Saudi Arabia

total:

23.67 cu km/yr (9%/3%/88%)

per capita:

928.1 cu m/yr (2006)

• 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

• Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the world without a river;
• extensive coastlines on the Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through the Persian Gulf and Suez Canal

noun:

Saudi(s)

adjective:

Saudi or Saudi Arabian

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.15 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.36 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1.22 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

1.08 male(s)/female

total population:

1.21 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

improved:

urban:

97% of population

unimproved:

urban:

3% of population (2010 est.)

improved:

urban:

100% of population (2010 est.)

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

conventional short form:

Saudi Arabia

local long form:

Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Saudiyah

local short form:

Al Arabiyah as Saudiyah

name:

Riyadh

geographic coordinates:

24 39 N, 46 42 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 (Medina), Al Qasim, Ar Riyad (Riyadh), Ash Sharqiyah (Eastern), 'Asir, Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah (Mecca), Najran, Tabuk

• Islamic (sharia) legal system with some elements of Egyptian, French, and customary law;
• note - several secular codes have been introduced;
• commercial disputes handled by special committees

chief of state:

• King and Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 1 August 2005);
• Heir Apparent Crown Prince SALMAN bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, born 31 December 1935) ;
• note - the monarch is both 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 SALMAN bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 19 June 2012);
• Second Deputy Prime Minister MUQRIN bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since February 2013)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch every four years and includes many royal family members; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• none;
• the monarchy is hereditary;
• note - an 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 system will not take effect until after King ABDALLAH's successor inherits the throne

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

highest court(s):

High Court (consists of the court chief and organized into circuits with 3-judge panels except the criminal circuit which has a 5-judge panel for cases involving major punishments);

• note - in 2005, King Abdullah issued decrees approving an overhaul of the judicial system and which were incorporated in the Judiciary Law of 2007;
• one change was the replacement of the Supreme Council of Justice with the High Court

judge selection and term of office:

• the High Court chief and chiefs of the High Court Circuits appointed by royal decree following the recommendation of the Supreme Judiciary Council, a 10-member body of high level judges and other judicial heads;
• new judges and assistant judges serve 1- and 2- year probations, respectively, before permanent assignment

subordinate courts:

• Court of Appeals;
• first-degree courts composed of general, criminal, personal status, and commercial courts, and the Labor Court;
• hierarchy of administrative courts

chief of mission:

Ambassador Adil al-Ahmad al-JUBAYR (since 21 February 2007)

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 James B. SMITH (since 16 September 2009)

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;
• the flag is manufactured with differing obverse and reverse sides so that the Shahada reads - and the sword points - correctly from right to left on both sides

note: one of only three national flags that differ on their obverse and reverse sides - the others are Moldova and Paraguay

agriculture:

6.7%

industry:

21.4%

services:

71.9% (2005 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

general assessment:

modern system including a combination of extensive microwave radio relays, coaxial cables, and fiber-optic cables

domestic:

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) (2011)

• broadcast media are state-controlled;
• state-run TV operates 4 networks;
• Saudi Arabia is a major market for pan-Arab satellite TV broadcasters;
• state-run radio operates several networks;
• multiple international broadcasters are available (2007)

• condensate 209 km;
• gas 2,940 km;
• liquid petroleum gas 1,183 km;
• oil 5,117 km;
• refined products 1,151 km (2013)

total:

1,378 km

country comparison to the world: 81

standard gauge:

1,378 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and sidings) (2008)

total:

221,372 km

country comparison to the world: 22

paved:

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

unpaved:

173,843 km (2006)

males age 16-49:

8,644,522

females age 16-49:

6,601,985 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

7,365,624

females age 16-49:

5,677,819 (2010 est.)

male:

261,105

female:

244,763 (2010 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;
• Saudi Arabia claims Egyptian-administered islands of Tiran and Sanafir

refugees (country of origin):

291,000 (Palestinian Territories) (2009)

stateless persons:

• 70,000 (2012);
• note - thousands of biduns (stateless Arabs) are descendants of nomadic tribes who were not officially registered when national borders were established, while others migrated to Saudi Arabia in search of jobs;
• some have temporary identification cards that must be renewed every five years, but their rights remain restricted;
• most Palestinians have only legal resident status;
• some naturalized Yemenis were made stateless after being stripped of their passports when Yemen backed Iraq in its invasion of Kuwait in 1990;
• Saudi women cannot pass their citizenship on to their children, so if they marry a non-national, their children risk statelessness

current situation:

• Saudi Arabia is a destination country for men and women subjected to forced labor and, to a lesser extent, forced prostitution;
• men and women from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, and many other countries voluntarily travel to Saudi Arabia as domestic servants or other low-skilled laborers, but some subsequently face conditions indicative of involuntary servitude (many are forced to work months or years beyond their contract term because employers withhold passports and required exit visas);
• women, primarily from Asian and African countries, are believed to be forced into prostitution in Saudi Arabia;
• others were reportedly kidnapped and forced into prostitution after running away from abusive employers;
• Yemeni, Nigerian, Pakistani, Afghan, Chadian, and Sudanese children were subjected to forced labor as beggars and street vendors in Saudi Arabia, facilitated by criminal gangs

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;
• fewer victims were identified and referred to protection services than in the previous reporting period;
• the sponsorship system, including the exit visa requirement, continues to restrict the freedom of movement of migrant workers and hamper the ability of victims to pursue legal cases against their employers;
• however, the government has implemented regulations mandating the formation of unified recruitment companies to replace the sponsorship model;
• no specialized shelter was available to victims of sex trafficking or male victims of trafficking (2013)