Ras Tanura (Arabic: رأس تنورة, romanized: Ra's Tannūrah, lit. 'cape oven, cape brazier', presumably due to the unusual heat prevalent at the cape that projects into the sea) is a city and semi-governorate in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia located on a peninsula extending into the Persian Gulf, Even though the closest governorate is Qatif and geographically it can be considered part of Qatif, the city is de facto under the administration of the Jubail governorate, The name Ras Tanura applies both to a gated Saudi Aramco employee compound (also referred to as "Najmah") and to an industrial area further out on the peninsula that serves as a major oil port and oil operations center for Aramco, the largest oil company in the world. Today, the compound has about 3,200 residents, with a few Americans and British expats.
Geographically, the Ras Tanura complex is located south of the modern industrial port city of Jubail and north across Tarout Bay from the old port city of Dammam. Although Ras Tanura's port area is located on a small peninsula, due to modern oil tankers' need for deeper water, Aramco has built numerous artificial islands for easier docking. Additionally, offshore oil rigs and production facilities, mainly by Aramco, Schlumberger, and Halliburton, have been constructed in nearby waters. Despite being geographically closer to Qatif, Ras Tanura is administratively under the jurisdiction of Jubail.
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