General
Information
|
Total Land Area: |
2,149,690 km2 |
|
Land boundaries: |
4,415 km |
|
Coastline: |
2,640 km |
|
Capital: |
Riyadh |
|
Other Large
Cities: |
Jeddah, Makkah
(Mecca), Madina |
|
Official
Language: |
Arabic |
|
National
Currency Unit: |
Saudi Riyal
(SAR) |
|
National Day: |
September 23
|
Location and
Geography
Saudi Arabia is
located in the
Middle East. It
occupies most of the
Arabian Peninsula
and is bordered by
Jordan, Iraq and
Kuwait in the North,
Oman and Yemen in
the South, Bahrain,
Qatar, UAE and the
Gulf in the East,
and the Red Sea in
the West. The
topography varies
from vast stretches
of sand to rugged
mountain ranges. The
vast uninhabited
zone, al-Rub’al-Khali,
is the largest mass
of sand in the
world. A narrow
chain of mountains
rises in the East of
the plain. The area
called Asir receives
some rainfall and
has terraced farms
and green forests.
Two large oases,
Qatif and Hofuf,
support substantial
agricultural
production. The
climate is dry and
hot. The highest
temperatures in the
world are recorded
in Saudi Arabia
during summers.
Winters are mild
with little
rainfall.
Demography
|
Population:
|
23.37 million
(2002) |
|
Crude Birth
Rate:
|
31 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Crude Death
Rate:
|
4 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Infant Mortality
Rate:
|
20 per thousand
(2002) |
|
Life Expectancy:
|
Male: 69 years,
Female: 75 years
(2002) |
|
Urban
Population:
|
87.0 percent
(2002) |
|
Adult Literacy:
|
77.10 percent
(2001) |
Economy
In addition to vast
oil reserves, Saudi
Arabia possesses
large deposits of
ores and minerals,
including bauxite,
copper, gold, iron,
lead, silver, marble
and clay. The
economy is based on
the petrochemical
industry. Saudi
Arabia is the
largest petroleum
producer among OPEC
members and the
world’s leading oil
exporter. New
petrochemical
industries such as
paints, fertilisers,
and plastics have
been developed. The
main agricultural
products are wheat,
barley, tomatoes,
melons, dates,
citrus fruits,
mutton and dairy
products.
|
GDP at Current
Market Prices:
|
191061 million
US$ (2002) |
|
Per Capita GDP:
|
8175 US$ (2002) |
|
Share of Sectors
in GDP:
|
5.0%
Agriculture,
51.0% Industry,
44.0% Services,
(2002) |
|
Total Exports:
|
72561 million
US$ (2002) |
|
Total Imports:
|
32334 million
US$ (2002) |
|
Major Exports
Items: |
Petroleum and
petroleum
products, metal
products,
chemical
products and
derivatives,
plastics, basic
metals and
products |
|
Major Imports
Items: |
Machinery and
equipment,
transportation
equipment,
foodstuffs,
spare parts,
textiles and
chemical
products |
|
Major Trading
Partners: |
US, Japan,
South Korea,
India and
Singapore |
|
