Saudi Arabia

• 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

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

0-14 years:

42.3% (male 5,245,413; female 5,028,595)

15-64 years:

54.8% (male 7,700,121; female 5,622,099)

65 years and over:

2.9% (male 393,173; female 304,443) (2003 est.)

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.37 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

1.29 male(s)/female

total population:

1.22 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

noun:

Saudi(s)

adjective:

Saudi or Saudi Arabian

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

• 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

• based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been introduced;
• commercial disputes handled by special committees;
• has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

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

chief of mission:

Ambassador BANDAR bin Sultan bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud

chancery:

601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037

consulate(s) general:

Houston, Los Angeles, and New York

telephone:

[1] (202) 342-3800

chief of mission:

Ambassador Robert W. JORDAN

embassy:

Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh

mailing address:

American Embassy Riyadh, Unit 61307, APO AE 09803-1307; International Mail: P. O. Box 94309, Riyadh 11693

telephone:

[966] (1) 488-3800

FAX:

[966] (1) 488-7360

consulate(s) general:

Dhahran, Jiddah (Jeddah)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

• pledged $100 million in 1993 to fund reconstruction of Lebanon;
• since 2000, Saudi Arabia has committed $307 million for assistance to the Palestinians;
• pledged $240 million to development in Afghanistan

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)

total:

1,392 km

standard gauge:

1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and sidings) (2002)

total:

151,470 km

paved:

45,592 km

unpaved:

105,878 km (1999)

• condensate 212 km;
• gas 837 km;
• liquid petroleum gas 1,187 km;
• oil 5,062 km;
• refined products 69 km (2003)

total:

71 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,461,964 GRT/2,301,258 DWT

ships by type:

cargo 9, chemical tanker 11, container 4, livestock carrier 2, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 9, 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, UAE 1, UK 3 (2002 est.)

• nomadic groups on border region with Yemen resist demarcation of boundary;
• Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have been negotiating a long-contested maritime boundary with Iran;
• because the treaties have not been made public, the exact alignment of the boundary with the UAE is still unknown and labeled approximate