Airports [time series]

204 total, 179 usable; 66 with permanent-surface runways; 13 with runways over 3,659 m; 33 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 98 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

182 major transport aircraft available

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

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

Merchant marine [time series]

94 ships (1,000 GRT 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

Pipelines [time series]

6,400 km crude oil; 150 km refined products; 2,200 km natural gas, includes 1,600 km of natural gas liquids

Ports [time series]

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

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

886 km 1.435-meter standard gauge

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

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, 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

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

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

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

16.9% of GDP, or $12.3 billion (1990 est.)

Military manpower [time series]

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

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

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

Aid [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

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

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

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

Electricity [time series]

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

Exchange rates [time series]

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

Exports [time series]

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

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$18.9 billion (December 1989 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

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

Imports [time series]

$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%

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 6.1% (1980-86)

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

1.5% (1989 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

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.

Unemployment rate [time series]

0% (1989 est.)

Climate [time series]

harsh, dry desert with great extremes of temperature

Coastline [time series]

2,510 km

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly less than one-fourth the size of US

Contiguous zone [time series]

18 nm;

Continental shelf [time series]

not specific;

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

no defined boundaries with PDRY, UAE, and YAR; shares Neutral Zone with Iraq--in July 1975, Iraq and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement to divide the zone between them, but the agreement must be ratified, however, before it becomes effective; Kuwaiti ownership of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim Islands is disputed by Saudi Arabia

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

no perennial rivers or permanent water bodies; developing extensive coastal seawater desalination facilities; desertification

Exclusive fishing zone [time series]

not specific;

Land boundaries [time series]

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, PDRY 830 km, YAR 628 km

Land use [time series]

1% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 39% meadows and pastures; 1% forest and woodland; 59% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Natural resources [time series]

crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper

Note [time series]

extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal

Terrain [time series]

mostly uninhabited, sandy desert

Maritime claims (Territorial sea) [time series]

12 nm

Area (Total area) [time series]

2,149,690 km2; land area: 2,149,690 km2

Administrative divisions [time series]

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

Capital [time series]

Riyadh

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

negligible

Constitution [time series]

none; governed according to Sharia (Islamic law)

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

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 11143, or APO New York 09038); telephone [966] (1) 488-3800; there are US Consulates General in Dhahran and Jiddah (Jeddah)

Executive branch (Elections) [time series]

none

Executive branch [time series]

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

Flag [time series]

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 [time series]

23 September 1932 (unification)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Council of Justice 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)

Legal system [time series]

based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch [time series]

none

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

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

National holiday [time series]

Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)

Suffrage [time series]

none

Government type (Type) [time series]

monarchy

Birth rate [time series]

37 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate [time series]

7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

90% Arab, 10% Afro-Asian

Infant mortality rate [time series]

71 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Labor force [time series]

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

Languages (Language) [time series]

Arabic

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

64 years male, 67 years female (1990)

Literacy [time series]

52%

Nationality [time series]

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

Net migration rate [time series]

13 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Organized labor [time series]

trade unions are illegal

Population [time series]

17,115,728 (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 15-30% lower

Religions (Religion) [time series]

100% Muslim

Total fertility rate [time series]

6.8 children born/woman (1990)