Abu Dhabi is the largest of the seven emirates that compose the United Arab Emirates. The city lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western coast. Over 1million people live there, with about an 80% expatriate population.

The city has been largely created since the 1970s with broad boulevards, tall office and apartment buildings, and busy shops. Principal thoroughfares are The Corniche, Airport Road, Sheikh Zayed Street, Hamdan Street and Khalifa Street. Many streets are known for specialized businesses that tend to cluster on them. Hamdan Street is the main shopping street, Khalifa Street is lined with banks, Al Najdha Street is known for hardware stores, Defense St is filled with mobile telephone shops and Sheikh Zayed St, also known as Electra Street, is the computer street.

Businesses from around the world have offices and headquarters in Abu Dhabi representing everything from accountancy and banking to energy and petrochemicals, engineering and manufacturing to travel and tourism.

Abu Dhabi city is known in the region for its greenery; the former desert strip today includes numerous parks and gardens. Key buildings include the Qasr al-Hosn (Old Fort or White Fort), the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and the Cultural Foundation. The Corniche, which was redeveloped in 2005, is now one of the best sea front parks in the Gulf.

The current developments in Abu Dhabi, like its neighbour Dubai, reflect a number of architectural masterpieces by, among others, Zaha Hadid and Frank Gehry.

It it very hot in summer with temperatures often over 40°C, and occasional sandstorms can be rather unpleasant.