oman, not theSultanate of Muscat & Oman.
Abu Dhabi was a base for the tribe to trade, dive for pearls, and for other maritime activities.[20] Into the late 19th century, Abu Dhabi's economy continued to flourish mainly bycamel herding, production ofdates and vegetables at the inlandoases of Al-Ain andLiwa, and fishing andpearl diving off the coast of Abu Dhabi city, which was occupied mainly during the summer. Most dwellings in Abu Dhabi city were, at this time, constructed ofpalm fronds (barasti), with the wealthier families occupyingmud huts. These businesses were very profitable and a strong source of income for the local Dhabyanis, untilcultured pearls were invented in the early 19th century in Japan, causing the pearl trade to crash.[21] This continued until the late 1950s, when oil was discovered in the emirate and its coastlines.[22]
In 1939,SheikhShakhbut Bin-Sultan Al Nahyan granted petroleum concessions, and oil was first found in 1958. At first, oil money had a marginal impact. A few low-rise concrete buildings were erected, and the first paved road was completed in 1961, but Shakbut, uncertain whether the new oil royalties would last, took a cautious approach, preferring to save the revenue rather than invest it in development.[citation needed]
His brother, SheikhZayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, saw that oil wealth had the potential to transform Abu Dhabi. The ruling Nahyan family decided that Sheikh Zayed should replace his brother as ruler and carry out his vision of developing the country. On August 6, 1966, with the assistance of the British, Zayed became the new ruler.[23]
With the announcement by the UK in 1968 that it would withdraw from the area of thePersian Gulf by 1971, Zayed became the main driving force behind the formation of the UAE. After the Emirates gained independence in 1971, oil wealth continued to flow to the area, and traditional mud-brick huts were rapidly replaced with banks, boutiques and modern highrises.
Abu Dhabi is in the far west and southwest part of theUnited Arab Emirates along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf between latitudes 22°40' and around 25° north and longitudes 51° and around 56° east.[24] Itborders theemirate of Dubai andemirate of Sharjah to its north.
The Emirate has an area of 67,340 square kilometres (26,000 square miles), occupying about 87% of the UAE, excluding islands. Its territorial waters embrace about 200 islands off its 700 km (430 miles) coastline. Its topography is dominated by low-lying sandy terrain dotted with sand dunes exceeding 300 m (980 ft) in height in some areas. The eastern part of the Emirate borders thewestern fringes of the Hajar Mountains.Hafeet Mountain, Abu Dhabi's highest elevation and sole mountain,[16] rising 1,100–1,400 m (3,600–4,600 ft),[25][26][27] is south of Al-Ain City.[24][28]
Land cultivation and irrigation for agriculture and forestation over the past decade has increased the size of "green" areas in the emirate to about 5% of the total land area, including parks and roadside plantations. About 1.2% of the total land area is used for agriculture. A small part of the land area is covered by mountains, containing several caves. The coastal area contains pockets of wetland andmangrove colonies. Abu Dhabi also has dozens of islands, mostly small and uninhabited, some of which have been designated as sanctuaries for wildlife.[29]
The emirate is in the tropical dry region. The Tropic of Cancer runs through its southern part, giving its climate an arid nature characterised by high temperatures throughout the year, with a very hot summer. The Emirate's high summer (June to August) temperatures are associated with high relative humidity, especially in coastal areas. Abu Dhabi has warm winters with occasionally low temperatures. The air temperatures show variations between the coastal strip, the desert interior and areas of higher elevation, which together make up the topography of the Emirate.
