Map of Saudi Arabia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: In 1902 Abdul al-Aziz Ibn SAUD captured Riyadh and set out on a 30-year campaign to unify the Arabian peninsula. In the 1930s the discovery of oil transformed the country. Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 Saudi Arabia accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the liberation of Kuwait the following year. A burgeoning population aquifer depletion and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and prices are all major governmental concerns.


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Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen

Geographic coordinates: 25 00 N, 45 00 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 1,960,582 km²
Land: 1,960,582 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US

Land boundaries
Total: 4,415 km
Border countries: (7) 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

Climate: harsh, dry desert with great extremes of temperature

Terrain: mostly uninhabited, sandy desert

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
Extremes highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper

Land use
Arable land: 2%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 56%
Forests and woodland: 1%
Other: 41% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 4,350 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms

Geography
Note: extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal


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Population: 21,504,613 (July 1999 est.)
Note: includes 5,321,938 non-nationals (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 3.39% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Saudi(s)
Adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian

Ethnic groups: Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%

Languages: Arabic

Religions: Muslim 100%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 43% (male 4,705,724; female 4,543,918)
15-64 years: 54% (male 6,925,020; female 4,783,570)
65 years and over: 3% (male 291,449; female 254,932) (1999 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 3.39% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 37.38 births/1000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 4.86 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.4 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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
International agreements party to: Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.45 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.14 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.24 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 38.8 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 70.55 years
Male: 68.67 years
Female: 72.53 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.34 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 62.8%
Male: 71.5%
Female: 50.2% (1995 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
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

Government type: monarchy

Capital: Riyadh

Administrative divisions: 13 provinces (mintaqat, singular_mintaqah; Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al Qasim, Ar Riyad, Ash Sharqiyah (Eastern Province), 'Asir, Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah, Najran, Tabuk

Dependent areas

Independence: 23 September 1932 (unification)

National holiday: Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)

Constitution: governed according to Shari'a (Islamic law; the Basic Law that articulates the government's rights and responsibilities was introduced in 1993

Legal system: based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: none

Executive branch
Chief of state: 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 monarch, heir to the throne since 13 June 1982, regent from 1 January to 22 February 1996); note_the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government
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 monarch, heir to the throne since 13 June 1982, regent from 1 January to 22 February 1996); note_the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government
Cabinet: Council of Ministers is appointed by the monarch and includes many royal family members
Elections: none; the monarch is hereditary

Legislative branch: a consultative council (90 members and a chairman appointed by the monarch for four-year terms)

Judicial branch: Supreme Council of Justice

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BIS, 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, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador BANDAR bin Sultan bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud
In the us chancery: 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,037
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 342-3,800
In the us consulates general: Houston, Los Angeles, and New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Wyche FOWLER, Jr.
From the us embassy: Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh
From the us mailing address: American Embassy Riyadh, Unit 61,307, APO AE 9,803-1307; International Mail:P. O. Box 94,309, Riyadh 11,693
From the us telephone: [966] (1) 488-3,800
From the us FAX: [966] (1) 488-7,360
From the us consulates general: Dhahran, Jiddah (Jeddah)

Flag description: 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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: This is a well-to-do oil-based economy with strong government controls over major economic activities. 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. The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 75% of budget revenues, 40% of GDP, and 90% of export earnings. About 35% of GDP comes from the private sector. Roughly 4 million foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy, for example, in the oil and service sectors. The Saudi economy was severely hit by the large decline in world oil prices in 1998. GDP fell by nearly 11%; the budget deficit rose to $12.3 billion; and the current account recorded a $13 billion deficit_the first in three years. The government announced plans to implement large spending cuts in 1999 because of weak oil prices and will continue to call on greater private sector involvement in the economy. Shortages of water and rapid population growth will constrain government efforts to increase self-sufficiency in agricultural products.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -10.8% (1998 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $9,000 (1998 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 6%
Industry: 53%
Services: 41% (1996)

Agriculture products: wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk

Industries: crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, cement, two small steel-rolling mills, construction, fertilizer, plastics

Industrial production growth rate: 1% (1997 est.)

Labor force: 7 million
Note: 35% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1998 est.)
By occupation government: 40%
By occupation industry construction andoil: 25%
By occupation services: 30%
By occupation agriculture: 5%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $32.3 billion
Expenditures: $44 billion, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1999 budget est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $59.7 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
Commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 90%
Partners: Japan 18%, US 15%, South Korea 11%, Singapore 8%, India 4% (1997 est.)

Imports: $26.2 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
Commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles, textiles
Partners: US 23%, UK 17%, Japan 8%, Germany 8%, Italy 5% (1997 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Saudi riyals (SR) per US$1_3.7450 (fixed rate since June 1986)


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Electricity
Production: 95 billion kWh (1996)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1996)
Consumption: 95 billion kWh (1996)
Exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones: 1.46 million (1993)

Telephone system: modern system
Domestic: extensive microwave radio relay 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; satellite earth stations_5 Intelsat (3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $18.1 billion (1997 est.)
Percent of gdp: 12% (1997 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 205 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 70
With paved runways over 3047 m: 30
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 12
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 23
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 135
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 5
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 78
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 38
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 13 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 4 (1998 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 6,400 km; petroleum products 150 km; natural gas 2,200 km (includes natural gas liquids 1,600 km)

Railways
Total: 1,390 km
Standard gauge: 1,390 km 1.435-m gauge (448 km double track) (1992)

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 73 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,124,110 GRT/1,467,121 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 13, chemical tanker 7, container 5, liquefied gas tanker 1, livestock carrier 4, oil tanker 17, passenger 1, refrigerated cargo 4, roll-on/roll-off cargo 12, short-sea passenger 8 (1998 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: large section of boundary with Yemen not defined; location and status of boundary with UAE is not final, de facto boundary reflects 1974 agreement; Kuwaiti ownership of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim islands is disputed by Saudi Arabia; in 1996, agreed with Qatar to demarcate border per 1992 accord; that process is ongoing

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: death penalty for traffickers; increasing consumption of heroin and cocaine