Exploring Abu Dhabi – Abu Dhabi Overview

We’re starting a new series of posts about Abu Dhabi, a destination that is becoming more and more popular, both with business travellers and tourists.

Abu Dhabi is also due to be hosting a major sporting event in November 2009 – the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – so if you’re heading out there to see the race, our guide will give you some ideas of other things that you can see and do while you are there.

Abu Dhabi is the largest of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE is situated in the south-east of the Arabian Peninsula and has borders with Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar. It was formed in 1971 and now consists of seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Fujairah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah.

Abu Dhabi is situated on the coast and the emirate includes more than 200 islands.  However, much of the rest of the emirate is desert. The second largest city in Abu Dhabi is Al Ain, which lies about 150km to the east of the city of Abu Dhabi.

The main airport in Abu Dhabi is Abu Dhabi International Airport, which lies about 32km from Abu Dhabi city centre. A number of airlines, including Abu Dhabi’s flagship airline, Etihad Airways, operate flights to Abu Dhabi from the UK. You can find out more about the airport in our Guide to Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Abu Dhabi has a sub-tropical climate, so it gets extremely hot in the summer, but is the perfect place to go for some sun in the winter. It’s an Islamic country, however, so make sure that you dress appropriately.

In the next post in this series, we’ll start to take a look at some of the things that you can see and do in the city of Abu Dhabi.

Tags: Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Abu Dhabi International Airport, Ajman, Al Ain, Arabian Peninsula, Dubai, Etihad Airways, Fujairah, Oman, Qatar, Ras Al Khaimah, Saudi Arabia, Sharjah, UAE, Umm Al Quwain, United Arab Emirates