أبوظبي
Quick reference
General issues: British protectorate 1964-1971, United Arab Emirates 1971-1972
Country name on general issues: Abu Dhabi
Currency: 1 Rupee = 100 Naye Paise 1964-1966, Dinar = 100 Fils 1966-1972
Population: 60 000 in 1970
Political history Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is an emirate in western Asia. In the early 19th century the British gained a foothold in Abu Dhabi. A first treaty with the emirate is signed in 1820. In 1892, Abu Dhabi becomes a British protectorate – as do several other emirates in the region, together known as the Trucial States. The treaty of protection ends in 1971 and Abu Dhabi then joins the federation of the United Arab Emirates.
The borders in this part of the world have long been undefined. The borders of Abu Dhabi with Qatar and Saudi Arabia were agreed upon in 1974, but have yet to be formally ratified. The border with Oman was formalized in 2002.
The sheikh of Abu Dhabi is the driving force behind the United Arab Emirates and Abu Dhabi is its political center. The Abu Dhabi economy is largely based on oil production and financial services.
Postal history Abu Dhabi
The first postal services in Abu Dhabi are established in 1960 on Das island to service the employees of the developing oil industry on the island. These services were run by the British Postal Agencies in Eastern Arabia as a branch of the Bahrain services. The Agencies were set up after the independence of British India to replace the British Indian postal services in the region. The Agencies were active in several countries on the Arabian peninsula. In 1963, a post office from the Agencies is opened in Abu Dhabi itself. The ‘value only’ stamps were used. These were British stamps with an overprint in the local currency used in several emirates in the region, mostly listed in the catalogs under Oman. The stamps issued by the Agencies specifically for use in the Trucial States were not used in Abu Dhabi. As of 1964, Abu Dhabi issues its own stamps. In 1967, Abu Dhabi takes full control of its postal services. After Abu Dhabi joined the United Arab Emirates in 1971, it continued to issue stamps in 1972 until, in 1973, the United Arab Emirates started issuing stamps. Abu Dhabi has had – other than some of the other emirates in the region – a very modest policy in issuing stamps.
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