With the announcement by the UK in 1968 that it would withdraw from the Persian Gulf area by 1971, Sheikh Zayed became the main driving force behind the formation of the United Arab Emirates.
After the Emirates gained independence in 1971, oil wealth continued to flow to the area and traditional mud-brick huts were rapidly replaced with banks, boutiques and modern highrises.

The emirate of Abu Dhabi is located in the oil-rich and strategic United Arab Emirates and is an active member of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC). It borders with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (south) and the Sultanate of Oman (east). The emirate borders the emirate of Dubai to its northeast. In the north is the Persian Gulf.

Population in the Abu Dhabi emirate, inclusive of Al Ain, the Western region and the Islands, stood at 1,463,491 as of end 2006, comprising one third of UAE’s total population.
In addition to the locals, the population figures include many expatriate residents that live and work in the emirate. Across the UAE, Emirati nationals comprise roughly 20% of total population, while expatriate workers’ nationalities include Asians, Africans, Europeans as well as North and Latin Americans.Men outnumber women with a ratio of 2.03 men for every woman, which is slightly lower than the national average.

Abu Dhabi’s land surface measures 67,340 square kilometres, which is equivalent to about 80% of the UAE’s total land area. Only 30 percent of the emirate is inhabited, with the remaining vast expanses covered mainly by desert and arid land – constituting about 93% of the total land area.

Straddling the Tropic of Cancer, Abu Dhabi’s climate as a result is subtropical, with temperatures that vary from warm in the winter months to hot in the summer. Sunny blue skies prevail throughout the year and rainfall is infrequent.