View Intelligence Dossier Back to 1993 CSV Excel Print All Years

Communications

Airports [time series]

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

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

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

Merchant marine [time series]

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 [time series]

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

Ports [time series]

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

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

1390 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; 448 km are double tracked

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

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

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Land Force (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National Guard, Coast Guard, Frontier Forces, Special Security Force, Public Security Force

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

exchange rate conversion - $16.5 billion, 13% of GDP (1993 budget)

Manpower availability [time series]

males age 15-49 5,650,492; fit for military service 3,128,620; reach military age (17) annually 140,283 (1993 est.)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

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 [time series]

revenues $45.1 billion; expenditures $52.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 Saudi riyal (SR) = 100 halalas

Economic aid [time series]

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

Electricity [time series]

28,554,000 kW capacity; 63,000 million kWh produced, 3,690 kWh per capita (1992)

Exchange rates [time series]

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

Exports [time series]

$48.2 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 92% partners: US 21%, Japan 18%, Singapore 6%, France 6%, Korea 5%

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$18.9 billion (December 1989 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Illicit drugs [time series]

death penalty for traffickers

Imports [time series]

$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 (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate -1.1% (1989 est.); accounts for 37% of GDP, including petroleum

Industries [time series]

crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, cement, two small steel-rolling mills, construction, fertilizer, plastics

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

2.5% (1992 est.)

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

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $111 billion (1992 est.)

Real GDP per capita (National product per capita) [time series]

$6,500 (1992 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (National product real growth rate) [time series]

3.6% (1992 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

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 [time series]

6.5% (1992 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

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 [time series]

harsh, dry desert with great extremes of temperature

Coastline [time series]

2,640 km

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

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

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

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 [time series]

4,350 km2 (1989 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

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 [time series]

arable land: 1% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 39% forest and woodland: 1% other: 59%

Location [time series]

Middle East, between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf

Map references [time series]

Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims [time series]

contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: not specified territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources [time series]

petroleum, 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

Government

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, Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah, Najran, Tabuk

Capital [time series]

Riyadh

Constitution [time series]

none; governed according to Shari'a (Islamic law)

Digraph [time series]

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

chief of mission: Ambassador BANDAR Bin Sultan chancery: 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: (202) 342-3800 consulates general: Houston, Los Angeles, and New York

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

Executive branch (Leaders) [time series]

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)

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

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

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

Country name (Names) [time series]

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 [time series]

Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

none allowed

Suffrage [time series]

none

Government type (Type) [time series]

monarchy

Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]

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 FAX: Telex 406866 consulates general: Dhahran, Jiddah (Jeddah)

People

Birth rate [time series]

38.59 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate [time series]

6.05 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

55.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Labor force [time series]

5 million by occupation: government 34%, industry and oil 28%, services 22%, agriculture 16%

Languages [time series]

Arabic

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 67.32 years male: 65.71 years female: 69.01 years (1993 est.)

Literacy [time series]

age 15 and over can read and write (1990) total population: 62% male: 73% female: 48%

Nationality [time series]

noun: Saudi(s) adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Population [time series]

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 [time series]

3.3% (1993 est.)

Religions [time series]

Muslim 100%

Total fertility rate [time series]

6.7 children born/woman (1993 est.)