an oily anniversary

When you think about the Middle East you probably also think about oil, crude oil that is – black gold that gushes out of the ground. People visiting us are often surprised to find out that less than 10% of Dubai’s GDP comes from oil. This is not the case however for Abu Dhabi where oil contributes a lot more to their wealth and economy, and to the UAE overall.

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the first tanker of crude oil to leave Abu Dhabi and the beginning of the rapid growth and development that has been seen in the Emirate and the UAE alike. Efforts have subsequently been made to diversify into other industries leading to investments in sectors like football and space tourism, all fuelling a modern economy.

Some odd, oily facts:

• If the oil produced last year was stored in barrels and placed one on top of the other they would reach to the moon, and back (with some left over – one million kms actually).
• The weight of the oil produced since 1962 is equal to the weight at take off of 722,000 Airbus A380s.
• The UAE produced enough oil every day last year to fill the tanks of 3.5 million 4x4s.

(thanks to The National for those)

[Abu Dhabi town 50 years ago]
photo thanks to “Family Documentary“

[Abu Dhabi city now]
image thanks to Ioan Barbulescu