Saudi Arabia

total:

17.32 cu km/yr (10%/1%/89%)

per capita:

705 cu m/yr (2000)

• 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.29 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

1.06 male(s)/female

total population:

1.18 male(s)/female (2009 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

name:

Riyadh

geographic coordinates:

24 38 N, 46 43 E

time difference:

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

• 13 provinces (mintaqat, singular - mintaqah);
• Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah (Northern Border), Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al Qasim, Ar Riyad (Riyadh), Ash Sharqiyah (Eastern), 'Asir, Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah, Najran, Tabuk

• based on Sharia 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 ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 1 August 2005);
• Heir Apparent Crown Prince SULTAN bin Abd al- Aziz Al Saud (half brother of the monarch);
• note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:

• King and Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 1 August 2005);
• Deputy Prime Minister SULTAN bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud;
• Second Deputy Prime Minister NAYIF bin Abd Al-Aziz Al Saud

cabinet:

Council of Ministers is appointed by the monarch every four years and includes many royal family members

elections:

• none;
• the monarchy is hereditary;
• note - a new Allegiance Commission created by royal decree in October 2006 established a committee of Saudi princes that will play a role in selecting future Saudi kings, but the new system will not take effect until after Crown Prince Sultan becomes king

• Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura (150 members and a chairman appointed by the monarch for four-year terms);
• note - though the Council of Ministers announced in October 2003 its intent to introduce elections for half of the members of local and provincial assemblies and a third of the members of the national Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura incrementally over a period of four to five years, to date no such elections have been held or announced

chief of mission:

Ambassador Adil al-Ahmad al-JUBAYR

chancery:

601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037

telephone:

[1] (202) 342-3800

FAX:

[1] (202) 944-3113

consulate(s) general:

Houston, Los Angeles, New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Ford M. FRAKER

embassy:

Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh

mailing address:

American Embassy, 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)

• green, a traditional color in Islamic flags, with the Shahada or Muslim creed in large white Arabic script (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);
• design dates to the early twentieth century and is closely associated with the Al Saud family which established the kingdom in 1932

agriculture:

6.7%

industry:

21.4%

services:

71.9% (2005 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

general assessment:

modern system

domestic:

extensive microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and fiber-optic cable systems; mobile-cellular subscribership has been increasing rapidly

international:

• country code - 966;
• landing point for the international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) and for both the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable networks providing connectivity to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and US;
• microwave radio relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Yemen, and Sudan;
• coaxial cable to Kuwait and Jordan;
• satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region) (2008)

• condensate 212 km;
• gas 1,880 km;
• liquid petroleum gas 1,183 km;
• oil 4,239 km;
• refined products 1,148 km (2008)

total:

1,392 km

country comparison to the world: 83

standard gauge:

1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and sidings) (2008)

total:

221,372 km

country comparison to the world: 24

paved:

47,529 km (includes 3,891 km of expressways)

unpaved:

173,843 km (2006)

males age 16-49:

8,547,441

females age 16-49:

6,381,098 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

7,486,622

females age 16-49:

5,652,819 (2009 est.)

male:

278,179

female:

267,905 (2009 est.)

• Saudi Arabia has reinforced its concrete-filled security barrier along sections of the now fully demarcated border with Yemen to stem illegal cross-border activities;
• Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue discussions on a maritime boundary with Iran

current situation:

• Saudi Arabia is a destination country for workers from South and Southeast Asia who are subjected to conditions that constitute involuntary servitude including being subjected to physical and sexual abuse, non-payment of wages, confinement, and withholding of passports as a restriction on their movement;
• domestic workers are particularly vulnerable because some are confined to the house in which they work unable to seek help;
• Saudi Arabia is also a destination country for Nigerian, Yemeni, Pakistani, Afghan, Somali, Malian, and Sudanese children trafficked for forced begging and involuntary servitude as street vendors;
• some Nigerian women were reportedly trafficked into Saudi Arabia for commercial sexual exploitation

tier rating:

• Tier 3 - Saudi Arabia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so;
• the government continues to lack adequate anti-trafficking laws and, despite evidence of widespread trafficking abuses, did not report any criminal prosecutions, convictions, or prison sentences for trafficking crimes committed against foreign domestic workers (2008)