Where is Abu Dhabi, and is it a country?
Saadiyat Travel Guide editorial team · Published 2 October 2026
Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on the coast of the Persian Gulf at the south-eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, in the Middle East. It is not a country: Abu Dhabi is one of the seven emirates of the UAE and also the name of its main city. Dubai is 136 km away by road.
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Abu Dhabi on the map
On a map of the Middle East, look for the Arabian Peninsula, then its south-eastern corner, where it meets the Persian Gulf (called the Arabian Gulf in the UAE). The UAE runs along that coast, and the emirate of Abu Dhabi is its largest part.
- The emirate borders Oman to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south and west, and the emirate of Dubai to the northeast. It has 700 km of coastline and more than 200 natural islands.
- The city stands on a T-shaped island just off the coast, at 24°28′ N, 54°22′ E. Bridges link it to the mainland and to neighboring islands such as Saadiyat.
Is Abu Dhabi in Asia, the Middle East or Saudi Arabia?
Abu Dhabi is in Asia: it is on the Arabian Peninsula, in the part of the continent usually called Western Asia, and in the region known as the Middle East. It is not in Saudi Arabia. The UAE is a separate country, and the emirate of Abu Dhabi borders Saudi Arabia to its south and west. To put the distance in context, the fastest nonstop from London takes about 7 hr.
Is Abu Dhabi a country?
No. Abu Dhabi is an emirate, a city and a capital, but the country is the United Arab Emirates. The UAE is a federation of seven emirates, formed on 2 December 1971:
- Abu Dhabi
- Dubai
- Sharjah
- Ajman
- Umm Al Quwain
- Ras Al Khaimah
- Fujairah
So what country is Abu Dhabi in? The UAE. Is Abu Dhabi an emirate? Yes, the largest of the seven. Abu Dhabi and Dubai are different emirates and different cities in the same country; we explain how they differ in Abu Dhabi vs Dubai.
Capital of the UAE
The capital of the UAE is Abu Dhabi. When the federation was formed in 1971, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi, became its first president, and the city of Abu Dhabi became the capital. Today it is the federal capital and the seat of the UAE government, with the ministries and foreign embassies. Dubai, the country's business and tourism hub, is not the capital.
Abu Dhabi emirate, city and island
The emirate of Abu Dhabi covers 67,340 km², by far the largest in the UAE; Dubai, for comparison, covers 4,114 km². The emirate had 4,135,985 residents in the 2024 census. It has three regions:
- Abu Dhabi city, with the government, embassies, ports and the airport;
- Al Ain, an oasis city in the east, on the border with Oman;
- Al Dhafra, the large desert region in the west, which includes the Liwa dunes.
The city of Abu Dhabi covers about 972 km² and has about 2.19 million people (2024). Its center, with the Corniche and the Qasr Al Hosn fort, is on the main island; the airport is on the mainland, 30.6 km east of the center.
Downtown Abu Dhabi, the area visitors usually mean by "downtown," is the central part of the main island around the Corniche, with hotels, shops and the Qasr Al Hosn fort. The best-known districts outside it are Saadiyat Island and Yas Island to the northeast and east, and Al Raha Beach on the mainland coast toward the airport. Where to sleep in each: where to stay in Abu Dhabi.
Distances and travel time
By road, the other emirates are farther: Sharjah is about 172 km from Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah about 246 km and Fujairah about 255 km. The straight-line distance from Abu Dhabi to Dubai is 146 km. Since 30 September 2026, Etihad Rail trains link the two cities in about an hour; see Dubai to Abu Dhabi.
Flight times depend on where you fly from; routes and flight times from the US, UK, Europe, Australia and India are in flights to Abu Dhabi, and the airport is covered in the Abu Dhabi airport guide.
Time zone. Abu Dhabi is on UTC+4 (GMT+4) all year: the UAE does not change its clocks for daylight saving time. That puts it 3 to 4 hours ahead of London and 8 to 9 hours ahead of New York, depending on the season.
What language is spoken in Abu Dhabi?
Arabic is the official language of the UAE. English is widely spoken, and shop signs, road signs and menus are usually in both Arabic and English, so visitors manage without Arabic. Hotels, taxis and tourist sites work in English; most residents come from abroad, so you will hear many other languages too.
Abu Dhabi at a glance
What does Abu Dhabi mean?
Abu Dhabi means "father of the gazelle" in Arabic, pronounced roughly "AH-boo DAH-bee". According to the usual account, a settlement grew up on the island in 1761 after fresh water was found there. In English it is spelled as two words, Abu Dhabi, with "dh".
Where is Saadiyat Island?
Saadiyat Island is part of the city of Abu Dhabi: an island about 500 m off the city's shore, to the northeast of the center, covering about 27 km². By car it is about 15 min from downtown and 25 min from the airport, and Yas Island is 19.3 km away.
The island has two sides. The Cultural District holds the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the newer museums, and the north coast has about 9 km of white beach with five resorts. Our Saadiyat Island map shows where each hotel, beach and museum is; for what to do there, see things to do on Saadiyat and the beaches.
