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- Ras Al Khaimah Geography
- Ras Al Khaimah Population Language and Culture
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Ras Al Khaimah Government
- Ras Al Khaimah Economy and Currency
- Ras Al Khaimah Entry and Residence
- Ras Al Khaimah Business Environment
- Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone
Ras Al Khaimah Geography
Ras Al Kaimah is the northern-most of the emirates
in the UAE, bordering Oman to the north and east.
Its coastline runs for 65 kilometers along the eastern
end of the Arabian Gulf, consisting mainly of sandy
beaches.
The interior contains desert plains stretching towards
the Al Hajar mountain range, rising to 1,900 meters
in the emirate’s central region. There are fertile
agricultural plains in the south, and Ras Al Khaimah
is the UAE’s largest producer of food.
In the summer months (May to October), temperatures
in Ras Al Khaimah can reach as high as 45 degrees
Celsius. For the remainder of the year the climate
is more temperate, although still enjoying lots of
sunshine. Average temperatures in the winter months
drop to between about 10 and 15 degrees Celsius. Rainfall
rarely exceeds 100 millimetres per year and usually
occurs in winter.
Ras Al Kaimah has an area of approximately 1,680
square kilometres and is the fourth largest emirate.
The capital city, also known as Ras Al Kaimah, is
split in two by a creek flowing into the Gulf. Old
Ras Al Kaimah is found on the western side of the
creek and here are located most government departments,
educational institutions, shopping malls, hotels,
residential areas and new construction projects.
The eastern part, known as Al Nakheel, houses the
Emiri Court, markets, Ras Al Khaimah Exhibition Center,
hospitals and residential areas housing the majority
of the city's population. The two parts of the city
are linked by a bridge and a network of modern roads.
With its long stretches of clean white sandy beaches,
Ras Al Kaimah is becoming an increasingly popular
destination for foreign tourists. There are several
high-quality hotels and beach resorts, and the five-star
Khatt Springs Hotel and Spa nestles close to the Al
Hajar Mountains, covering an area of 2,000 square
meters. Several other ambitious tourist and business
developments are also underway, including the Jebel
Jais Mountain Resort, to be built on one of the highest
points of the Al Hajar mountains. It will offer a
landmark five-star hotel and conference centre, a
cable car linking the resort to sea level, luxurious
residential units from apartments to villas, an outdoor
winter snow ski-ing slope, and a climbing, paragliding
and abseiling centre.
Ras Al Kaimah has a port and an airport. Ras Al Kaimah
International Airport is located a short distance
from Ras Al Kaimah town, and international airports
in the neighbouring emirates of Sharjah and Dubai
are a short drive away (approximately 30 to 40 minutes).
The airport is well connected to destinations in Asia,
Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
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Ras Al Khaimah Population, Language
and Culture
There is evidence of human settlement in Ras Al Khaimah
stretching back to the third millennium BC, but the
city, known for many centuries as Julfar, came to
prominence in the early middle ages as a thriving
port at the crossroads of the Arabian Gulf and the
Indian Ocean. After the Portuguese built a fort at
Julfur in the 16th century, the city was abandoned
and a new settlement was begun on the site of modern-day
Ras Al Khaimah city. Ruled by the Al-Qassimi family,
who also ruled Sharjah, the emirate was the most
powerful in the area for 200 years. However, it was
the British who came to control the area in the early
19th century after defeating the navy of the Qassimi
(whose descendants still rule Ras Al Kaimah) in 1819
to secure trading routes to key parts of the emerging
British Empire, especially India. In 1853 Great Britain
signed a maritime truce with the Arab rulers in the
region known as the Trucial Oman, which allowed the
British to control the foreign policy of the Trucial
states. In 1869, Ras Al Khaimah became fully
independent from Sharjah, apart from a 21-year
period from 1900 to 1921. After Great Britain rescinded
the maritime pacts, the rulers of the individual emirates
decided to form a federation, and an independent state
known as the United Arab Emirates came into being
in 1971. Ras Al Khaimah was the seventh and last of
the emirates to join the federation, in 1972. A provisional
constitution was made permanent in 1996.
