1993 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1993 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total area: 1,960,582 km2 land area: 1,960,582 km2 comparative area: slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US
Climate
harsh, dry desert with great extremes of temperature
Coastline
2,640 km
Environment
no perennial rivers or permanent water bodies; developing extensive coastal seawater desalination facilities; desertification
International disputes
large section of boundary with Yemen not defined; status of boundary with UAE not final; Kuwaiti ownership of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim Islands is disputed by Saudi Arabia
Irrigated land
4,350 km2 (1989 est.)
Land boundaries
total 4,415 km, Iraq 814 km, Jordan 728 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman 676 km, Qatar 60 km, UAE 457 km, Yemen 1,458 km
Land use
arable land: 1% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 39% forest and woodland: 1% other: 59%
Location
Middle East, between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf
Map references
Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: not specified territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
petroleum, 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
People and Society
Birth rate
38.59 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate
6.05 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Ethnic divisions
Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%
Infant mortality rate
55.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Labor force
5 million by occupation: government 34%, industry and oil 28%, services 22%, agriculture 16%
Languages
Arabic
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 67.32 years male: 65.71 years female: 69.01 years (1993 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over can read and write (1990) total population: 62% male: 73% female: 48%
Nationality
noun: Saudi(s) adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Population
17,615,310 (July 1993 est.) note: the population figure is consistent with a 3.3% growth rate; a 1992 census gives the number of Saudi citizens as 12,304,835 and the number of residents who are not citizens as 4,624,459
Population growth rate
3.3% (1993 est.)
Religions
Muslim 100%
Total fertility rate
6.7 children born/woman (1993 est.)
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)
Digraph
SA
Diplomatic representation in US
chief of mission: Ambassador BANDAR Bin Sultan chancery: 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: (202) 342-3800
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)
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
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
Names
conventional long form: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia conventional short form: Saudi Arabia local long form: Al Mamlakah al 'Arabiyah as Su'udiyah local short form: Al 'Arabiyah as Su'udiyah
National holiday
Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)
Political parties and leaders
none allowed
Suffrage
none
Telex 406866 consulates general
Dhahran, Jiddah (Jeddah)
Type
monarchy
US diplomatic representation
chief of mission: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires C. David Welch embassy: Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh mailing address: American Embassy, Unit 61307, Riyadh; International Mail: P. O. Box 94309, Riyadh 11693; or APO AE 09803-1307 telephone: [966] (1) 488-3800
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for about 10% of GDP, 16% of labor force; subsidized by government; products - wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus fruit, mutton, chickens, eggs, milk; approaching self-sufficiency in food
Budget
revenues $45.1 billion; expenditures $52.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)
Currency
1 Saudi riyal (SR) = 100 halalas
Economic aid
donor - pledged $64.7 billion in bilateral aid (1979-89)
Electricity
28,554,000 kW capacity; 63,000 million kWh produced, 3,690 kWh per capita (1992)
Exchange rates
Saudi riyals (SR) per US$1 - 3.7450 (fixed rate since late 1986), 3.7033 (1986)
Exports
$48.2 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 92% partners: US 21%, Japan 18%, Singapore 6%, France 6%, Korea 5%
External debt
$18.9 billion (December 1989 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Illicit drugs
death penalty for traffickers
Imports
$26.1 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: food stuffs, manufactured goods, transportation equipment, chemical products, textiles partners: US 21%, UK 13%, Japan 12%, Germany 8%, France 6%
Industrial production
growth rate -1.1% (1989 est.); accounts for 37% of GDP, including petroleum
Industries
crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, cement, two small steel-rolling mills, construction, fertilizer, plastics
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2.5% (1992 est.)
National product
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $111 billion (1992 est.)
National product per capita
$6,500 (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate
3.6% (1992 est.)
Overview
The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 75% of budget revenues, 35% 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. Four million foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy, for example, in the oil and banking sectors.
Unemployment rate
6.5% (1992 est.)
Communications
Airports
total: 213 usable: 193 with permanent-surface runways: 71 with runways over 3,659 m: 14 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 36 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 107
Highways
74,000 km total; 35,000 km paved, 39,000 km gravel and improved earth
Merchant marine
77 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 860,818 GRT/1,219,345 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 6 short-sea passenger, 11 cargo, 13 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 container, 6 refrigerated cargo, 5 livestock carrier, 23 oil tanker, 6 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
1390 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; 448 km are double tracked
Telecommunications
modern system with extensive microwave and coaxial and fiber optic cable systems; 1,624,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 43 AM, 13 FM, 80 TV; microwave 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 - $16.5 billion, 13% of GDP (1993 budget)
Manpower availability
males age 15-49 5,650,492; fit for military service 3,128,620; reach military age (17) annually 140,283 (1993 est.)