Facts About Abu Dhabi You Probably Didn't Know (Part-1)

Facts About Abu Dhabi

1. Pearl trade

Prior to the discovery of oil fields, pearl trading, was the key industry responsible for contributing to Abu Dhabi’s economy. Scouring for pearls in the Persian Gulf, divers used to dive sans any breathing equipment and used their natural lung capacity to do the needful. Following decades of successful trading, a shortage of occurrence was faced coupled along with the burgeoning commercial process of synthesising artificial pearls. Facing extinction, the industry spiralled to an all-time low and was left no longer functioning by the mid-1930s.

2. City of the Future - Masdar

In the current world scenario, this fact about Abu Dhabi may sound ridiculous. A fully sustainable city running on renewable energy? But not here. Estimated to house around 40,000 people, this city is approximated to be completed by 2025. With the sun beating down on this middle eastern country, maximum utilisation of the resources at hand can be achieved. Several variations of solar panels, including curved ones and the normal ones used, are essential for higher energy output. Covering over 22 hectares of land, solar panels here produce whopping 17000-megawatt-hours per year, which is more than enough to power a city of this size. Hailed as ‘City of the Future’, this city is living proof that living on renewable resources is quite feasible and environment-friendly too. 

3. Designed by Katsuhiko Takahashi

Wondering about the elegance and the seemingly impossible infrastructure of this emirate is something that every tourist mulls over. The bridges, parks, canals and infrastructure are planned miraculously with all the credit going to the Japanese architect Katsuhiko Takahashi. When the proposal of revamping the city to a world-class one was put forward, Sheikh Zayed (the then President) spearheaded the project. He worked closely with Katsuhiko Takahashi, overlooking and providing valuable insight to the project. Initially built to house over 40,000 people in 1967, the population has long since breached the upper limit with the city still being able to cater to over 120,000 citizens.  

4. Extravagant Cars Constituting the Police Force

This fact about Abu Dhabi would make you want to look out for the police unlike the scenario with any other country. With the law enforcement agencies working round the clock and keeping their guard high up, the Abu Dhabi police department excels at doing what they are known for. To help them capture criminals and serial offenders, they have been provided with luxury sports cars to cruise around and tackle high-speed chases by the government. The cars comprise of the Lamborghini, Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Nissan GTR and the exceptional Lykan hyper sport. These cars are painted in white coupled with maroon, bearing the royal symbol of Abu Dhabi.

5. Ferrari World

This fact about Abu Dhabi is for automobile enthusiasts. Opened in 2010, this theme park was devoted to the brand, which started it all - Ferrari. Various rides in the park have been lauded for their versatility and out of the box design. Encountering twists on the track in mid-air and reaching breakneck speeds is not an uncommon feat achieved here. ‘Formula Rossa’, hailed as the world’s fastest roller coaster, spans over 2.2 kms and is more than capable of reaching speeds over 240 kmph. Alongside this, there are several banners hung throughout the park which speak of Ferrari’s history and its journey towards dominating the luxury sports cars sector.