Ras Al Khaimah, often shortened to RAK, is the northernmost emirate of the UAE and shares a border with Oman. The ruler of Ras Al Khaimah is His Highness Shaikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi. The capital, also called Ras Al Khaimah, is an industrial port city and the largest settlement in the emirate. A creek divides the city into two parts: the old town on the west side and Al Nakheel on the east. The emirate is served by Ras Al Khaimah International Airport in Al Jazirah Al Hamra.
The name Ras Al Khaimah means "Headland of the Tent". The Arabic word for tent, khaimah, also described the palm-frond (areesh) houses that were common in the area. The city is the successor to Julfar, an important port and trading hub of the Islamic era.
The area has been continuously inhabited for around 7,000 years, and archaeological finds go back to the Neolithic period. Julfar and Ras Al Khaimah are two separate settlements with their own histories: Julfar was abandoned in the early 17th century as Ras Al Khaimah grew in importance, and Julfar itself had grown from an earlier settlement called Kush, now in the northern suburbs of the city. Ras Al Khaimah is also the home town of the famous navigator and cartographer Ibn Majid.
Key moments in the emirate's history include:
Ras Al Khaimah city had a population of 191,753 in 2025, making it the sixth most populous city in the UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain and Ajman. The official language of the UAE is Arabic, although English is widely used in business. A large part of the expatriate community also speaks Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Urdu, Bengali, Persian and other languages of the subcontinent.
Ras Al Khaimah has a climate that is hot and humid even by regional standards. The highest wet-bulb temperature ever recorded by a reliable weather station, 36.3°C, was measured at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport. High humidity makes it harder for the body to cool down through sweating, so the heat feels far more intense than the air temperature suggests.
Ras Al Khaimah is not a major oil producer, so it has concentrated on building its industrial base and on attracting investors. Major industries include cement, ceramics and pharmaceuticals, and the emirate is also developing its tourism sector.
RAKEZ connects investors with international markets. It runs an online client portal called Portal 360 and serves businesses of every size, from freelancers and start-ups to SMEs, across 50 industries. RAKEZ is divided into six dedicated zones:
Ras Al Khaimah is the headquarters of RAK Ceramics, a global ceramics manufacturer. The company is listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and the Dhaka Stock Exchange.
Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries, better known as Julphar, is a pharmaceutical manufacturer headquartered in Ras Al Khaimah and active across the MENA region.
In 2022, Ras Al Khaimah announced Wynn Al Marjan Island, a US$3.9 billion integrated resort developed with Wynn Resorts and scheduled to open in 2027. Wynn Resorts holds a 40% stake, for which it contributed US$900 million, and the Ras Al Khaimah government financed the remainder. The resort will include a casino area of about 224,000 sq. ft. The UAE set up the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) in September 2023, and Wynn Resorts received a commercial gaming facility operator licence in October 2024. Gambling remains prohibited for UAE citizens, and the project is aimed at international visitors.
The annual Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon, first held in 2007, has brought the emirate attention in the international sports media. Traditional occupations such as fishing, trading and agriculture continue, but have been heavily modernized to serve the UAE economy.
Ras Al Khaimah offers investors several routes to set up a business, including free zone companies through RAKEZ and international (offshore) companies. Please note that the UAE tax framework has changed in recent years:
Because tax and company regulations are updated regularly, we recommend confirming the current rules for your business activity with our consultants before you register.
Besides government-funded Arabic-medium schools, the city has Ras Al Khaimah Academy and a number of Indian schools. Higher education institutions in the city include:
The Ras Al Khaimah Transport Authority serves the emirate and the surrounding areas. Within the city, metered taxis are the main way to get around, while public buses serve longer routes to smaller towns such as Sha'am, Rams and Al Jazirah Al Hamra. Emirates Road (E311) links Ras Al Khaimah with Dubai by way of Umm Al Quwain, Ajman and Sharjah.
Saqr Port, located in the Khor Khuwair industrial area, is the main port of the emirate and provides bulk and container services, including specialised berths for cement and aggregate.
Ras Al Khaimah International Airport serves the emirate with passenger and cargo flights.
Popular shopping centres in Ras Al Khaimah include:
Healthcare in the emirate is provided by two government hospitals, Saqr Hospital and Saif Bin Ghobash Hospital, and by RAK Hospital, a private multispecialty hospital. RAK Hospital is accredited by Joint Commission International (JCI) and Swiss Leading Hospitals.