Arabic Abū Ẓabī
City (pop., 1995: 398,695), capital of Abū Zabī emirate and national capital of the United Arab Emirates .
It occupies most of the small island of Abū Ẓabī, which is connected to the mainland by a bridge. Settled in 1761, it was of little importance until the discovery of oil in 1958. Oil royalties thereafter revolutionized its political and economic position, and it has grown into a modern city.