A surprising mix of turquoise waters, historic sites, iconic landmarks, sand dunes & amazing golf experiences, Abu Dhabi is the capital and second most populous city after Dubai in United Arab Emirates.
Surrounded by Oman to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south and the west and Dubai to the northeast, Abu Dhabi is the biggest of the seven emirates.
This country is ideal for adventurers who know how to enjoy the sand and the sea with a cultural twist. Abu Dhabi, is steadily gaining a name for itself as a tourist hotspot.
From remarkable history to amazing sky scrapers, dazzling deserts to pristine beaches, luxury cars to astonishing shopping malls, unparalleled traditions to mind blowing culture, Abu Dhabi has it all.
If you are planning to visit Abu Dhabi soon, read these fantastic facts about the city that might surely trigger up your interest in this beautiful Emirate.
1. Not exactly the origin but when translated from Arabic, Abu Dhabi means “Father of the Gazelle”.
2. Abu Dhabi is the richest city in the world with an estimated wealth between US800 billion and US$875 billion.
3. Prior to the discovery of oil, Abu Dhabi’s economic base rested heavily on the pearl diving business in the Arabian Gulf.
4. Being in the desert, Abu Dhabi is one of the world’s largest importers of construction grade sand.
5. Abu Dhabi was consecutively ranked the safest city twice, both in 2018 and 2019. Initially securing 86.46 points out of 100 in 2018, it subsequently rose up to 88.26 in 2019.
6. There are gold plated ATMs in various countries that dispense gold bars, the first ATM was located in Abu Dhabi. The machines are fitted “like an armored vehicle” and tested with explosives to prevent theft.
7. Ferrari World theme park in Abu Dhabi is the world’s largest indoor theme park and the only Ferrari brand park across the globe.
8. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is said to house over 41,000 worshippers & has the world’s largest carpet and seven remarkable chandeliers, from which one used to hold a title in the Guinness book of world records.
9. Do you know? There are 199 different kinds of dates and Abu Dhabi produces 76,000 tonnes of dates every year.
10. Amongst the number of several other bus stops, Abu Dhabi has currently 100 bus stops, fitted with air conditioners, seats and see-through glass panes from top to bottom.
11. Adding to the wild and marine life of Abu Dhabi, the city has Highest Number of Humpback Dolphins.
12. Abu Dhabi was planned under the guidance of Sheikh Zayed by Japanese architect Dr Takahashi.
13. Abu Dhabi contains more than 2,000 well-maintained parks and gardens and over 400 kilometres (249 miles) of coastline, of which 10 kilometers (6 miles) are public.
14. The out shell of Yas Hotel has 5,056 glass panels. To clean the all glass panels, it require 15 abseiling window-cleaners and time of one month to clean the whole exterior.
15. This might surely astonish you, Abu Dhabi produces 2.5 million barrels of oil each day.
16. Abu Dhabi is the second most expensive travel destinations in the world, beating London and New York.
17. Abu Dhabi is six times bigger than the rest of the emirates combined.
18. There is a yearly beauty contest for camels in Abu Dhabi. Isn’t it thoughtful!!
19. The leaning tower of Abu Dhabi is the furthest leaning man-made tower.
20. There is another Louvre, located in Abu Dhabi. The city of Abu Dhabi paid $525m for name rights and $747m for art loans, special exhibitions, and management advice, both for 30 years.
With an astounding 360 days of sunny weather, there is so much that the city has to offer, visit now to check yourself!!