Abu Dhabi receives scant rainfall but totals vary greatly from year to year. Seasonal northerly winds blow across the country, helping to ameliorate the weather when they are not laden with dust, in addition to the brief moisture-laden southeasterly winds. The winds often vary between southerly, southeasterly, westerly, northerly and northwesterly. Another characteristic of the Emirate's weather is the high rate of evaporation of water due to high temperature, wind speed, and low rainfall.[24]
Theoasis city of Al Ain, about 150 km (93 mi) away, bordering Oman, regularly records the highest summer temperatures in the country, but its dry desert air and cooler evenings make it a traditional retreat from the intense summer heat and year-round humidity of the capital city.[30]
The emirate's political form is an absolutist, hereditary monarchy. The current ruler of the emirate is SheikhMohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who began his reign on May 14, 2022, upon the death of his brotherSheikh Khalifa. The ruler of Abu Dhabi is traditionally also elected as the president of the UAE by theFederal Supreme Council, a custom that began with the UAE's first president, SheikhZayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.[31]Qasr al-Hosn was the palace-fort residence of the ruler and the emirate's seat of government from ca. 1760/1790 to 1966, and later became a museum.[32]
The current crown prince of Abu Dhabi is Sheikh Khalid, a son of the current ruler; the crown prince is assisted in his duties by theCrown Prince's Court, or Diwan. The crown prince traditionally heads theAbu Dhabi Executive Council, which acts as the government of the emirate.[33] The Executive Council includes the chairpersons of Abu Dhabi government departments, who often also head Abu Dhabi state-owned companies and sovereign wealth funds.[34]Abu Dhabi Police is the emirate's primary law enforcement agency and has its ownjudicial system that is independent from the federal judiciary.
Although no elected parliament exists, the traditionalmajlis is a form of popular consultation and political participation. The open assembly is held by the emir and members of the royal family, and any citizen may come and raise an issue of private or public interest.[35]
The extraordinary increase in population in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi during the past half-century has made the population's size, structure, and distribution a key concern for future development.
The population of Abu Dhabi reached 1.968 million in mid-2010, with an average annual growth rate of 9.6% since 1960—among the highest in the world. The total population has increased 99 times in 50 years. The number of citizens increased 39 times and non-citizens 173 times from 1960 to 2010. The most important reason for the increase in the population of citizens is the increase in naturalization (before 1971, and later from other UAE emirates), while immigration constitutes the main factor in increasing the population overall.[8]
The resident population of the Abu Dhabi Emirate exceeded 2 million people in 2011. In mid-year 2011 the estimated population in Abu Dhabi Region was 1.31 million (61.8%), Al Ain Region 0.58 million (27.6%), and Al Gharbia 0.23 million (10.6%), making the total mid-year population of the Abu Dhabi Emirate 2.12 million.[38]
In Abu Dhabi, fertility is higher than in most developed regions of the world, and mortality is extremely low. In 2011, Crude Birth Rates and Crude Death Rates among citizens were 15.1 births per 1,000 people and 1.4 deaths per 1,000 people, respectively.[38]
Abu Dhabi GDP estimates in 2011 amounted to AED 806,031 million at current prices, compared with AED 620,316 million at current prices in 2010. This represents an annual growth rate of 29.9 per cent in 2011. Accordingly, the annual per capita gross domestic product amounted to AED 380.1 thousand in 2011. The total fixed capital formation was AED 199,001 million in 2011, while the compensation of employees amounted to AED 124,960 million in the same year. The main activities contributing to economic growth (GDP at constant prices) in 2011 were "Mining and quarrying" (including crude oil and natural gas), "Financial and insurance" and "Manufacturing" with increases of 9.4 per cent, 10.5 per cent and 9.8 per cent respectively. Commodity imports through the ports of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi were valued at AED 116.4 billion in 2011 compared with AED 86.6 billion in 2010. The main imports during 2011 were machinery and base metals, which accounted for 50.7 per cent of the total value of imports. TheUnited States of America was the main country for imports, from which the Emirate received imports worth AED 13.4 billion. Non-oil exports were valued at AED 11.5 billion, with transport equipment and base metals contributing 61.5 per cent of the total. Canada was the top destination of Abu Dhabi non-oil exports, receiving goods worth AED 2.6 billion from the Emirate in 2011.[24]Mina' Zayid is the main port of Abu Dhabi through which the goods flow.
