1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
harsh, dry desert with great extremes of temperature
Coastline
2,510 km
Comparative area
slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US
Contiguous zone
18 nm
Continental shelf
not specific
Disputes
no defined boundaries with Yemen; location and status of Saudi Arabia's boundaries with Qatar and UAE are unresolved; Kuwaiti ownership of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim Islands is disputed by Saudi Arabia
Environment
no perennial rivers or permanent water bodies; developing extensive coastal seawater desalination facilities; desertification
Land area
1,945,000 km2
Land boundaries
4,532 km total; Iraq 808 km, Jordan 742 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman 676 km, Qatar 40 km, UAE 586 km, Yemen 1,458 km
Land use
arable land 1%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 39%; forest and woodland 1%; other 59%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Natural resources
crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper
Note
extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal
Terrain
mostly uninhabited, sandy desert
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
1,945,000 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
39 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%
Infant mortality rate
59 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
5,000,000; about 60% are foreign workers; government 34%, industry and oil 28%, services 22%, and agriculture 16%
Languages
Arabic
Life expectancy at birth
65 years male, 68 years female (1992)
Literacy
62% (male 73%, female 48%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun - Saudi(s); adjective - Saudi or Saudi Arabian
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Organized labor
trade unions are illegal
Population
17,050,934 (July 1992), growth rate 3.3% (1992); note - the population figure is based on growth since the last official Saudi census of 1974 that reported a total of 7 million persons and included foreign workers; estimates from other sources may be 15-30% lower
Religions
Muslim 100%
Total fertility rate
6.7 children born/woman (1992)
Government
Administrative divisions
14 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al Qasim, Al Qurayyat, Ar Riyad, Ash Sharqiyah, `Asir, Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah, Najran, Tabuk
Capital
Riyadh
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 13 June 1982)
Constitution
none; governed according to Shari`a (Islamic law)
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, Jr.; Embassy at Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh (mailing address is American Embassy, Unit 61307, Riyadh;
Elections
none
Executive branch
monarch and prime minister, crown prince and deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers
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
Independence
23 September 1932 (unification)
International Mail
P. O. Box 94309, Riyadh 11693; or APO AE 09803-1307); telephone [966] (1) 488-3800; Telex 406866; there are US Consulates General in Dhahran and Jiddah (Jeddah)
Judicial branch
Supreme Council of Justice
Legal system
based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
none
Long-form name
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Member of
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-19, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
National holiday
Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)
Suffrage
none
Type
monarchy
Economy
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
Budget
revenues $40.3 billion; expenditures $48.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992)
Currency
Saudi riyal (plural - riyals); 1 Saudi riyal (SR) = 100 halalas
Economic aid
donor - pledged $64.7 billion in bilateral aid (1979-89)
Electricity
30,000,000 kW capacity; 60,000 million kWh produced, 3,300 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
Saudi riyals (SR) per US$1 - 3.7450 (fixed rate since late 1986), 3.7033 (1986)
Exports
$44.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 85% partners: US 22%, Japan 22%, Singapore 7%, France 6%
External debt
$18.9 billion (December 1989 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
exchange rate conversion - $104 billion, per capita $5,800; real growth rate 1.5% (1991 est.)
Imports
$21.5 billion (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: manufactured goods, transportation equipment, construction materials, processed food products partners: US 16%, UK 14%, Japan 14%, FRG 7%
Industrial production
growth rate -1.1% (1989 est.); accounts for 37% of GDP, including petroleum
Industries
crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, cement, small steel-rolling mill, construction, fertilizer, plastic
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3% (1991 est.)
Overview
The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 70% of budget revenues, 37% of GDP, and almost all export earnings. Saudi Arabia has the largest reserves of petroleum in the world, ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. For the 1990s the government intends to encourage private economic activity and to foster the gradual process of turning Saudi Arabia into a modern industrial state that retains traditional Islamic values.
Unemployment rate
0% (1989 est.)
Communications
Airports
211 total, 191 usable; 70 with permanent-surface runways; 14 with runways over 3,659 m; 37 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 105 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
104 major transport aircraft available
Highways
74,000 km total; 35,000 km paved, 39,000 km gravel and improved earth
Merchant marine
8l ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 884,470 GRT/1,254,882 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 7 short-sea passenger, 11 cargo, 14 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 container, 6 refrigerated cargo, 5 livestock carrier, 24 petroleum tanker, 7 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 1 specialized tanker, 1 bulk
Pipelines
crude oil 6,400 km, petroleum products 150 km, natural gas 2,200 km, includes natural gas liquids 1,600 km
Ports
Jiddah, Ad Dammam, Ras Tanura, Jizan, Al Jubayl, Yanbu al Bahr, Yanbu al Sinaiyah
Railroads
886 km 1.435-meter standard gauge
Telecommunications
good system with extensive microwave and coaxial and fiber optic cable systems; 1,624,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 43 AM, 13 FM, 80 TV; radio relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Yemen, and Sudan; coaxial cable to Kuwait and Jordan; submarine cable to Djibouti, Egypt and Bahrain; earth stations - 3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT, 1 INMARSAT
Military and Security
Branches
Land Force (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National Guard, Coast Guard, Frontier Forces, Special Security Force, Public Security Force
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $14.5 billion, 13% of GDP (1992 budget)
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 5,619,147; 3,118,261 fit for military service; 133,314 reach military age (17) annually