Saudi Arabia

monarchyIndependence 23 September 1932 (unification)

Saudi Arabia as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 73 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

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CapitalRiyadh
Area2,149,690 km2
1990

Every edition of Saudi Arabia

Populationas each edition published it
17.12 million July 1990 · 36.54m in 2025
Population growth% a year
Not in this edition 3.3% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 18.8 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 67.32 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
6.8 children per woman 1990 · 1.84 in 2025
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
71 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 11.4 in 2025
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
Not in this edition $6,500 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
Not in this edition 3.6% in 1993

Geography

15 fields

Land useshare of 2,149,690 km2

arable land 1%meadows and pastures 39%forest and woodland 1%other 59%NEGL% permanent crops; includes NEGL% irrigated
Total area
2,149,690km2
land area: 2,149,690 km2Comparative area: slightly less than one-fourth the size of US
Coastline
2,510km
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Land boundaries
4,410km total
Iraq 488 km, Iraq-Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone 198 km, Jordan 742 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman 676 km, Qatar 40 km, UAE 586 km, PDRY 830 km, YAR 628 km

Continental shelf

not specific;

Disputes

  • no defined boundaries with PDRY, UAE, and YAR;
  • shares Neutral Zone with Iraq--in July 1975, Iraq and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement to divide the zone between them, but the agreement must be ratified, however, before it becomes effective;
  • 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

crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper

Environment

  • no perennial rivers or permanent water bodies;
  • developing extensive coastal seawater desalination facilities;
  • desertification

Note

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

People

14 fields

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth
37Death
7Net migration
13

Ethnic divisions

Arab 90%Afro-Asian 10%

Population

  • 17,115,728 (July 1990), growth rate 4.4% (1990);
  • note--the population figure is based on growth since the last official Saudi census of 1974 reported a total of 7 million persons and includes foreign workers, while estimates from other sources may be 15-30% lower

Infant mortality rate

71 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth

64 years male, 67 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate

6.8 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality

noun--Saudi(s); adjective--Saudi or Saudi Arabian

Religion

100% Muslim

Language

Arabic

Labor force

  • 4,200,000;
  • about 60% are foreign workers;
  • 34% government, 28% industry and oil, 22% services, and 16% agriculture

Organized labor

trade unions are illegal

Government

Monarchy

17 fields

Long-form name

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

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)

Constitution

none; governed according to Sharia (Islamic law)

National holiday

Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)

Executive branch

monarch and prime minister, crown prince and deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers

Judicial branch

  • Supreme Council of Justice 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 Deputy Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (half-brother to the King, appointed heir to the throne 13 June 1982)

Communists

negligible

Member of

Arab League, CCC, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation

  • Ambassador BANDAR Bin Sultan;
  • Chancery at 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037;
  • telephone (202) 342-3800;
  • there are Saudi Arabian Consulates General in Houston, Los Angeles, and New York;
  • US--Ambassador Charles W. FREEMAN;
  • Embassy at Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh (mailing address is P. O. Box 9041, Riyadh 11143, or APO New York 09038);
  • telephone [966] (1) 488-3800;
  • there are US Consulates General in Dhahran and 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

By far the most important economic activity is the production of petroleum and petroleum products.

16 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
$73billion
per capita $4,720; real growth rate 3.2% (1988)
Unemployment rate
0%
(1989 est.)
External debt
$18.9billion
(December 1989 est.)

Budget

Revenues
$31.5 billionExpenditures
$38.1 billion
expenditures, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990)

Overview

By far the most important economic activity is the production of petroleum and petroleum products. The petroleum sector accounts for about 85% of budget revenues, 80% of GDP, and almost all export earnings. Saudi Arabia has the largest reserves of petroleum in the world, is the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. Oil wealth has provided a per capita GDP that is comparable to most industrialized countries. Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries where consumer prices have been dropping or showing little change in recent years.

Exports

  • $24.5 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
  • commodities--petroleum and petroleum products 89%;
  • partners--Japan 26%, US 26%, France 6%, Bahrain 6%

Imports

  • $21.8 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
  • commodities--manufactured goods, transportation equipment, construction materials, processed food products;
  • partners--US 20%, Japan 18%, UK 16%, Italy 11%

Industrial production

growth rate 6.1% (1980-86)

Electricity

25,066,000 kW capacity; 50,000 million kWh produced, 3,100 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, cement, small steel-rolling mill, construction, fertilizer, plastic

Agriculture

  • accounts for about 10% of GDP, 16% of labor force;
  • fastest growing economic sector;
  • subsidized by government;
  • products--wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus fruit, mutton, chickens, eggs, milk;
  • approaching self-sufficiency in food

Aid

donor--pledged $64.7 billion in bilateral aid (1979-89)

Currency

Saudi riyal (plural--riyals); 1 Saudi riyal (SR) = 100 halalas

Exchange rates

Saudi riyals (SR) per US$1--3.7450 (fixed rate since late 1986), 3.7033 (1986), 3.6221 (1985)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields

Merchant marine, 94 ships by typeone square, one ship

passenger 1short-sea passenger 6passenger-cargo 1cargo 15roll-on/roll-off cargo 12container 3refrigerated cargo 6livestock carrier 4petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker 32chemical tanker 8liquefied gas 1combination ore/oil 1specialized tanker 1bulk 394 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,988,322 GRT/3,474,788 DWT

Airports, 204 total, 179 usable

permanent-surface runways
66runways over 3,659 m
13runways 2,440-3,659 m
33runways 1,220-2,439 m
98

Networkskm

Highways
74,000Railroads
886Pipelines
6,400
Highways: ; 35,000 km bituminous, 39,000 km gravel and improved earth · Pipelines: ; 150 km refined products; 2,200 km natural gas, includes 1,600 km of natural gas liquids

Highways

74,000 km total; 35,000 km bituminous, 39,000 km gravel and improved earth

Pipelines

  • 6,400 km crude oil;
  • 150 km refined products;
  • 2,200 km natural gas, includes 1,600 km of natural gas liquids

Ports

Jiddah, Ad Dammam, Ras Tanura, Jizan, Al Jubayl, Yanbu al Bahr, Yanbu al Sinaiyah

Civil air

182 major transport aircraft available

Telecommunications

  • good system with extensive microwave and coaxial cable systems;
  • 1,624,000 telephones;
  • stations--21 AM, 16 FM, 97 TV;
  • radio relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, YAR, and Sudan;
  • coaxial cable to Kuwait;
  • submarine cable to Djibouti and Egypt;
  • satellite earth stations--3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT, 1 INMARSAT, 1 ARABSAT

Defense Forces

3 fields

Military manpower

males 15-49
6,437,039fit for military service
3,606,344reach military age (18) annually
159,186
Defense expenditures
16.9%of GDP
or $12.3 billion (1990 est.)

Branches

Saudi Arabian Land Forces, Royal Saudi Naval Forces, Royal Saudi Air Force, Royal Saudi Air Defense Force, Saudi Arabian National Guard, Coast Guard and Frontier Forces, Special Security Force, Public Security Force, Special Emergency Force

Central Intelligence Agency. “Saudi Arabia.” The World Factbook 1990. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/saudi-arabia/1990.

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