SAUDI ARABIA
Geography People Government Economy Transportation Communications Defense Forces
SAUDI ARABIA
@Saudi Arabia:Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea,
north of Yemen
Map references: Middle East
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SAUDI ARABIA - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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Jiddah 1,500,000 21.30N, 39.10E 966-2 GMT+3
RIYADH 667,000 24.39N, 46.46E 966-1 GMT+3
Mecca 550,000 21.26N, 39.49E 966-2 GMT+3
Taif 300,000 21.15N, 40.21E 966-2 GMT+3
Medina 290,000 24.30N, 39.35E 966-4 GMT+3
Dammam 200,000 26.25N, 50.06E 966-3 GMT+3
Hufuf 101,000 25.20N, 49.34E 966-3 GMT+3
Haradh 100,000 24.08N, 49.05E 966- GMT+3
Tabuk 75,000 28.22N, 36.32E 966-4 GMT+3
Buraydah 70,000 26.20N, 43.59E 966-6 GMT+3
Al-Mubarraz 54,000 25.26N, 49.37E 966- GMT+3
Khamis-Mushait 50,000 18.19N, 42.45E 966-7 GMT+3
Jizan 33,000 16.56N, 42.33E 966-7 GMT+3
Abha 30,000 18.13N, 42.30E 966-7 GMT+3
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Area:
total area: 1,960,582 sq km
land area: 1,960,582 sq km
comparative area: slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US
Land boundaries: total 4,415 km, Iraq 814 km, Jordan 728 km, Kuwait
222 km, Oman 676 km, Qatar 60 km, UAE 457 km, Yemen 1,458 km
Coastline: 2,640 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 18 nm
continental shelf: not specified
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: large section of boundary with Yemen not
defined; status of boundary with UAE not final; Kuwaiti ownership of
Qaruh and Umm al Maradim islands is disputed by Saudi Arabia
Climate: harsh, dry desert with great extremes of temperature
Terrain: mostly uninhabited, sandy desert
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper
Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 39%
forest and woodland: 1%
other: 59%
Irrigated land: 4,350 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: desertification; depletion of underground water
resources; the lack of perennial rivers or permanent water bodies has
prompted the development of extensive seawater desalination
facilities; coastal pollution from oil spills
natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms
international agreements: party to - Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes,
Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea
Note: extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great
leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and
Suez Canal
@Saudi Arabia:People
Population: 18,729,576 (July 1995 est.)
note: a 1992 census gives the number of Saudi citizens as 12,304,835
and the number of residents who are not citizens as 4,624,459
Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (female 3,952,573; male 4,065,224)
15-64 years: 55% (female 4,078,001; male 6,219,737)
65 years and over: 2% (female 203,372; male 210,669) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.68% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 38.78 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 5.54 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 48.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.5 years
male: 66.79 years
female: 70.3 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.48 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Saudi(s)
adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian
Ethnic divisions: Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%
Religions: Muslim 100%
Languages: Arabic
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population: 62%
male: 73%
female: 48%
Labor force: 5 million-6 million
by occupation: government 34%, industry and oil 28%, services 22%,
agriculture 16%
@Saudi Arabia:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
conventional short form: Saudi Arabia
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
local short form: Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
Digraph: SA
Type: monarchy
Capital: Riyadh
Administrative divisions: 13 provinces (mintaqah, singular -
mintaqat); Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al
Qasim, Ar Riyad, Ash Sharqiyah, Asir, Hail, Jizan, Makkah, Najran,
Tabuk
Independence: 23 September 1932 (unification)
National holiday: Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)
Constitution: none; governed according to Shari'a (Islamic law)
Legal system: based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been
introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: none
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: King and Prime Minister FAHD
bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 13 June 1982); Crown Prince and First
Deputy Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (half-brother
to the King, appointed heir to the throne 13 June 1982)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; dominated by royal family members
appointed by the king
Legislative branch: a consultative council comprised of 60 members and
a chairman who are appointed by the King for a term of four years
Judicial branch: Supreme Council of Justice
Political parties and leaders: none allowed
Member of: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-19, G-77,
GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OAS
(observer), OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador BANDAR bin Sultan Abd al-Aziz Al Saud
chancery: 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 342-3800
consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Raymond E. MABUS, Jr.
