Welcome to Abu Dhabi

The capital of the United Arab Emirates, known as the ‘Garden City of the Gulf’ has gleaming white mosques and modern offices, surrounded by parks and lush green gardens. Now one of the world’s richest cities, Abu Dhabi offers wide tree-lined boulevards, white sandy beaches, deserted landscapes and an array of sporting activities including golf, diving & camel racing. A modern vibrant city with excellent duty free shopping and high quality hotels.

CAPITAL Abu Dhabi.

TIME CMT+4 all year round.

OFFICIAI RELIGION Islam.

The Holy Month of Ramadan is a time every year when Muslims must refrain from eating, drinking or smoking from sunrise to sunset. Visitors are also required to respect the fast and refrain from consuming these items in public during daylight hours.

The sighting of the new moon and the start of the Eid Al Fitr festival mark the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan. This celebration is followed approximately 70 days later by Eid Al Adha, which marks the end of Haj (the Pilgrimage to Makkah).

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE Arabic.

English is widely spoken and is the main language of commerce alongside Arabic.

CURRENCY The monetary unit is the ‘dirham’ (Dhs), which is divided into 100 fils. Coins include: Dhs 1, 50 fils and 25 fils. Notes: Dhs 5. 10. 20, 50, 100,200. 500 and 1,000. 1US$ = Dhs 3.67.

FLAGS The national flag of the UAE consists of three equal horizontal bands: green at the top, white in the middle and black at the bottom, with a thicker vertical band of red running down on the hoist side. The distinctive Sharjah flag has a red square set on a white background and can be seen flying above Sharjah Hisn (fort).

ENVIRONMENT The UAE is made up of desert, mountains and sea with some 3,500 endemic plants, with over 100 species of birds breeding here and a vast variety of insects and reptiles. Mammals, such as the almost extinct Arabian Leopard and Oryx, and the more common foxes, mongoose and rodents are rarely sighted, whilst camels and goats are common. The marine world with beautiful coral reefs is rich in sea life.

CLIMATE Sub-tropical with infrequent rainfall and blue skies during most of the year. November to March-average daytime temperature 26C, 15C at night. June to August, the temperature reaches 45°C with high humidity.