Abuja City's Central District is located between the foot of Aso Rock and into the Three Arms Zone to the southern base of the ring road. It is like the city's spinal cord, dividing it into the northern sector with Maitama and Wuse, and the southern sector with Garki and Asokoro.

While each district has its own clearly demarcated commercial and residential sectors, the Central District is the city's prime Business Zone Most parastatals and multinational corporations have their offices situated in this area. An attractive area in the Central District is the region known as the Three Arms Zone, so called because it houses the administrative offices of the executive, legislative and judicial arms of the Federal Government.

A few of the other sites worth seeing in the area are the Federal Secretariats alongside Shehu Shagari Way, Aso Hill, the Abuja Plant Nursery, Eagle Square (which has important historic significance, as it was in this grounds that the present democratic dispensation had its origin in May 29, 1999) and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier across the road facing it.

 The National Mosque and National Church are located opposite each other on either side ofIndependence Avenue. A well known government office is the Ministry of Defence, also known as "Ship House”