1987 Edition

Aid

Western (non-US) countries (1970-84), $630 million; US, including Ex-Im (FY7085), $590 million

Boundary disputes

none; no defined boundaries with Oman, PDRY, UAE, YAR; shares Neutral Zone with Iraq

Budget

$952 million current expenditures, $510 million capital expenditures (1986)

(1985) revenues, $5.55 billion; expenditures, $5.55 billion;

Climate

harsh, dry desert with great extremes of temperature

desert; extraordinarily hot and dry

Coastline

2,510 km

Comparative area

about one-third the size of US

Contiguous zone

18 nm

Continental shelf

not specific

Environment

no perennial rivers or permanent water bodies; developing extensive coastal seawater desalination facilities; desertification

scarcity of natural fresh water resources; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Fiscal year

calendar year

1 April-381 March

Land boundaries

4,537 km total

Land use

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

1% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 27% meadows and pastures; 7% forest and woodland; 65% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Military transfers

US (FY70-85), $2.3 million

Monetary conversion rate

0.38 Bahrain dinar=US$1 (November 1986)

2.14 Singapore dollars=US$) (14 January 1987)

Special notes

extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal

controls southern approaches to Bab el Mandeb linking Red Sea to Gulf of Aden, one of world’s most active shipping lanes Yemen, People’s Democratic Republic of (South Yemen) (continued)

Terrain

mostly uninhabited, sandy desert

mostly upland desert plains; narrow, flat, sandy coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

500 km eTabuk Persian Gulf Ad Dammam Boundary representation is not necessarily authoritative

2,149,690 km?; land area: 2,149,690 km?

Ethnic divisions

90% Arab, 10% AfroAsian

almost all Arabs; a few Indians, Somalis, and Europeans

Infant mortality rate

118/1,000 (1983)

114/1,000 (1980)

Labor force

about one-third (one-half foreign) of population; 45% commerce, services, government, and other; 30% agriculture; 15% construction; 5% industry; 5% oil and mining

Language

Arabic

Arabic

Life expectancy

54

men 40.6, women 42.4

Literacy

52%

25%

Nationality

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

noun—Yemeni(s); adjective— Yemeni

Population

14,904,794 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 4.95%

2,351,131 (July 1987); average annual growth rate 3.07%

Religion

100% Muslim

Sunni Muslim, some Christian and Hindu

Administrative divisions

14 provinces

six governorates

Branches

King rules in consultation with royal family and Council of Ministers

unicameral legislature (People’s Assembly); Supreme Cabinet

Capital

Riyadh

Aden

Communists

negligible

no information

Elections

elections for legislative body and Supreme People’s Council are called for in the constitution, but none have been held Political parties and leaders: Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), the only legal party, is a coalition of National Front, Ba‘th, and Communist Parties

Government leader

FAHD bin ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Al] Sa‘ud, King and Prime Minister (since 1982)

Government leaders

Haydar Abu Bakr al-‘ATTAS, Chairman, Presidium, Supreme People’s Council (since February 1986); ‘Ali Salim al-BID, Secretary General, Yemeni Socialist Party (since February 1986); Yasin Sa‘id NU‘MAN, Chairman, Council of Ministers (since February 1986)

Legal system

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

based on Islamic law (for personal matters) and English common law (for commercial matters); highest judicial organ, Federal High Court, interprets constitution and determines disputes between states

Member of

Arab League, FAO, G-77, GCC, 1AEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB— Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, International Maritime Satellite Organization, INTERPOL, ITU, [WC—International Wheat Council, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Arab League, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

23 September

14 October

Official name

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Suffrage

all citizens age 18 and over

Type

monarchy

republic

Agriculture

dates, grains, livestock; not self-sufficient in food except wheat

cotton is main cash crop; cereals, dates, qat (a mild narcotic), coffee, and livestock are raised, and there is a growing fishing industry; large amount of food must be imported (particularly for Aden); cotton, hides, skins, dried and salted fish are exported

Budget

(FY87 proposed) appropriations, $31 billion; expenditures, $45 billion

(1985 est.) total receipts $433 million, current expenditures $495 million, development expenditures $327 million

Electric power

20,005,000 kW capacity; 43,810 million kWh produced, 3,800 kWh per capita (1986)

254,000 kW capacity; 556 million kWh produced, 240 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$37 billion (f.0.b., 1985); 95% petroleum and petroleum products

$316 million (f.0.b. 1985 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year as of 1 January 1987 (previously followed Islamic calendar months Rajab through Jumada II)

calendar year

GDP

$133.6 billion (FY85), $9,920 per capita; annual growth in nonoil GDP in constant 1969/70 prices about 7% (1981-84)

GNP

$1.1 billion (1985 est.), $500 per capita

Imports

$34 billion (c.i.f., 1985); manufactured goods, transportation equipment, construction materials, and processed food products

$762 million (f.o.b., 1985 est.)

