Ras al-Khaimah
رأس الخيمة Ras al-Khaimah |
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Coordinates | 25 ° 47 ' N , 55 ° 56' E | |
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Country | United Arab Emirates | |
Ras al-Khaimah | ||
ISO 3166-2 | AE-RK | |
height | 3 m | |
Residents | 263,000 (2015) | |
Telephone code | (+971) 07 | |
Website | www.rak.ae | |
View of Ras al-Khaimah (2015)
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Ra's al-Khaimah ( Arabic رأس الخيمة, DMG Raʾs al-Ḫaima 'tip of the tent', often abbreviated to RAK or RAK after the English transcription Ras Al Khaimah , historical name: Julfar ) is the capital of the Emirate of Ra's al-Khaima , one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates . The city's population was estimated at over 260,000 for 2015, which means that well over half of the emirate's residents live in its capital.
location
The city of Ra's al-Khaimah is located in the northern part of the emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf in the extreme north of the Rub al-Kali desert . It is located about halfway between Umm al-Qaiwain and the border with the Omani exclave Musandam . The city was built around a natural harbor ( al-Chaur or Chaur Ra's al-Khaimah ).
The Ras al-Khaimah Airport is approximately 15 km from the city inland.
City history and development
The city has developed from the small fishermen's and pirate's nest in the years since 1972 from the peninsula around the bay and the harbor, initially unplanned. Urban expansion has been planned since around 1990, and infrastructure and roads are often prepared to prevent traditional free settlement in the middle of the desert. The urban area already extends over around 20 km from west to east (with ar-rams) and up to 10 km into the southern sand hill zones. The rugged mountains beginning around 10 km from the coast form a certain natural limit. Unlike in Dubai , Sharjah and Abu Dhabi , the type of settlement is rather loosely broken up and interspersed with many trees. A few skyscrapers will only be placed on the “Corniches” that are currently being built on the banks, but they by no means determine the rather rural character of Ra's al-Khaimah city.
Healthcare
Ra's al-Khaimah has three public hospitals : Saqr Hospital , Saif bin Ghobash Hospital and Al Zarawi Hospital .
In November 2007 the private RAK Hospital was opened. It is operated by Arabian Healthcare LLC , a joint venture between the government of Ra's al-Khaimah and the Dubai-based ETA Star group. Sonnenhof Swiss Health Ltd. is responsible for the management of RAK Hospital . from Bern, a Swiss private hospital group.
Sports
- Since 2007, the RAK half marathon has been held annually in February under the patronage of the Emir Saʿud ibn Saqr al-Qasimi , a road race with numerous elite runners, mainly from East Africa. The world record for women has already been improved three times in this half marathon . In 2011, the Kenyan Mary Keitany increased the world record by 35 seconds to 1:05:50 h. In 2017, Peres Jepchirchir again beat the world record in her victory in Ra's al-Khaimah with her winning time of 1:05:06 h by 3 seconds. In 2020, the Ethiopian Ababel Yeshaneh improved the world record held by Joyciline Jepkosgei in Ra's al- Khaima by 20 seconds to 1:04:31 h.
- The most important football club in the city is the Emirates Club .
sons and daughters of the town
- Ahmad ibn Mājid (* 1421), Arab navigator and cartographer
- Sheikh Saqr ibn Muhammad al-Qasimi (1918-2010), ruler of the Emirate of Ra's al-Khaimah
- Sheikh Chalid ibn Saqr al-Qasimi (* 1943), former Crown Prince of the Emirate of Ra's al-Khaimah
- Marwan Al-Shehhi (1978-2001), Emirati suicide bomber who piloted United Airlines Flight 175 into the World Trade Center in the September 11 terrorist attacks
- Khamis Esmaeel, Emirati soccer player
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ RAK Hospital (official website)
- ^ IAAF: Keitany smashes Half Marathon World record in Ras Al Khaimah ( Memento from February 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ). February 18, 2011
- ↑ Tim Hutchings, Jon Mulkeen: Jepchirchir breaks world half marathon record in Ras al-Khaimah ( English ) IAAF. February 10, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
- ↑ Yeshaneh breaks half marathon world record in Ras Al Khaimah ( English ) World Athletics. February 21, 2020. Accessed February 21, 2020.