embassy: Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh
mailing address: American Embassy, Unit 61307, Riyadh; International
Mail: P. O. Box 94309, Riyadh 11693; APO AE 09803-1307
telephone: [966] (1) 488-3800
FAX: [966] (1) 482-4364
consulate(s) general: Dhahran, Jiddah (Jeddah)
Flag: green with large white Arabic script (that may be translated as
There is no God but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God) above a
white horizontal saber (the tip points to the hoist side); green is
the traditional color of Islam
Economy
Overview: This is a well-to-do oil-based economy with strong
government controls over major economic activities. About 46% of GDP
comes from the private sector. Economic (as well as political) ties
with the US are especially strong. The petroleum sector accounts for
roughly 75% of budget revenues, 35% of GDP, and almost all export
earnings. Saudi Arabia has the largest reserves of petroleum in the
world (26% of the proved total), ranks as the largest exporter of
petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. For the 1990s the
government intends to bring its budget, which has been in deficit
since 1983, back into balance, and to encourage private economic
activity. Roughly four million foreign workers play an important role
in the Saudi economy, for example, in the oil and banking sectors. For
about a decade, Saudi Arabia's domestic and international outlays have
outstripped its income, and the government has cut its foreign
assistance and is beginning to rein in domestic programs. For 1995,
the country looks for improvement in oil prices and will continue its
policies of restraining public spending and encouraging non-oil
exports.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $173.1 billion (1994
est.)
National product real growth rate: -3% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $9,510 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate: 6.5% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $39 billion
expenditures: $50 billion, including capital expenditures of $7.5
billion (1993 est.)
Exports: $39.4 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 92%
partners: US 20%, Japan 18%, Singapore 5%, France 5%, South Korea 5%
(1992)
Imports: $28.9 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, motor
vehicles, textiles
partners: US 21%, Japan 14%, UK 11%, Germany 8%, Italy 6%, France 5%
(1992)
External debt: $18.9 billion (December 1989 est., includes short-term
trade credits)
Industrial production: growth rate 20% (1991 est.); accounts for 35%
of GDP, including petroleum
Electricity:
capacity: 17,550,000 kW
production: 46 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 2,430 kWh (1993)
Industries: crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic
petrochemicals, cement, two small steel-rolling mills, construction,
fertilizer, plastics
Agriculture: accounts for about 10% of GDP, 16% of labor force;
subsidized by government; products - wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons,
dates, citrus fruit, mutton, chickens, eggs, milk; approaching
self-sufficiency in food
Illicit drugs: death penalty for traffickers; increasing consumption
of heroin and cocaine
Economic aid:
donor: pledged bilateral aid (1979-89), $64.7 billion; pledged $100
million in 1993 to fund reconstruction of Lebanon
Currency: 1 Saudi riyal (SR) = 100 halalah
Exchange rates: Saudi riyals (SR) per US$1 - 3.7450 (fixed rate since
late 1986), 3.7033 (1986)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Saudi Arabia:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 1,390 km
standard gauge: 1,390 km 1.435-m gauge (448 km double track)
Highways:
total: 151,530 km
paved: 60,610 km
unpaved: 90,920 km (1992 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 6,400 km; petroleum products 150 km; natural gas
2,200 km (includes natural gas liquids 1,600 km)
Ports: Ad Dammam, Al Jubayl, Duba, Jiddah, Jizan, Rabigh, Ras al
Khafji, Ras al Mishab, Ras Tanura, Yanbu' al Bahr, Yanbu' al Sinaiyah
Merchant marine:
total: 71 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 855,452 GRT/1,233,477 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 12, chemical tanker 5, container 3,
liquefied gas tanker 1, livestock carrier 4, oil tanker 22, passenger
1, refrigerated cargo 4, roll-on/roll-off cargo 11, short-sea
passenger 7
Airports:
total: 211
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 30
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 22
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 4
with paved runways under 914 m: 21
with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 73
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 43
@Saudi Arabia:Communications
Telephone system: 1,624,000 telephones; modern system
local: NA
intercity: extensive microwave and coaxial and fiber optic cable
systems
international: microwave radio relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait,
Qatar, UAE, Yemen, and Sudan; coaxial cable to Kuwait and Jordan;
submarine cable to Djibouti, Egypt and Bahrain; earth stations - 5
INTELSAT (3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1 ARABSAT, and 1
INMARSAT
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 43, FM 13, shortwave 0
radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 80
televisions: NA
@Saudi Arabia:Defense Forces
Branches: Land Force (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force,
National Guard, Coast Guard, Frontier Forces, Special Security Force,
Public Security Force
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 5,303,679; males fit for
military service 2,949,842; males reach military age (17) annually
164,220 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $17.2 billion, 13.8%
of GDP (1994)
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