Abu Dhabi is the capital and the second largest city in the United Arab Emirates with a population of 896,751 (2009 est.). The city is situated on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western coast.

Abu Dhabi is the seat for the United Arab Emirates Government and the home for the Abu Dhabi Emiri Family and the President of the UAE. Its rapid development and urbanisation, combined with the relatively high average income of its population, has transformed Abu Dhabi to a larger and advanced metropolis. Today the city is the political, industrial, cultural, and commercial centre of the country.

Abu Dhabi houses important financial institutions such as the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates and the corporate headquarters of many companies and multinational corporations. One of the world's largest producers of oil, Abu Dhabi has actively attempted to diversify its economy in recent years through investments in financial services and tourism. Fortune & CNN stated that Abu Dhabi is the richest city in the world.