Category:Capitals in Asia
Satellite image of Abu Dhabi (March 2003)
300px
Abu Dhabi (
ʼAbū Ẓaby) is the largest of the seven emirates that comprise the
United Arab Emirates and was also the largest of the former Trucial States.
Abu Dhabi is also a city of the same name within the Emirate that is the capital of the country, in north central UAE. The city lies at the head of a T-shaped island jutting into the
Persian Gulf from the central western coast. An estimated 1,000,000 lived there in 2000, with about an 80%
expatriate population. Abu Dhabi is located at 24°28' North, 54°22' East (24.4667, 54.3667).
http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/cntry_files.html
His Highness Sheikh
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan is the hereditary
emir and ruler of Abu Dhabi, as well as the current president of the
United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The area of present-day Abu Dhabi was settled as far back as the 3rd millennium B.C. and its early history fits the nomadic, herding and fishing pattern typical of the broader region. Modern Abu Dhabi traces its origins to the rise of an important tribal confederation the Bani Yas in the late
18th century, who also assumed control of
Dubai. In the
19th century the Dubai and Abu Dhabi branches parted ways.
Sunny/blue skies can be expected through-out the year. The months
June through
September are generally hot and humid with temperatures averaging above 110ºF (40ºC). The weather is usually pleasant from
October to
May.
January to
February is cooler and may require the use of a light jacket. The oasis city of
Al Ain enjoys cooler temperatures even through summer due to sporadic rainfall.
In 1939, Sheikh Shakhbut granted
Petroleum concessions, and oil was first found in 1958. After the Emirates gained independence in 1971 oil wealth continued to flow to the area and traditional mud-brick huts were rapidly replaced with banks, boutiques and gleaming office towers.
Abu Dhabi International Airport serves this city. The local time is GMT + 4 hours.
Postage stamps
[[Shaikh
Zaid, 1967]]
Like the other emirates of the area, Abu Dhabi issued its own
postage stamps, although exercising much more restraint than some. The first issue was a definitive series on
March 30, 1964, marking the first anniversary of the 1963 opening of the Abu Dhabi
post office.
(
mail was actually managed by the
UK until the end of 1966.)
In 1966 the currency changed from the
Indian rupee to
fils, necessitating a series of surcharges issued on
October 1, 1966, and new definitives the following April. Abu Dhabi issued a final set, three views of the
Dome of the Rock in
Jerusalem, on
June 3, 1972 (six months after joining the UAE), for a total of 83 stamps.
Trivia
The cartoon cat
Garfield would often put his nemesis, the kitten Nermal, in a box and ship him to Abu Dhabi. A common phrase from Garfield: "Abu Dhabi is where all the cute kittens go."
See also
External links
Category:United Arab Emirates
Category:Emirates
Category:Coastal cities
Category:Philately by country
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