| Geographical Information |
| Map Location |
Middle East |
| Geographical Location |
25° 00' North Latitude
45° 00' East Longitude |
| Surface Area |
1,960,582 sq km |
| Climate |
Harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes |
| Natural Resources |
Petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper |
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| Political Information |
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| Country Name |
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia |
| Capital City |
Riyadh |
| Government Type |
Monarchy |
| 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 Day |
23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom) |
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| Demographical Information |
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| Population |
26,417,599
Note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2005 est.) |
| Nationality |
Saudi or Saudi Arabian |
| Ethnic Groups |
Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10% |
| Religion |
Muslim 100% |
| Languages |
Arabic |
| Population Growth Rate |
2.31% (2005 est.) |
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| Economical Information |
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| Currency |
Saudi riyal (SAR) |
| Industries |
Crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, ammonia, industrial gases, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), cement, construction,
fertilizer, plastics, commercial ship repair, commercial aircraft repair |
| Labor Force |
6.62 million
Note: more than 35% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2004 est.) |
| Labor Force by Sectors |
Agriculture 12%, industry 25%, services 63% (1999 est.) |
| Agriculture Products |
Wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk |
| Export Commodities |
Petroleum and petroleum products 90% |
| Export Partners |
US 19.3%, Japan 16.4%, South Korea 8.7%, China 5.8%, Singapore 4.5% (2004) |
| Import Commodities |
Machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles, textiles |
| Import Partners |
US 9.3%, Germany 6.8%, Japan 6.7%, UK 5.4%, China 5% (2004) |
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| Transportation |
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| Railways |
1,392 km |
| Highways |
152,044 km |
| Pipelines |
Condensate 212 km; gas 1,780 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,191 km; oil 5,068 km; refined products 1,162 km (2004) |
| Airports |
201 (2004 est.) |
| Ports and Harbors |
Ad Dammam, Al Jubayl, Duba, Jiddah, Jizan, Rabigh, Ra's al Khafji, Mishab, Ras Tanura, Yanbu' al Bahr, Madinat Yanbu' al Sinaiyah |
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| Communication |
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| Phone Code |
+966 |
| Internet Abbreviation |
.sa |
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| Other |
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| Short History |
In 1902, ABD AL-AZIZ bin Abd al-Rahman Al Saud captured Riyadh and set out on a 30-year campaign to unify the Arabian Peninsula. A son of ABD AL-AZIZ rules the country today,
and the country's Basic Law stipulates that the throne shall remain in the hands of the aging sons and grandsons of the kingdom's founder. 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.
The continuing presence of foreign troops on Saudi soil after Operation Desert Storm remained a source of tension between the royal family and the public until the US military's
near-complete withdrawal to neighboring Qatar in 2003. The first major terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia in several years, which occurred in May and November 2003, prompted renewed
efforts on the part of the Saudi government to counter domestic terrorism and extremism, which also coincided with a slight upsurge in media freedom and announcement of government plans
to phase in partial political representation. A burgeoning population, aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and prices are all ongoing governmental concerns. |
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