Abu Dabi1 (in Arabic: أبوظبي Abū Zabi, literally Father of gazelle) is the eponymous capital of the emirate and capital and second most populous city in the UAE. Abu Dhabi is in a T-shaped island southeast of the Gulf. The emirate itself covers an area of 67,340 km2 and had a population of 860,000 inhabitants in 2007.
Abu Dhabi is home to major federal government offices and is the seat of government of the United Arab Emirates and headquarters of the UAE Royal Family.

Abu Dhabi has grown to become a cosmopolitan metropolis. Its rapid development and urbanization, coupled with the relatively high average income of its population, has transformed Abu Dhabi. Today the city is the center of the country’s political life, from large industrial and cultural tradition. It is also the commercial center due to its position as capital. Abu Dhabi alone generates 15% of the GDP of the United Arab Emirates States.