1989 Edition

Climate

tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (December to April) has strong southeast winds; dry season (May to November) dominated by hot, dry harmattan wind

Coastline

531 km

Comparative area

slightly smaller than South Dakota

Contiguous zone

24 nm

Continental shelf

edge of continental margin or 200 nm

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Joaquim Rafael BRANCO; Chancery (temporary) at 801 Second Avenue, Suite 1504, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 697-421 1; US— the US Ambassador in Gabon is accredited to Sao Tome and Principe on a nonresident basis and makes periodic visits to the islands

Disputes

short section of the boundary with The Gambia is indefinite; the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rendered its decision on the Guinea-Bissau/Senegal maritime boundary in favor of Senegal — that decision has been rejected by GuineaBissau; boundary with Mauritania

Environment

lowlands seasonally flooded; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

Flag

three horizontal bands of green (top), yellow (double width), and green with two black five-pointed stars placed side by side in the center of the yellow band and a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; uses the popular pan-African colors of

Land boundaries

2,640 km total; The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, GuineaBissau 338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813km

Land use

27% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 30% meadows and pastures; 31% forest and woodland; 12% other; includes 1% irrigated

Natural resources

fish, phosphates, iron ore

Note

The Gambia is almost an enclave

Terrain

generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast

Territorial sea

1 2 nm

Total area

196,190 km2; land area: 192,000 km2

Birth rate

37 births/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

44 births/ 1,000 population (1990)

Death rate

7 deaths/ 1,000 population (1990)

14 deaths/ 1,000 population (1990)

Ethnic divisions

90% Arab, 10% AfroAsian

36% Wolof, 17% Fulani, 17% Serer, 9% Toucouleur, 9% Diola, 9% Mandingo, 1% European and Lebanese, 2% other

Infant mortality rate

71 deaths/ 1,000 live births (1990)

87 deaths/ 1,000 live births (1990)

Labor force

4,200,000; about 60% are foreign workers; 34% government, 28% industry and oil, 22% services, and 16% agriculture

2,509,000; 77% subsistence agricultural workers; 175,000 wage earners— 40% private sector, 60% government and parapublic; 52% of population of working age (1985)

Language

Arabic

French (official); Wolof, Pulaar, Diola, Mandingo

Life expectancy at birth

64 years male, 67 years female (1990)

53 years male, 56 years female (1990)

Literacy

52%

28.1%

Nationality

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

noun — Senegalese (sing, and pi.); adjective — Senegalese

Net migration rate

1 3 migrants/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

0 migrants/ 1,000 population (1990)

Organized labor

trade unions are illegal

majority of wage-labor force represented by unions; however, dues-paying membership very limited; major confederation is National Confederation of Senegalese Labor (CNTS), an affiliate of governing party

Population

17,1 15,728 (July 1990), growth rate 4.4% (1990); note — the population figure is based on growth since the last official Saudi census of 1974 reported a total of 7 million persons and includes foreign workers, while estimates from other sources may be 1 5-30% lower

7,713,851 (July 1990), growth rate 3.0% (1990)

Religion

100% Muslim

92% Muslim, 6% indigenous beliefs, 2% Christian (mostly Roman Catholic)

Total fertility rate

6.8 children born/ woman (1990)

6.3 children born/ woman (1990)

Administrative divisions

1 4 emirates (imarat, singular — im3rah); Al BShah, Al Hudud ash ShamalTyah, Al Jawf, Al Madlnah, Al QasTm, Al Qurayyat, Ar Riyad, Ash Sharqlyah, 'Aslr, HS'il, JlzSn, Makkah, Najr5n, Tabuk

1 0 regions (regions, singular — region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, SaintLouis, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor

Capital

Riyadh

Dakar

Communists

negligible

small number of Communists and sympathizers

Constitution

none; governed according to Shari'a (Islamic law)

3 March 1963, last revised in 1984

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador BANDAR Bin Sultan; Chancery at 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037; telephone (202) 342-3800; there are Saudi Arabian Consulates General in Houston, Los Angeles, and New York; US— Ambassador Charles W. FREEMAN; Embassy at Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh (mailing address is P. O. Box 9041, Riyadh 1 1 143, or APO New York 09038); telephone [966] (1) 488-3800; there are US Consulates General in Dhahran and Jiddah (Jeddah)

