Abu Dhabi made it's original wealth in the Pearl trade, with an exclusive treaty with Great Britain in 1892. The Emirates were seen as a strategic location, linking England to India and the east, and for the most part the Emiratis benefitted from this positioning. 

 

It experianced a decline with the global depression and the Japanese pearl trade, but came back more powerful then ever with the first Petroleum companies in the country after the finding of reserves both in land and offshore, and in 1962 they began to export oil, leading to the extreme weath the Emirates enjoy now.

 

Abu Dhabi was also at the head of the founding of the UAE- Sheik Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan unified the country after England threatened to withdraw, and turned the country into the powerhouse it currently is. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Abu Dhabi, UAE » City Info » History." Abu Dhabi History. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. <http://www.abudhabi.com/v/history/>.