Major industries

crude oil production 5.0 million b/d (1986); oil revenue payments to Saudi Arabian Government, $15 billion (FY86); petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, cement production and small steel-rolling mill; several other light industries, including factories producing detergents, plastic products, furniture

petroleum refinery at Little Aden operates on imported crude

Major trade partners

exports and reexports—Japan 32%, US 6%, Bahrain 5%, Italy 4%; imports—US 21%, Japan 18%, Italy 8%, FRG 8% (1985)

1985 imports mainly from USSR 14%, Australia 9%, UK 7%; exports mainly to Japan 36%, North Yemen 23%, Singapore 10%

Monetary conversion rate

3.74 Saudi riyals=US$1 (December 1986)

0.3454 dinar=US$1 (November 1986)

Natural resources

oil, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper

fish, oil, minerals (gold, copper, lead)

Airfields

3 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,489 m

202 total, 174 usable; 60 with permanent-surface runways; 11 with runways over 3,659 m, 26 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 98 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

6 total, 6 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m, 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 1 with runways 1,220-2,439

41 total, 30 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; 1) with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 11 with runways 1,220-2,4389 m

Civil air

8 major transport aircraft

about 30 major transport aircraft

9 major transport aircraft

Highways

225 km bituminous surfaced; undetermined kilometers of natural surface tracks; 25 km bridge-causeway to Saudi Arabia opened in November 1986

67,000 km total; 28,000 km bituminous, 39,000 km gravel and improved earth

2,597 km total (1984)

5,600 km total; 1,700 km bituminous treated, 630 km crushed stone and gravel, 3,270 km motorable track

Inland waterways

none

Pipelines

crude oil, 56 km; refined products, 16 km; natural gas, 32 km

6,400 km crude oil; 150 km refined products; 2,200 km natural gas, includes 1,600 km of natural gas liquids

refined products, 32 km

Ports

] major (Mina’ Sulman), 1 minor (Mina’ al Mandmah), | petroleum, oil, and lubricant terminal (Sitrah)

7 major (Jiddah or Jeddah, Ad Dammam, Ras Tanura, Jizin, Al Jubayl, Yanbu‘ al Bahr, Yanbu‘ as Sind‘iyah), 17 minor Civil air; 191 major transport aircraft

3 major, 2 minor

1 major (Aden), 5 minor

Railroads

none

886 km 1.435-meter standard gauge

38 km of 1.000-meter gauge

none

Telecommunications

excellent international telecommunications; adequate domestic services; 98,000 telephones (23.2 per 100 popl.); 2 AM, 1 FM, and 2 TV stations; 1 Atlantic Ocean, | Indian Ocean, and 1 ARABSAT satellite stations; tropospheric scatter and microwave to Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to Qatar and United Arab Emirates

good system exists, major expansion program completed with extensive microwave and coaxial cable systems; 1,624,000 telephones (14.1 per 100 popl.); 21 AM, 2 FM, 63 TV stations; 2 Atlantic and 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT stations, 1 ARABSAT satellite control station; radio-relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, and Sudan; coaxial cable to Kuwait; submarine cable to

good domestic facilities; good international service; good radio and television broadcast coverage; 1.02 million telephones (39.0 per 100 popl.); 18 AM, 4 FM, 2 TV stations; submarine cables extend to Sabah (Malaysia), Peninsular Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines; ) satellite ground station

small system of open-wire, radio-relay, multiconductor cable, and radio communications stations; only center Aden; estimated 15,000 telephones (0.7 per 100 popl.); 1 AM, no FM, 5 TV stations; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Intersputnik, and 1 ARABSAT satellite station; tropospheric scatter to North

Branches

Army, Naval Wing, Air Wing

Army, Navy, Air Force, Army Reserve, Singapore Armed Forces

Military budget

estimated for fiscal year ending 31 March 1987, $950 million; about 11.2% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 168,000; 95,000 fit for military service

males 15-49, 808,000; 606,000 fit for military service