Ambassador Ibra Deguene KA; Chancery at 21 12 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 234-0540 or 0541; US— Ambassador George E. MOOSE; Embassy on Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Avenue Kleber, Dakar (mailing address is B. P. 49, Dakar); telephone [221 J21-42-96

Elections

none

President — last held 28 February 1988 (next to be held February 1993); results— Abdou Diouf (PS) 73%, Abdoulaye Wade (PDS) 26%, others 1%; National Assembly — last held 28 February 1988 (next to be held February 1993); results— PS 71%, PDS 25%, others 4%; seats— (120 total) PS 103, PDS 17

Executive branch

monarch and prime minister, crown prince and deputy prime minister. Council of Ministers

president. Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Flag

green with large white Arabic script (that may be 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); green is the traditional color of Islam

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Independence

23 September 1932 (unification)

4 April 1960 (from France); The Gambia and Senegal signed an agreement on 1 2 December 1 98 1 (effective 1 February 1982) that called for the creation of a loose confederation to be known as Senegambia, but the agreement was dissolved on 30 September 1 989

Judicial branch

Supreme Council of Justice

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme) Senegal (continued)

Leaders

Chief of State and Head of Government— King and Prime Minister FAHD bin 'Abd al-'Aziz Al Sa'ud (since 13 June 1982); Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister 'ABDALLAH bin 'Abd al-'Aziz Al Sa'ud (half-brother to the King, appointed heir to the throne 1 3 June 1982)

Chief of State and Head of Government— President Abdou DIOUF (since 1 January 1981) Political parties and leaders: Socialist Party (PS), Abdou Diouf; Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS), Abdoulaye Wade; 13 other small uninfluential parties

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 French civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court, which also audits the government's accounting office; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

none

unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

Long-form name

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Republic of Senegal

Member of

Arab League, CCC, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB— Islamic Development Bank, I FAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, IWC— International Wheat Council, NAM, OAPEC, QIC, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

ACP, AfDB, APC, CCC, CEAO, EAMA, ECA, ECOWAS, EIB (associate), FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB— Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAU, OCAM, QIC, OMVS (Organization for the Development of the Senegal River Valley), UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)

Independence Day, 4 April (1960)

Other political or pressure groups

students, teachers, labor, Muslim Brotherhoods

Suffrage

none

universal at age 21

Type

monarchy

republic under multiparty democratic rule

Agriculture

accounts for about 10% of GDP, 16% of labor force; fastest growing economic sector; subsidized by government; products — wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus fruit, mutton, chickens, eggs, milk; approaching self-sufficiency in food

including fishing, accounts for 20% of GDP and 75% of labor force; major products — peanuts (cash crop), millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables; estimated two-thirds self-sufficient in food; fish catch of 299,000 metric tons in 1987

Aid

donor — pledged $64.7 billion in bilateral aid (1979-89)

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $492 million; Western (nonUS) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $4.4 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $589 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $295 million

Budget

revenues $31.5 billion; expenditures $38.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990)

revenues $921 million; expenditures $1,024 million; including capital expenditures of $14 million (FY89 est.)

Currency

Saudi riyal (plural — riyals); 1 Saudi riyal (SR) = 100 halalas

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural — francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Electricity

25,066,000 kW capacity; 50,000 million kWh produced, 3,100 kWh per capita (1989)

210,000 kW capacity; 760 million kWh produced, 100 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates

Saudi riyals (SR) per US$1— 3.7450 (fixed rate since late 1986), 3.7033(1986), 3.6221 (1985)

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 — 287.99 (January 1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26(1985)

Exports

$24.5 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities — petroleum and petroleum products 89%; partners — Japan 26%, US 26%, France 6%, Bahrain 6%

$761 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities— manufactures 30%, fish products 27%, peanuts 1 1%, petroleum products 1 1%, phosphates 10%; partners — US, France, other EC, Ivory Coast, India

External debt

$18.9 billion (December 1989 est.)

$3.8 billion (1988)

Fiscal year

calendar year

1 July-30 June

GDP

$73 billion, per capita $4,720; real growth rate 3.2% (1988)

$5.0 billion, per capita $680; real growth rate 5.1% (1988 est.)