While Ras Al Khiamah is less cosmopolitan than neighbouring
Dubai, a sizeable expat population has grown consisting
of people originating mainly from India, Pakistan,
Iran and, latterly, Europe and the United States.
It is estimated that UAE citizens make up only 20%
of the country’s population, but this percentage
is thought to be much higher in Ras Al Khaimah.
The indigenous population is approximately 80 per
cent Sunni Muslim and 20 per cent Shia Muslim. However,
places of worship are available for practitioners
of Christianity, Hinduism and other religions.
Arabic is the official language, but English is widely
spoken in business circles, along with Hindi, Urdu
and Farsi. French and South Asian languages are also
understood.
The total population of Ras Al Khaimah was estimated
at 240,000 in 2009.
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Ras Al Khaimah Government
There are no elections or legal political parties
in the UAE. Power rests with the seven hereditary
sheikhs -- also known as emirs, and hence the area
ruled by an emir is known as an emirate -- who control
the seven traditional sheikhdoms (Abu Dhabi, Dubai,
Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah and
Fujairah -- each emirate is named after its principal
town) and choose a president from among themselves.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan, the ruler of
Abu Dhabi has been President since 3 November 2004,
following the death of the UAE's Founding Father and
first President Zayid bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan.
Sheikh Saqr bin Muhammad al-Qasimi, who was
born in 1918, was the leader of Ras Al Khaimah from
1948 until his death in 2010. His son, Sheikh Saud
bin Saqr al Qasmi, has been ruler of Ras Al Khaimah
since October 2010. Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi
issued Emiri decree Number 23 of 2010 on
December 6, 2010 naming his eldest son, Sheikh Mohammad
Bin Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, the Crown Prince of Ras
Al Khaimah.
There is also a UAE Cabinet, and its posts are distributed
among the seven emirates. (The members of the Cabinet
are the government ministers, such as Minister of
the Interior, etc.)
The Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces is the
President while the second in command (Deputy Supreme
Commander) is Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan,
the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
The parliament is known as the Federal National Council
(FNC). It was established on February 13, 1972 and
is considered a landmark in the country's constitutional
and legislative process. The FNC advises the Cabinet
and the Supreme Council but cannot overrule them.
According to the constitution, the FNC consists of
40 members who are drawn proportionately from each
of the seven emirates. Each ruler appoints the members
for his emirate.
The FNC is structured as follows:
A Speaker and his two deputies and two elected observers.
The Parliamentary Section Executive Committee headed
by the speaker, the council's undersecretary, the
secretary general and four elected members.
There are also eight specialized committees dealing
with studies regarding draft laws and general issues
in addition to the legislative, legal, educational,
health, social, planning, labour, oil and mineral
resources, agriculture and fisheries and public work
sectors.
The FNC has powers to amend and review all legislation
and also to summon Ministers to review and criticize
the work of their ministries.
Despite the fact that there is a federal government,
each ruler is completely sovereign in his domain.
The UAE was a founding member of the Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) created at a summit conference in Abu
Dhabi in 1981. The members of the GCC include Saudi
Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the Sultanate of Oman
as well as the UAE. The country is also a member of
the League of Arab States, the Islamic Conference
Organization and the United Nations.
On January 1, 2003, the unified customs area of the
Gulf Co-operation Council came into effect, covering
Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the
United Arab Emirates (including Dubai). As of 2006,
Yemen has been in negotiations with the existing member
states, and hopes to join by 2016.
In April 2005, the 15th Joint Council and Ministerial
Meeting between the European Union and the six member
states of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Bahrain
took place, focusing on the state of the free trade
agreement negotiations between the European Union
and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The two parties agreed that rapid progress was needed
on a number of outstanding trade issues, particularly
on services, industrial tariffs and public procurement,
and noted the importance of a rapid conclusion of
the negotiations on human rights, terrorism, weapons
of mass destruction and migration issues.
