General Information about RAK

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Ras Al Khaimah – commonly referred to as RAK – is one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE federation. The northernmost emirate, it is located approximately 100 kilometres north-east of Dubai, to which it is connected by Emirates Road, a multi-lane highway, as well as by a number of smaller roads. Its neighbours are the emirates of Fujairah and Umm Al-Quwain (and it also shares a very short border with Sharjah in the desert interior) and the Sultanate of Oman’s Musandam peninsula. Ras Al Khaimah is also the part of the UAE that is geographically closest to Iran, with its Mina Saqr (port) only 100 kilometres (60 miles) away from the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.

Though one of the smaller emirates, Ras Al Khaimah has always held a position of significance. In the past, due to its strategic geographical location, it was a centre of traditional shipbuilding and trade; and more recently, it has become a centre of quarrying, manufacturing and tourism. Since 2003, the government of RAK has invested heavily in education and public utilities, and has pursued an economic diversification policy, promoting industrialisation and tourism in the emirate.

During the past few years, Ras Al Khaimah has progressed towards its goal of becoming a serious investment destination, as well as one of the top tourist draws in the Gulf Region. With its varied landscape, including pristine coastline, expansive desert, and pleasant wadis and oases in the Hajar Mountains, picturesque Ras Al Khaimah was ranked sixth on fDi magazine’s list of Top 20 Middle Eastern Cities and first on its list of ‘Cities Most Attractive for Foreign Investment’, followed by Abu Dhabi and then Dubai.

Basic data on Ras Al Khaimah