Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (born 25 January 1948; referred to as Sheikh Khalifa) is the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)] and emir of Abu Dhabi. He succeeded to both posts on 3 November 2004, taking rule over from his father Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan who had died the day before. He had effectively been acting president earlier, since his father was in ill health. Khalifa is also chairman of Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD). His family wealth in March 2012 is estimated to be $7.5 billion.
Biography
1966–1971
The eldest son of Sheikh Zayed, Khalifa was appointed as Ruler's Representative in the Eastern Region of Abu Dhabi (the mayor) and as Head of the Courts Department in Al Ain in 1966, as his father Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan became the new ruler of Abu Dhabi. Zayed was the Ruler's Representative in the Eastern Region. Few months later the position was handed to Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan
On 1 February 1969, Sheikh Khalifa was nominated as the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and on the next day he was appointed as the Head of the Abu Dhabi Department of Defense, in which post he oversaw the building up of the Abu Dhabi Defense Force, ADDF, which later became the nucleus of the UAE Armed Forces. Sheikh Khalifa has two sons, Mohammad Al Nahyan and Sultan Al Nahyan
