Saudi Arabia

agricultural land:

80.7%;

• arable land 1.5%;
• permanent crops 0.1%;
• permanent pasture 79.1%

forest:

0.5%

other:

18.8% (2011 est.)

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:

1.32 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1.21 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

1.05 male(s)/female

total population:

1.19 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

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 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, Jazan, 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

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

the father must be a citizen of Saudi Arabia; a child born out of wedlock in Saudi Arabia to a Saudi mother and unknown father

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

• 21 years of age;
• male;
• male and female for municipal elections

chief of state:

• King and Prime Minister SALMAN bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 23 January 2015);
• Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister MUHAMMAD BIN NAYIF bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (born 30 August 1959);
• Crown Prince and Second Deputy Prime Minister MUHAMMAD BIN SALMAN bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (born 31 August 1985);
• note - the monarch is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

• King and Prime Minister SALMAN bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 23 January 2015);
• Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister MUHAMMAD BIN NAYIF bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (born 30 August 1959);
• Crown Prince and Second Deputy Prime Minister MUHAMMAD BIN SALMAN bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (born 31 August 1985)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch every 4 years and includes many royal family members

elections/appointments:

• none;
• the monarchy is hereditary;
• note - an Allegiance Commission created by royal decree in October 2006 established a committee of Saudi princes to a role in selecting future Saudi kings

description:

• unicameral Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura (150 seats; members appointed by the monarch to serve 4-year terms);
• note - in early 2013, the monarch granted women 30 seats on the Council

chief of mission:

Ambassador Abdallah bin Faysal bin Turki bin Abdallah bin Saud Abu Hala

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 Joseph William WESTPHAL (since 26 March 2014)

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: the only national flag to display an inscription as its principal design; one of only three national flags that differ on their obverse and reverse sides - the others are Moldova and Paraguay

name:

"Aash Al Maleek" (Long Live Our Beloved King)

lyrics/music:

Ibrahim KHAFAJI/Abdul Rahman al-KHATEEB

note: music adopted 1947, lyrics adopted 1984

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

standard gauge:

1,378 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and sidings) (2014)

country comparison to the world: 81

total:

221,372 km

paved:

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

unpaved:

173,843 km (2006)

country comparison to the world: 22

total:

72

by type:

cargo 1, chemical tanker 25, container 4, liquefied gas 2, passenger/cargo 10, petroleum tanker 20, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 7

foreign-owned:

15 (Egypt 1, Greece 4, Kuwait 4, UAE 6)

registered in other countries:

55 (Bahamas 16, Dominica 2, Liberia 20, Malta 2, Norway 3, Panama 11, Tanzania 1) (2010)

country comparison to the world: 61

major seaport(s):

Ad Dammam, Al Jubayl, Jeddah, Yanbu al Bahr

container port(s) (TEUs):

Ad Dammam (1,492,315), Jeddah (4,010,448)

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):

30,000 (Yemen) (2015)

stateless persons:

• 70,000 (2014);
• 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;
• many men and women from Central Asia, the Middle East, and Africa who voluntarily travel to Saudi Arabia as domestic servants or low-skilled laborers subsequently face conditions of involuntary servitude, including nonpayment, withholding of passports, restriction of movement, food deprivation, and abuse;
• some migrant workers are forced to work indefinitely beyond the term of their contract because their employers will not grant them a required exit visa;
• foreign domestic workers are particularly vulnerable because of their isolation in private homes;
• women, primarily from Asian and African countries, are believed to be forced into prostitution in Saudi Arabia, while other foreign women 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;
• in 2013, the government did not report prosecuting or convicting any trafficking offenders and identified and referred fewer victims 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 to hamper the ability of victims to pursue legal cases against their employers;
• the withholding workers’ passports remains widespread because legislation prohibiting the practice was not enforced;
• officials continue to arrest, detain, deport, and sometimes prosecute trafficking victims for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked (2014)

• regularly enforces the death penalty for drug traffickers, with foreigners being convicted and executed disproportionately;
• improving anti-money-laundering legislation and enforcement