A joint communiqué was issued after the 20th
EU - GCC meeting, which took place on 14 June, 2010
in Luxembourg. In the statement it said that "The
EU and the GCC reiterated their continued commitment
to the promotion and protection of all human rights
and fundamental freedoms, in line with the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and relevant international
instruments."
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Ras Al Khaimah Economy and Currency
Petroleum has traditionally dominated the economy
of the UAE. The immense wealth has been invested in
capital improvements and social services in all seven
of the emirates. Petroleum production is centred in
Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Industrial development is essentially
petroleum related and is limited by a lack of trained
personnel and raw materials.
After seeing big rises in GDP for many years, the
global financial crises affected the UAE badly mainly
because of the country's heavy exposure to depressed
real estate prices. GDP fell 2.7% in 2009, after enjoying
growth of 7.4% and 6.2% in 2008 and 2007 respectively.
Wholesale and retail trade and repair and maintenance
were the largest contributors to GDP in 2008 following
a successful policy of economic diversification; the
portion of GDP based on oil is expected to be no more
than 1% in 2010.
With relatively small mineral reserves in Ras Al
Khaimah, the oil and gas industry has not played a
major role in the developments of the emirate’s
economy. Nonetheless, vast deposits of limestone in
the mountain region have been exploited and Ras Al
Khaimah is one of the region’s largest producers
of cement, and one of the world’s largest suppliers
of ceramic products; RAK Ceramics, which launched
in 1991, produces 200,000 square meters of ceramic
and porcelain tiles per day and exports to more than
135 countries.
With industry forming a major component of the local
economy, Ras Al Khaimah is the UAE’s manufacturing
centre, and other products made there include pharmaceuticals,
steel, aluminium fabrications, DVDs and glass. Industrial
growth has been encouraged by the creation of the
Rak Al Khaimah Free Zone and the government is now
seeking to encourage international services-orientated
investors. In 2007, RAKIA launched an offshore business
registry called RAK Offshore, or the RAKIA Free Zone,
with the aim of providing international investors
with a low-cost, hassle-free International Business
Company product with few restrictions, and to lure
investors looking for an alternative to traditional
offshore financial centres. Regulations are expected
soon to include various types of trust, foundations,
collective investment schemes and offshore banking
activities to be conducted from the RAKIA offshore
zone.
The GDP of Ras Al Khaimah for 2005 was estimated
at AED9.25 billion. GDP growth during 2005 (non-oil
sector) was 18.3 per cent. Since 2005, foreign trade
in Ras Al Khaimah increased by over 100 per cent.
According to the 2006 Ras Al Khaimah foreign trade
statistics released by the Customs and Ports Department,
Ras Al Khaimah's total foreign trade increased to
AED10.38 billion in value. The Emirate's imports increased
to AED4.28 billion, exports were AED3.65 billion and
the value of re-exports stood at AED2.45 billion.
Ras Al khaimah has been assigned ' A1' short term
and 'A' long-term foreign and local currency sovereign
credit ratings by Standard and Poor`s rating agency.
The outlook is stable. The ratings are underpinned
by the relatively strong wealth enjoyed by Ras Al
Khaimah citizens, with GDP per capita approaching
USD16,000.
The UAE dirham is freely convertible and is linked
to the US dollar. The current exchange rate is AED3.67
= USD1 and no revaluation has occurred since 1977.
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Ras Al Khaimah Entry and Residence
Immigration policies in the UAE have traditionally
been fairly liberal in order to cater to demand for
foreign management and technical expertise as the
economy diversified and boomed. Entry and residency
rules have however, undergone some change in recent
years to tighten up the process.
A visit visa applies to tourists who wish to spend
more than 14 days in the UAE, whether it is to visit
relatives or for business purposes. Citizens of the
Arab Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) member states
(Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia) do not
need a visa. AGCC expatriate residents may obtain
a non-renewable 30-day visa upon arrival.
Residents of the UK with the right to abide in the
United Kingdom may obtain a free visa on arrival,
which is valid for 60 days and can be renewed for
an additional 30 days.
