Emirates is emerging as a global cultural hub without compromising its own culture and that of others underpinning Abu Dhabi’s character.
Population
Among the emirates Abu Dhabi is the largest and most populated with over 80% of its landmass of the seven emirates called the United Arab Emirates. The present population of emirate is over 1.6 million and is expected to reach 3 million by 2030. All throughout UAE, Emirati citizens make only nearly 20% of the total population, the rest 80% are expatriates from Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe and North America.
Local Time
UAE time is four hours in advance of UTC (Co-ordinated Universal Time ) – formerly known as GMT) and is without daylight saving. So when it is 12.00 midday in Abu Dhabi, it is 3am in New York, 8am in London, 10 am in Johannesburg, 6 pm in Sydney and 1.30pm in New Delhi without allowing for any summer time saving in those countries.
Social & Business Hours
Here government departments, embassies and consulates work from 8am to 4 pm. Usually Embassies and consulates designate certain working hours of the day for processing some type of requests (e.g. passport applications) , so it is better to call before you visit. According to the Islamic calendar holy day is on Friday and most organizations give Friday/Saturday weekend. Shops and visitor attractions remain open on both these days; it would be open by the end of the day or in early evenings on Fridays.
Ramadan Hours
When the holy month of Ramadan comes, shops often change their working schedule by closing during the day and reopening an hour or two after sunset and continuing working until late night. During Ramadan food outlets and restaurants usually remain closed and tend to offer take away services during the daytime and later open for iftar after sunset.
