SAUDI ARABIA                                                                    
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 2,149,690 km2; land area: 2,149,690 km2                             
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly less than one-fourth the size of US                  
                                                                                
Land boundaries: 4,410 km total; Iraq 488 km, Iraq-Saudi Arabia                 
Neutral Zone 198 km, Jordan 742 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman 676 km, Qatar           
40 km, UAE 586 km, Yemen 1,458 km                                               
                                                                                
Coastline: 2,510 km                                                             
                                                                                
Maritime claims:                                                                
                                                                                
Contiguous zone: 18 nm;                                                         
                                                                                
Continental shelf: not specific;                                                
                                                                                
Territorial sea: 12 nm                                                          
                                                                                
Disputes: no defined boundaries with Yemen and UAE;                             
shares Neutral Zone with Iraq--in December 1981, Iraq and Saudi Arabia          
signed a boundary agreement that divides the zone between them, but the         
agreement must be ratified before it becomes effective; Kuwaiti                 
ownership of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim Islands is disputed by                    
Saudi Arabia                                                                    
                                                                                
Climate: harsh, dry desert with great extremes of temperature                   
                                                                                
Terrain: mostly uninhabited, sandy desert                                       
                                                                                
Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper               
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and                    
pastures 39%; forest and woodland 1%; other 59%; includes irrigated             
NEGL%                                                                           
                                                                                
Environment: no perennial rivers or permanent water bodies;                     
developing extensive coastal seawater desalination facilities;                  
desertification                                                                 
                                                                                
Note: extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide                  
great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf          
and Suez Canal                                                                  
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 17,869,558 (July 1991), growth rate 4.2% (1991);                    
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                                                                           
                                                                                
Birth rate: 37 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                    
                                                                                
Net migration rate: 12 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                         
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 69 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                       
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 68 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 6.7 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Saudi(s); adjective--Saudi or Saudi Arabian                  
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%                                      
                                                                                
Religion: Muslim 100%                                                           
                                                                                
Language: Arabic                                                                
                                                                                
Literacy: 62% (male 73%, female 48%) age 15 and over can                        
read and write (1990 est.)                                                      
                                                                                
Labor force: 4,200,000; about 60% are foreign workers; government               
34%, industry and oil 28%, services 22%, and agriculture 16%                    
                                                                                
Organized labor: trade unions are illegal                                       
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia                                         
                                                                                
Type: monarchy                                                                  
                                                                                
Capital: Riyadh                                                                 
                                                                                
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, Hail, Jizan, Makkah, Najran,                                   
Tabuk                                                                           
                                                                                
Independence: 23 September 1932 (unification)                                   
                                                                                
Constitution: none; governed according to Sharia (Islamic law)                  
                                                                                
Legal system: based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been             
introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has not          
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction                                            
                                                                                
National holiday: Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)               
                                                                                
Executive branch: monarch and prime minister, crown prince and                  
deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers                                     
                                                                                
Legislative branch: none                                                        
                                                                                
Judicial branch: Supreme Council of Justice                                     
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State and Head of Government--King and Prime Minister                  
FAHD bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 13 June 1982);                              
Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al              
Saud (half-brother to the King, appointed heir to the throne 13 June            
1982)                                                                           
                                                                                
Suffrage: none                                                                  
                                                                                
Elections: none                                                                 
                                                                                
Communists: negligible                                                          
                                                                                
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                                                                  
                                                                                
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 P. O. Box 9041, Riyadh        
11143, or APO New York 09038); telephone  966  (1) 488-3800; there are US       
Consulates General in Dhahran and Jiddah (Jeddah)                               
                                                                                
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                                                      
                                                                                
ECONOMY                                                                         
Overview: The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 70% of                      
budget revenues, 33% 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, plays a leading role in OPEC, and invests                
substantial amounts abroad.                                                     
                                                                                
GDP: $79 billion, per capita $4,800; real growth rate 0.5%                      
(1989 est.)                                                                     
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0% (1990 est.)                                
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: 0% (1989 est.)                                               
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $31.5 billion; expenditures $38.2 billion,                     
including capital expenditures of $6.9 billion (1990)                           
                                                                                
Exports: $30.7 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);                                     
                                                                                
commodities--petroleum and petroleum products 85%;                              
                                                                                
partners--US 22%, Japan 20%, Singapore 7%, France 5%                            
                                                                                
Imports: $20.0 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);                                     
                                                                                
commodities--manufactured goods, transportation equipment,                      
construction materials, processed food products;                                
                                                                                
partners--UK 17%, US 15%, Japan 12%, FRG 6%                                     
                                                                                
External debt: $18.9 billion (December 1989 est.)                               
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate - 1.1% (1989 est.); accounts for             
37% of GDP, including petroleum                                                 
                                                                                
Electricity: 25,205,000 kW capacity; 50,500 million kWh produced,               
2,950 kWh per capita (1990)                                                     
                                                                                
Industries: crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic                     
petrochemicals, cement, small steel-rolling mill, construction,                 
fertilizer, plastic                                                             
                                                                                
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                      
                                                                                
Economic aid: donor--pledged $64.7 billion in bilateral aid                     
(1979-89)                                                                       
                                                                                
Currency: Saudi riyal (plural--riyals); 1 Saudi riyal (SR) = 100                
halalas                                                                         
                                                                                
Exchange rates: Saudi riyals (SR) per US$1--3.7450 (fixed rate                  
since late 1986), 3.7033 (1986), 3.6221 (1985)                                  
                                                                                
Fiscal year: calendar year                                                      
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Railroads: 886 km 1.435-meter standard gauge                                    
                                                                                
Highways: 74,000 km total; 35,000 km bituminous, 39,000 km gravel               
and improved earth                                                              
                                                                                
Pipelines: 6,400 km crude oil; 150 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                                                
                                                                                
Merchant marine: 84 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,492,174                
GRT/2,436,635 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 6 short-sea passenger,                 
14 cargo, 12 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 container, 6 refrigerated cargo, 5       
livestock carrier, 26 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 8           
chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 1 specialized tanker, 1 bulk                  
                                                                                
Civil air: 182 major transport aircraft available                               
                                                                                
Airports: 207 total, 188 usable; 69 with permanent-surface runways;             
13 with runways over 3,659 m; 38 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 103 with           
runways 1,220-2,439 m                                                           
                                                                                
Telecommunications: good system with extensive microwave and                    
coaxial cable systems; 1,624,000 telephones; stations--21 AM, 16 FM,            
97 TV; radio relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Yemen, and           
Sudan; coaxial cable to Kuwait; submarine cable to Djibouti and Egypt;          
earth stations--3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT,             
1 ARABSAT, 1 INMARSAT, 1 ARABSAT                                                
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National                    
Guard, Coast Guard, Frontier Force, Special Security Force, Public              
Security Force                                                                  
                                                                                
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 6,663,217; 3,724,610 fit for                
military service; 165,167 reach military age (17) annually                      
                                                                                
Defense expenditures: $13.9 billion, 16.9% of GDP (1990 est.)                   
                                                                                
