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National Trade Data Bank
ITEM ID : CI WOFACT WO0209
DATE : Oct 28, 1994
AGENCY : CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
PROGRAM : WORLD FACTBOOK
TITLE : World Factbook: Saudi Arabia
Source key : CI
Program key : CI WOFACT
Update sched. : Annually
Data type : TEXT
End year : 1994
Date of record : 19941020
Keywords 3 :
Keywords 3 : | Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
Geography
Location:
Middle East, between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf
Map references:
Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
1,960,582 sq km
land area:
1,960,582 sq km
comparative area:
slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US
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
Coastline:
2,640 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
18 nm
continental shelf:
not specified
territorial sea:
12 nm
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
Climate:
harsh, dry desert with great extremes of temperature
Terrain:
mostly uninhabited, sandy desert
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper
Land use:
arable land:
1%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
39%
forest and woodland:
1%
other:
59%
Irrigated land:
4,350 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
desertification; depletion of underground water resources; the lack of
perennial rivers or permanent water bodies has prompted the
development of extensive seawater desalination facilities; coastal
pollution from oil spills
natural hazards:
frequent sand and dust storms
international agreements:
party to - Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not
ratified - Law of the Sea
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:
18,196,783 (July 1994 est.)
note:
the population figure is consistent with a 3.24% 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:
3.24% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
38.25 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
5.83 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
52.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
67.91 years
male:
66.25 years
female:
69.65 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.67 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Saudi(s)
adjective:
Saudi or Saudi Arabian
Ethnic divisions:
Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%
Religions:
Muslim 100%
Languages:
Arabic
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
62%
male:
73%
female:
48%
Labor force:
5 million-6 million
by occupation:
government 34%, industry and oil 28%, services 22%, agriculture 16%
Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
conventional short form:
local long form:
Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
local short form:
Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
Digraph:
SA
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)
National holiday:
Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)
Constitution:
none; governed according to Shari'a (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
Suffrage:
none
Executive branch:
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 First Deputy Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd
al-Aziz Al Saud (half-brother to the King, appointed heir to the
throne 13 June 1982)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers; mostly made up of the royal family appointed by
the king
Legislative branch:
a consultative council comprised of 60 members and a chairman who are
appointed by the King for a term of four years
Judicial branch:
Supreme Council of Justice
Political parties and leaders:
none allowed
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, UNOSOM, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador BANDAR bin Sultan Abd al-Aziz Al Saud
chancery:
601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone:
[phone]
consulate(s) general:
Houston, Los Angeles, and New York
US diplomatic of representation:
chief 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
FAX:
[966] (1) 482-4364
consulate(s) general:
Dhahran, 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 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 bring its budget, which has been in deficit
since 1983, back into balance, and to encourage private economic
activity. Roughly four million foreign workers play an important role
in the Saudi economy, for example, in the oil and banking sectors. For
about a decade, Saudi Arabia's domestic and international outlays have
outstripped its income, and the government has cut its foreign
assistance and is beginning to rein in domestic programs.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $194 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
1% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
$11,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
6.5% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$39 billion
expenditures:
$50 billion, including capital expenditures of $7.5 billion (1993
est.)
Exports:
$42.3 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products 92%
partners:
US 21%, Japan 18%, Singapore 6%, France 6%, Korea 5%
Imports:
$26 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, motor vehicles,
textiles
partners:
US 18%, UK 12%, Japan 10%, Germany 5%, France 5%
External debt:
$18.9 billion (December 1989 est., includes short-term trade credits)
Industrial production:
growth rate 20% (1991 est.); accounts for 46% of GDP, including
petroleum
Electricity:
capacity:
28,554,000 kW
production:
63 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
3,690 kWh (1992)
Industries:
crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals,
cement, two small steel-rolling mills, construction, fertilizer,
plastics
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
Illicit drugs:
death penalty for traffickers; increasing consumption of heroin and
cocaine
Economic aid:
donor:
pledged bilateral aid (1979-89), $64.7 billion; pledged $100 million
in 1993 to fund reconstruction of Lebanon
Currency:
1 Saudi riyal (SR) = 100 halalah
Exchange rates:
Saudi riyals (SR) per US$1 - 3.7450 (fixed rate since late 1986),
3.7033 (1986)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
...