Saudi Arabia




                                 Geography


Location:
     Middle East, between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf
Map references:
     Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
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 - 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


                                  People


Population:
     18,196,783 (July 1994 est.)
note:
     the population figure is consistent with a 3.24% growth rate; 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
Population growth rate:
     3.24% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     38.25 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     5.83 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     52.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     67.91 years
male:
     66.25 years
female:
     69.65 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     6.67 children born/woman (1994 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 est.)
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%


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
local short form:
     Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
Digraph:
     SA
Type:
     monarchy
Capital:
     Riyadh
Administrative divisions:
     14 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash
     Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al Qasim, Al Qurayyat, 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; mostly made up of the royal family 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, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,
     INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer),
     OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOSOM, 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:
     (202) 342-3800
consulate(s) general:
     Houston, Los Angeles, and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     (vacant); Charge d'Affaires C. David Welch
embassy:
     Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh
mailing address:
     American Embassy, Unit 61307, Riyadh; International Mail: P. O. Box
     94309, Riyadh 11693; or 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:
     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, 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.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $194 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     1% (1993 est.)




National product per capita:
     $11,000 (1993 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:
     $42.3 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
     petroleum and petroleum products 92%
partners:
     US 21%, Japan 18%, Singapore 6%, France 6%, Korea 5%
Imports:
     $26 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
     machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, motor vehicles,
     textiles
partners:
     US 18%, UK 12%, Japan 10%, Germany 5%, France 5%
External debt:
     $18.9 billion (December 1989 est., includes short-term trade credits)
Industrial production:
     growth rate 20% (1991 est.); accounts for 46% of GDP, including
     petroleum
Electricity:
capacity:
     28,554,000 kW
production:
     63 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     3,690 kWh (1992)
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


                              Communications


Railroads:
     1390 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; 448 km are double tracked
Highways:
total:
     74,000 km
paved:
     35,000 km
unpaved:
     gravel, improved earth 39,000 km
Pipelines:
     crude oil 6,400 km; petroleum products 150 km; natural gas 2,200 km
     (includes natural gas liquids 1,600 km)
Ports:
     Jiddah, Ad Dammam, Ras Tanura, Jizan, Al Jubayl, Yanbu' al Bahr,
     Yanbu' al Sinaiyah
Merchant marine:
     74 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 865,343 GRT/1,240,874 DWT, bulk
     1, cargo 11, chemical tanker 4, container 3, liquefied gas 1,
     livestock carrier 5, oil tanker 23, passenger 1, refrigerated cargo 6,
     roll-on/roll-off cargo 11, short-sea passenger 7, specialized tanker 1
Airports:
total:
     215
usable:
     195
with permanent-surface runways:
     71
with runways over 3,659 m:
     14
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     38
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     105
Telecommunications:
     modern system with extensive microwave and coaxial and fiber optic
     cable systems; 1,624,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 43 AM, 13
     FM, 80 TV; 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 - 3 Atlantic
     Ocean INTELSAT, 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT, 1 INMARSAT


                              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 5,682,036; fit for military service 3,140,464; reach
     military age (17) annually 147,420 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     exchange rate conversion - $16.5 billion, 13% of GDP (1993 budget)