Imports

$21.8 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities — manufactured goods, transportation equipment, construction materials, processed food products; partners — US 20%, Japan 18%, UK 16%, Italy 11%

$1.1 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities— semimanufactures 30%, food 27%, durable consumer goods 17%, petroleum 1 2%, capital goods 1 4%; partners — US, France, other EC, Nigeria, Algeria, China, Japan

Industrial production

growth rate 6.1% (1980-86)

growth rate 4.9% (1986)

Industries

crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, cement, small steel-rolling mill, construction, fertilizer, plastic

fishing, agricultural processing, phosphate mining, petroleum refining, building materials

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.5% (1989est.)

— 1.8% (1988 est.)

Overview

By far the most important economic activity is the production of petroleum and petroleum products. The petroleum sector accounts for about 85% of budget revenues, 80% of GDP, and almost all export earnings. Saudi Arabia has the largest reserves of petroleum in the world, is the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. Oil wealth has provided a per capita GDP that is comparable to most industrialized countries. Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries where consumer prices have been dropping or showing little change in recent years.

The agricultural sector accounts for about 20% of GDP and provides employment for about 75% of the labor force. About 40% of the total cultivated land is used to grow peanuts, an important export crop. The principal economic resource is fishing, which brought in about $200 million or about 25% of total foreign exchange earnings in 1987. Mining is dominated by the extraction of phosphate, but production has faltered because of reduced worldwide demand for fertilizers in recent years. Over the past 10 years tourism has become increasingly more important to the economy.

Unemployment rate

0% (1989 est.)

3.5% (1987)

Airports

204 total, 1 79 usable; 66 with permanent-surface runways; 13 with runways over 3,659 m; 33 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 98 with runways 1,2202,439 m

25 total, 20 usable; 10 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 15 with runways 1,2202,439 m

Branches

Saudi Arabian Land Forces, Royal Saudi Naval Forces, Royal Saudi Air Force, Royal Saudi Air Defense Force, Saudi Arabian National Guard, Coast Guard and Frontier Forces, Special Security Force, Public Security Force, Special Emergency Force

Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie

Civil air

182 major transport aircraft available

2 major transport aircraft

Defense expenditures

16.9% of GDP, or $12.3 billion (1990 est.) not necessarily authoritative Set re(iona) mip VII

2% of GDP, or $100 million (1989 est.)

Highways

74,000 km total; 35,000 km bituminous, 39,000 km gravel and improved earth

14,000 km total; 3,770 km paved, 10,230 km laterite or improved earth

Inland waterways

900 km total; 785 km on the Senegal, 1 15 km on the Saloum

Merchant marine

94 ships (1,000 CRT or over) totaling 1,988,322 GRT/3,474,788 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 6 short-sea passenger, 1 passenger-cargo, 15 cargo, 12 roll-on /roll-off cargo, 3 container, 6 refrigerated cargo, 4 livestock carrier, 32 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 8 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 1 combination ore/oil, 1 specialized tanker, 3 bulk

3 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 9,263 GRT/15,167 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 bulk

Military manpower

males 15-49, 6,437,039; 3,606,344 fit for military service; 159,186 reach military age (18) annually

males 1 5-49, 1,682,786; 878,812 fit for military service; 88,940 reach military age (18) annually

Pipelines

6,400 km crude oil; 1 50 km refined products; 2,200 km natural gas, includes 1,600 km of natural gas liquids

Ports

Jiddah, Ad Dammam, Ras Tanura, Jizan, Al Jubayl, Yanbu al Bahr, Yanbu al Sinaiyah

Dakar, Kaolack

Railroads

886 km 1.435-meter standard gauge

1,034 km 1.000-meter gauge; all single track except 70 km double track Dakar to Thies

Telecommunications

good system with extensive microwave and coaxial cable Senegal systems; 1 ,624,000 telephones; stations — 21 AM, 16 FM, 97 TV; radio relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, YAR, and Sudan; coaxial cable to Kuwait; submarine cable to Djibouti and Egypt; satellite earth stations — 3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT, 1 INMARSAT, 1 ARABSAT Defense Forces

above-average urban system, using radio relay and cable; 40,200 telephones; stations — 8 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 3 submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station Defense Forces