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Situated on the Oman Gulf in the eastern part of the United Arab Emirates, Fujairah is the sixth largest emirate, with a total population of around 130,000.

The ruler of this mountainous emirate is Shaikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi. He took over from his father, who passed away in the year 1974. Economically, there is no real distinction between the Shaikh’s personal money and the government’s money. The Shaikh does business and makes money that way, and his personal funds are used to take care of Fujairah’s needs. The Shaikh is entitled to make all decisions regarding the law of the land, although Federal laws are never repealed. The Shaikh also heads Fujairah’s cabinet, which consists of his immediate family as well as members of respected wealthy families in the community.

The primary industries in Fujairah are mining, stone crushing, and cement. Since the year 2003, the Fujairah Free Zone has witnessed an amazing amount of growth, mimicking the success of the Dubai Free Zone. The vast majority of Fujairah citizens work for the federal government or in the service sector.

Local laws in Fujairah forbid foreigners from owning more than forty nine percent of any business, which makes this area a very profitable one for the natives. It is only within the Free Zone of Fujairah that this law is relaxed a bit, giving foreign companies the chance to make big money.

One major problem in Fujairah is unemployment. Although an exact figure is unknown, critics estimate that around half the emirate’s population is unemployed. This would make Fujairah have one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, if accurate. This is not only an embarrassing problem for the local government; it could be the source of future unrest if not remedied soon.

Fujairah also has incredibly low wages for its work force, with construction workers only earning around five dollars an hour, having to work over twelve hours a day, and getting no benefits. This is beginning to improve, however, as more companies realize the importance of a satisfied work force.

Problems aside, life in Fujairah is quite simple, with common sense interpretations of the law prevailing.

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