Background: In 1902 Abd 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.

Geographic coordinates: 25 00 N 45 00 E

Map reference: Middle East

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

Land boundaries
Total: 4,431 km
Border countries: (7) Iraq 814 km; , Jordan 744 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 temperature extremes

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: 1.72%
Permanent crops: 0.06%
Other: 98.22% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 16,200 km² (1998 est.)

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

Population
Note: includes 5,360,526 non-nationals (July 2002 est.)
Growth rate: 3.27% (2002 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Saudi
Adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian

Ethnic groups: Arab 90% Afro-Asian 10%

Languages: Arabic

Religions: Muslim 100%

Age structure
0-14 years: 42.4% (male 5,086,541; female 4,883,942)
15-64 years: 54.8% (male 7,493,304; female 5,396,985)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 362,780; female 289,778) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.27% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 37.25 births/1000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 5.86 deaths/1000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.28 migrant(s)/1000 population (2002 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
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, 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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 1.39 male/female
65 years and over: 1.25 male/female
Total population: 1.22 male/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 49.59 deaths/1000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 68.4 years
Female: 70.2 years (2002 est.)
Male: 66.7 years

Total fertility rate: 6.21 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.01% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 78%
Male: 84.2%
Female: 69.5% (2002 est.)

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

Independence: 23 September 1932 (Unification of the Kingdom)

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

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
Elections: none; the monarch is hereditary
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

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: none allowed

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 Interpol IOC ISO ITU NAM OAPEC OAS (observer) OIC OPCW OPEC PCA UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTrO (observer)

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 consulates general: Houston, Los Angeles, and New York
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 342-3,800
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Robert W. JORDAN
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

Economy overview: This is an 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 reserves) ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum and plays a leading role in OPEC. The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 75% of budget revenues 45% of GDP and 90% of export earnings. About 25% 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. Riyadh expects to have a budget deficit in 2002 in part because of increased spending for education and other social programs. The government in 1999 announced plans to begin privatizing the electricity companies which follows the ongoing privatization of the telecommunications company. The government is expected to continue calling for private sector growth to lessen the kingdom's dependence on oil and increase employment opportunities for the swelling Saudi population. Shortages of water and rapid population growth will constrain government efforts to increase self-sufficiency in agricultural products.

Real gdp growth rate: 1.6% (2001 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $10,600 (2001 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 7%
Industry: 48%
Services: 45% (2000 est.)

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

Industries: crude oil production petroleum refining basic petrochemicals cement construction fertilizer plastics

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

Labor force
Note: 35% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1998 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 12%
By occupation industry: 25%
By occupation services: 63% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $42 billion
Expenditures: $54 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.7% (2001)

Exports: $66.9 billion f.o.b. (2001)
Commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 90%
Partners: US 17.4% Japan 17.3% South Korea 11.7% Singapore 5.3% India (2000)

Imports: $29.7 billion f.o.b. (2001)
Commodities: machinery and equipment foodstuffs chemicals motor vehicles textiles
Partners: US 21.1% Japan 9.4% Germany 7.4% UK 7.3% (2000)

Debt external: $23.8 billion (2001 est.)

Exchange rates: Saudi riyals per US dollar - 3.7450 (fixed rate since June 1986)

Electricity
Production: 123.5 billion kWh (2000)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (2000)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 114.86 billion kWh (2000)
Exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 3.1 million (1998)
Mobile cellular note: in 1998, the government contracted for the installation of 575,000 additional Group Speciale Mobile (GSM) cellular telephone lines over 15 months to raise the total number of subscribers to more than one million; Riyadh planned to further expand the GSM system in 1999 by adding an additional one million lines (1998)

Telephone system
General assessment: modern system
Domestic: extensive microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, 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)

Internet
Country code: .sa
Service providers isps: 42 (2001)
Users: 570,000 (2001)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $18.3 billion (FY00)
Percent of gdp: 13% (FY00)

Airports: 209 (2001)
With paved runways total: 71 70
With paved runways over 3047 m: 31 31
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 12 11
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 2 (2002)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 24 23
With unpaved runways total: 138
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 6
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 79
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 13 (2002)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 39

Heliports: 5 (2002)

Pipelines: crude oil 6,400 km; petroleum products 150 km; natural gas 2,200 km (includes natural gas liquids 1600 km)

Railways
Total: 1,392 km
Standard gauge: 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (724 km are double-tracked) (2001)

Waterways: none

Merchant marine
Total: 71 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,071,315 GRT/1,412,125 DWT
Ships by type: cargo 11, chemical tanker 10, container 4, livestock carrier 3, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 20, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 11, short-sea passenger 8
Note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Egypt 3, Finland 1, Greece 3, Kuwait 1, Sudan 1, United Arab Emirates 1, United Kingdom 3 (2002 est.)

Disputes international: demarcation of delimited boundary with Yemen involves nomadic tribal affiliations; because details of 1974 and 1977 treaties have not been made public the exact location of the Saudi Arabia-UAE boundary is unknown and status is considered de facto

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