|
 Abu
Dhabi is the largest of all seven emirates with an area of 67,340 square
kilometres, equivalent to 86.7 per cent of the country's total area, excluding
the islands. It has a coastline extending for more than 400 kilometres and is
divided for administrative purposes into three major regions.
The first region
encompasses the city of Abu Dhabi which is both the capital of the emirate and
the federal capital. Sheikh Zayed, President of the UAE resides here. The
parliamentary buildings in which the federal Cabinet meets, most of the federal
ministries and institutions, the foreign embassies, state broadcasting
facilities, and most of the oil companies are also located in Abu Dhabi, which
is also the home of Zayed University and the Higher Colleges of Technology.
Major infrastructural facilities include Mina (Port) Zayed and Abu Dhabi
International Airport. The city also has extensive cultural, sport and leisure
facilities, together with the wonderfully engineered Abu Dhabi Corniche which
offers many kilometres of risk-free walking, cycling, jogging and roller-blading
along the seashore of Abu Dhabi island. Architecturally speaking the city is
also a fascinating place where older buildings such as small mosques have been
preserved and sit comfortably in the shade of futuristic modern skyscrapers.
Abu
Dhabi's second region, known as the Eastern Region, has as its capital Al Ain
city. This fertile area is rich in greenery with plenty of farms, public parks
and important archaeological sites. It is also blessed by substantial
groundwater resources which feed into numerous artesian wells. Points of
particular interest in this region are the Ain Al Faydah Park, Jebel Hafit, the
leisure park at Al Hili, Al Ain Zoo and Al Ain Museum. This is also a cultural
and educational centre and site of the UAE's first university, the UAE
University, which includes among its many faculties a vibrant medical school.
Internal transport is facilitated by a superb road network and Al Ain is
connected to the outside world through Al Ain International Airport. The Western
Region, the emirate's third administrative sector, comprises 52 villages and has
as its capital Bida Zayed, or Zayed City. Extensive afforestation covers at
least 100,000 hectares, including more than 20 million evergreens.
The country's
main onshore oil fields are located here, as is the country's largest oil
refinery, at Al Ruwais. In addition to the three mainland regions of Abu Dhabi
there are a number of important islands within the emirate including Das,
Mubarraz, Zirku and Arzanah, near where the main offshore oil fields are
located. Closer inshore are Dalma, Sir Bani Yas, Merawah, Abu al-Abyadh and
Saadiyat, together with many other islands.
|
|
