Saudi Arabia

monarchyIndependence 23 September 1932 (unification)

Saudi Arabia as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 71 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalRiyadh

Area1,945,000 km2

Populationas each edition published it

17.05 million July 1992 · 17.12m in 1990

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

6.7 children per woman 1992 · 6.8 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

59 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 71 in 1990

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

13 fields

Total area

1,945,000km2

Comparative area: slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US

Coastline

2,510km

Contiguous zone: 18 nmContinental shelf: not specificTerritorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

4,532km total

Iraq 808 km, Jordan 742 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman 676 km, Qatar 40 km, UAE 586 km, Yemen 1,458 km

Disputes

no defined boundaries with Yemen;
location and status of Saudi Arabia's boundaries with Qatar and UAE are unresolved;
Kuwaiti ownership of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim Islands is disputed by Saudi Arabia

Climate

harsh, dry desert with great extremes of temperature

Natural resources

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

Land use

arable land 1%;
permanent crops NEGL%;
meadows and pastures 39%;
forest and woodland 1%;
other 59%;
includes irrigated NEGL%

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(1992)

Birth

39Death

6Net migration

Literacy

62%

(male 73%, female 48%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Population

17,050,934 (July 1992), growth rate 3.3% (1992);
note - the population figure is based on growth since the last official Saudi census of 1974 that reported a total of 7 million persons and included foreign workers;
estimates from other sources may be 15-30% lower

Nationality

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

Labor force

5,000,000;
about 60% are foreign workers;
government 34%, industry and oil 28%, services 22%, and agriculture 16%

Government

Monarchy

17 fields

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, Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah, Najran, Tabuk

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

National holiday

Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)

Executive branch

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

Leaders

Chief of State and Head of Government:: King and Prime Minister FAHD bin `Abd al-`Aziz Al Sa`ud (since 13 June 1982);
Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister `ABDALLAH bin `Abd al-`Aziz Al Sa`ud (half-brother to the King, appointed heir to the throne 13 June 1982)

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, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, 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, Jr.; Embassy at Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh (mailing address is American Embassy, Unit 61307, Riyadh;
International Mail:: P. O. Box 94309, Riyadh 11693;
or APO AE 09803-1307);
telephone [966] (1) 488-3800;
Telex 406866;
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

The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 70% of budget revenues, 37% of | GDP, and almost all export earnings.

16 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

(1991 est.)

Unemployment rate

(1989 est.)

External debt

$18.9billion

(December 1989 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$40.3 billionExpenditures

$48.3 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992)

Overview

The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 70% of budget revenues, 37% 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 encourage private economic activity and to foster the gradual process of turning Saudi Arabia into a modern industrial state that retains traditional Islamic values.

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $104 billion, per capita $5,800; real growth rate 1.5% (1991 est.)

Exports

$44.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990)

commodities:: petroleum and petroleum products 85%
partners:: US 22%, Japan 22%, Singapore 7%, France 6%

Imports

$21.5 billion (f.o.b., 1990)

commodities:: manufactured goods, transportation equipment, construction materials, processed food products
partners:: US 16%, UK 14%, Japan 14%, FRG 7%

Industrial production

growth rate -1.1% (1989 est.); accounts for 37% of GDP, including petroleum

Electricity

30,000,000 kW capacity; 60,000 million kWh produced, 3,300 kWh per capita (1991)

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

Economic 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)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields

Airports, 211 total, 191 usable

permanent-surface runways

70runways | over 3,659 m

14runways 2,440-3,659 m

37runways 1,220-2,439 m

105

Networkskm

Highways

74,000Railroads

886

Highways: ; 35,000 km paved, 39,000 km gravel and improved earth

Highways

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

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

8l ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 884,470 GRT/1,254,882 DWT;
includes 1 passenger, 7 short-sea passenger, 11 cargo, 14 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 container, 6 refrigerated cargo, 5 livestock carrier, 24 petroleum tanker, 7 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 1 specialized tanker, 1 bulk

Civil air

104 major transport aircraft available

Telecommunications

good system with extensive microwave and coaxial and fiber optic cable systems;
1,624,000 telephones;
broadcast stations - 43 AM, 13 FM, 80 TV;
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