Abu Dhabi

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Abu Dhabi (Abu Zaby) Largest and wealthiest of the seven United Arab Emirates, lying on the s coast of the Persian Gulf. Also the name of its capital city (1995 pop. 398,695), federal capital of the UAE. It has been ruled since the 18th century by the Al-bu-Falah clan of the Bani Yas tribe. There are long-standing frontier disputes with Saudi Arabia and Oman. Since the discovery of oil in the late 1950s, Abu Dhabi's economy has been based almost entirely on crude oil production. It has an international airport and a modern container port. Area: 67,340sq km (26,000sq mi). Pop. (1995) 942,463.

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