Citizens of France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands,
Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden,
Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Finland,
Malta, Spain, Monaco, Vatican City, Iceland, Andorra,
San Marino, Liechtenstein, United States (US), Canada,
Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brunei, Singapore,
Malaysia and Hong Kong can only obtain a one-month
non-renewable visit visa on arrival.
Citizens of other countries require the sponsorship
of a UAE resident (relative or friend), hotel, travel
agency, or company, in order to obtain a visit visa.
This type of visit visa is also known as the tourist
visa. Sponsors must, however, meet a monthly income
requirement and hold a valid residence visa themselves.
Citizens of Israel, or travellers with Israeli stamps
on their passports, will not be permitted entry into
the UAE.
The 14-day visa, also known as an Entry Service Permit
must be sponsored by a UAE company or hotel and will
take 2 weeks to issue.
There is also a Multiple Entry Visa, which is useful
for individuals who are continuously visiting the
UAE.
Individuals planning to live in the UAE must obtain
a residence visa, which are normally issued by the
Immigration department of the emirate of residence
and provided by a sponsor (normally a person’s
employer).
Those entering the UAE with family members must obtain
a family visa, which are subject to a minimum monthly
income requirement.
Residence visas are normally issued for 3-years and
in order for it to be processed, a medical test must
be undertaken and a health card obtained which should
be renewed yearly. It can be issued by at Ministry
of Health or else at a recognised private hospital.
A penalty charge is imposed on visitors who overstay.
Entry and residence rules are subject to unexpected
change, however, and it is advised that further information
is sought before travelling by contacting the Immigration
Department/Ras Al Khaimah Naturalisation and Residence
Department (RAK NRD), tel +971-7-2273333.
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Ras Al Khaimah Business Environment
Like Dubai, the government of Ras Al Khaimah encourages
private sector development and believes that the role
of the government is primarily to create an optimum
environment for businesses to flourish, providing
enabling infrastructures, utilities and services and
making sure that the government is an effective partner,
supporting and empowering the private sector. The
Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority (RAKIA) was formed
by the government in 2005 to facilitate investment
in the emirate, and acts as a partner to the private
sector in many investment projects.
Overseas businessmen will find that their counterparts
combine local and regional expertise with a full understanding
of international business practices. English ranks
on a par with Arabic as the main business language.
Transport infrastructure is good, and there are three
major highways linking Ras Al Khaimah with the other
emirates. The newly-constructed Emirates Road passes
through the emirates of Umm Al Quwain, Ajman and Sharjah and
ends in Dubai, allowing journeys from Ras Al
Khaimah to Dubai in under 45 minutes.
Saqr Port, located in the industrial area of Khor
Khuwair, is the Emirate's main port. It mainly provides
bulk and container services and has 12 deep water
berths, eight of which are owned by the government.
The remaining berths are owned by KGL and serve as
a container port. Other services include ship handling,
crew changes and storage. A new port, Al Jazirah,
opened recently for bulk handling and is located to
the south of Ras Al Khaimah.
Ras Al Khaimah International Airport operates passenger
traffic to destinations across the Middle East, Africa,
Central Asia, India and the Far East. The airport
has a 3,760m runway, is uncongested, and has room
for expansion. It is equipped to handle all types
of cargo planes and facilities include a 3,000 square
meter cargo terminal with state-of-the-art facilities.
RAK Airways, launched in December 2007, is the fourth
national airline of the United Arab Emirates, flying
every day from its base in Ras Al Khaimah.
The postal system in the UAE is very modern and the
post offices are among the most efficient in the Gulf.
Between the UAE and Europe or the USA, mail takes
about ten days. To Australia, mail takes about eight
to ten days. There is an excellent telephone system
and you can phone anywhere in the world from the most
remote areas. Internet use in the UAE in
general is extensive, and the government has developed
many effective online portals for accessing services
and information.
There is no corporate tax in Ras Al Khaimah. The
only exceptions to this are for oil producing companies
and branches of foreign banks. Likewise, there are
no personal taxes. Direct taxation is against the
traditions of the UAE and it is highly unlikely that
it will be introduced in the near future.