Al-Ain has one of the few remaining traditional camelssouqs in the country, near anIKEA store.[27]
Foreign Trade Statistics through the ports of the Emirate of AbuDhabi (Million AED)[24]
Item
2005
2009
2010
2011
Total trade
226,339.5
308,699.4
387,275.7*
532,858.0*
Total exports
191,125.2
214,827.2
300,702.1*
416,484.0*
Oil, gas and oil products
184,711.7
196,632.2
278,105.4*
393,439.0*
Non-oil exports
3,186.4
9,500.8
11,610.8
11,478.0
Re-exports
3,227.1
8,694.2
10,985.9
11,567.0
Imports
35,214.3
93,872.2
86,573.7
116,374.0
Net trade in goods
155,910.9
120,955.0
214,128.4*
300,110.0*
*Preliminary estimates
Inflation rates for Abu Dhabi
The Emirate exported 747.2 million barrels of crude oil in 2010. Japan, the top importer, received around 35.6% of the Emirate's total crude oil exports. In 2011, the Emirate exported 10.0 million metric tons of refined petroleum products, of which the Netherlands bought 16.9%, followed by Japan, which purchased 13.9%. One of the main oil pipelines is theHabshan–Fujairah oil pipeline. The Emirate's LNG exports increased by AED 2,973.0 million in 2011 compared with 2010, reaching AED 17,128.2 million. Japan topped the list of importers by 98.4% of the LNG exports value, followed by India by 1.0% in 2011. The Emirate imported 828,093.9 million cubic feet of natural gas in 2011, at a daily average of 2,268.8 million cubic feet.[citation needed]
The inflation rate in 2011 was 1.9%. This was a result of an increase in the CPI from 119.3 points in 2010 to 121.6 points in 2011.[24]
TheFirst Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) is the largest lender bank in the emirate and the second-largest lender in the federation. FAB has the largest market capitalization among UAE banks. The government has put in efforts to diversify the economy and invest in other areas such as the service and tourism industry. The capital city has seen various construction projects and the opening of shopping malls. The opening of theEmirates Palace marked the opening of the most expensive hotel ever built. The annualAbu Dhabi Grand Prix is aFormula One motor race held in the capital city, which further attracts tourists. Apart from the capital city, theAbu Dhabi Desert Challenge is held in the countryside and the tourism board is trying to highlight other places in the emirate.[citation needed]
The Emirate encourages major international film productions, which boost employment and the economy in general. A 2019 report stated that the Film Commission provides "30% cashback on production and post-production spend in the Emirate". As a result, film production teams have shot many scenes in Abu Dhabi and in nearby areas, includingMission: Impossible – Fallout,War Machine, and in 2018,6 Underground.[46] For the filming of the latter, the UAE military worked with the crew, providing soldiers as extras as well as aircraft that appear in the film. Production designer Jeffrey Beecroft said, "I’ve shot a lot of military stuff with Michael, but I never had the ability to have six Apache [helicopters], 10 Black Hawks and soldiers".[47]
The Emirate is divided into three municipal regions.[28][48][49] The capital city Abu Dhabi has seen new construction of modern high rises, tall office and apartment buildings, and busy shops. Other urban centres in the emirate are Al-Ain, Baniyas and Ruwais. Al-Ain is an agglomeration of several villages scattered around a desert oasis; today it is the site of the national university, UAEU. In addition, Al-Ain is billed as the "Garden City" of the UAE.[49]
Zayed International Airport (AUH) andAl Ain International Airport (AAN) serve the emirate. The older AUH airport was at Al Bateen Airport. The local time isGMT + 4 hours. Private vehicles, rideshares and taxis are the primary means of transportation in the city, although public buses run by theAbu Dhabi Municipality are available, mostly used by the lower-income population. There are bus routes to nearby towns such as Baniyas, Habashan, and Al-Ain, among others. A service started in 2005 between Abu Dhabi and the commercial city ofDubai (about 150 km (93 miles) away). The government is planning to build a railway in Abu Dhabi.[citation needed]
All private and public schools in the emirate come under the authority of theAbu Dhabi Education Council, while other emirates continue to work under the Federal Ministry of Education.[citation needed]
^Gardner, Andrew Somerville (January 2004).The reptiles of Jebel Hafeet.ADCO and Emirates Natural History Group. pp. 149–168.Archived from the original on January 14, 2019. RetrievedJanuary 14, 2019.
^Maitra, Jayanti; Hajji, Afra Al- (2001).Qasr Al Hosn: the history of the rulers of Abu Dhabi, 1793-1966. Abu Dhabi: Centre for Documentation and Research.ISBN978-1-86063-105-4.
^"twofour54 Abu Dhabi goes behind the scenes of Netflix hit '6 Underground' in exclusive video". twofour54. December 18, 2019.Archived from the original on December 29, 2019. RetrievedDecember 29, 2019."We are proud to have played such an important role in ensuring the shoot went smoothly and seamlessly, demonstrating once again that Abu Dhabi has the infrastructure, talent and expertise to support even the most challenging productions. This end-to-end offering, combined with the generous 30% cash rebate
_(cropped).png)