In the last 30 years, the foundations of the emirate’s
economy has rested largely on industry, but laws have
been put in place recently to attract investors from
around the globe. Companies registered in the Ras
Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone (RAKFTZ) benefit from unrestricted
foreign ownership and repatriation of profits and
capital, and are not required to pay corporate, capital
gains, sales or excise taxes. The Ras Al Khaimah Investment
Authority has also launched an offshore business domicile
to rival those in any traditional offshore financial
centre.
In 2007, the RAK Investment Authority announced that
it is to develop a modern complex known as the RAK
Financial City, which is intended to become the home
of the RAK Investment Authority’s offshore facility,
specializing in trusts, foundations, insurance business,
funds and other financial and legal services in demand
from global investors. Developed on an area of 320,000
square meters, it will include 12 towers ranging from
25 to 65 floors. Three of the towers will have offices,
eight will be given over to residential use and the
remaining tower will be an hotel. The area will have
parking facility for over 10,000 cars. The project
is being developed with an investment of AED 3 billion.
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Ras Al Kaimah Free Trade Zone
Defying the challenging economic environment, the
RAKFTZ continued to achieve steady growth during 2010
– its 10th year in operation. RAKFTZ registered
1,740 new free zone companies during the year, while
its International Companies (IC) division registered
a record number of 1,499 - a 14.65% increase in the
total number of registrations compared to 2009. Licence
renewals also achieved a significant growth of 16.49%
in 2010, with 3,271 companies renewing their business
licences, reinforcing the free zone’s reputation
as one of the most attractive investment zones in
the Middle East. As of the end of 2010, the total
number of actively operational registered companies
in RAK FTZ stood at over 5,000.
The RAKFTZ's position as one of the fastest-growing
and most cost-effective free trade zones in the UAE
was underlined in the first quarter of 2011 when an
522 new companies registered there, representing a
17% increase over Q1, 2010. A total of 970 licences
were renewed during Q1 compared to 710 licences renewed
in the corresponding period in 2010, representing
an increase of 36.6%. Among the 522 companies that
registered between January and March, the majority
are from India (140), followed by United Kingdom (43),
Egypt (29), Pakistan (27), Turkey (24), France (20),
Germany (16), USA (15), Jordan (13) and the Russian
Federation (13).
Oussama El Omari, CEO of RAK FTZ, said: “The
tremendous increase in new registrations and licence
renewals in the first quarter of 2011 reinforces our
reputation as one of the most attractive investment
zones in the Middle East. Our open door economic development
policy has gone a long way towards gaining investor
confidence from across the globe, as is evident from
both the new registrations and the renewals. More
importantly, the environment to grow and flourish
has become a hallmark of RAK FTZ that is greatly admired
by our investors.”
RAK FTZ’s impressive growth comes amidst large-scale
infrastructure development currently under way in
the Northern Emirates, with support from the UAE Federal
government. This includes a USD43.3m plan to construct
a 36-kilometre main pipeline to provide Ras Al Khaimah
with water, as well as a solar island project.
RAK FTZ’s other achievements in 2010 included
the launching of a new mobile phone website (English
and Arabic), the unveiling of the new ‘Mazeed’
Service Desk at Business Centre 1 in the RAK FTZ Business
Park and the opening of a new Promotion and Innovation
Centre at Dubai Festival City, which offers a range
of services to meet the growing business needs of
its existing and prospective clients. Additionally,
RAK FTZ also opened a new RAK Business Centre location
in its Business Park, as part of its efforts to reach
out to the investor community and corporate businesses
across all markets and sectors.
In 2011, RAK FTZ will continue to focus on expanding
its reach, with sustained emphasis on growth markets
like Brazil, Russia, India and China, and concentrate
on maintaining the levels of expansion achieved in
2010. The free zone will follow through on its
Emiratisation programme by integrating more UAE Nationals
into its workforce.
“The unlimited support that we receive from
the government of Ras Al Khaimah especially from HH
Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member
and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, and HH Sheikh Faisal
Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, RAK FTZ Chairman, has been a key
factor in our successful positioning of the Emirate
of Ras Al Khaimah as an important international investment
hub,” said El Omari.
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