World Atlas: Saudi Arabia

Information about Saudi Arabia

Here you can find online selected information about the geography, inhabitants, government, economy and history of Saudi Arabia. Included are selected statistics, an overview map and the detailed map of Saudi Arabia. But let's start with the flag of Saudi Arabia here:

Saudi Arabia - Overview:

What you should know about Saudi Arabia? Let's start with this: Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home to Islam's two holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina. The king's official title is the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The modern Saudi state was founded in 1932 by ABD AL-AZIZ bin Abd al-Rahman Al SAUD (Ibn Saud) after a 30-year campaign to unify most of the Arabian Peninsula. One of his male descendants rules the country today, as required by the country's 1992 Basic Law. Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the liberation of Kuwait the following year. The continuing presence of foreign troops on Saudi soil after the liberation of Kuwait became a source of tension between the royal family and the public until all operational US troops left the country in 2003. Major terrorist attacks in May and November 2003 spurred a strong ongoing campaign against domestic terrorism and extremism. From 2005 to 2015, King Abdallah incrementally modernized the Kingdom. Driven by personal ideology and political pragmatism, he introduced a series of social and economic initiatives, including expanding employment and social opportunities for women, attracting foreign investment, increasing the role of the private sector in the economy, and discouraging businesses from hiring foreign workers. Saudi Arabia saw protests during the 2011 Arab Spring but not the level of bloodshed seen in protests elsewhere in the region. Shia Muslims in the Eastern Province protested primarily against the detention of political prisoners, endemic discrimination, and Bahraini and Saudi Government actions in Bahrain. Riyadh took a cautious but firm approach by arresting some protesters but releasing most of them quickly and by using its state-sponsored clerics to counter political and Islamist activism. The government held its first-ever elections in 2005 and 2011, when Saudis went to the polls to elect municipal councilors. In December 2015, women were allowed to vote and stand as candidates for the first time in municipal council elections, with 19 women winning seats. King Salman bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud ascended to the throne in 2015 and placed the first next-generation prince, Muhammad BIN NAIF bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, in the line of succession as Crown Prince. He designated his son, Muhammad BIN Salman bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, as the Deputy Crown Prince. In March 2015, Saudi Arabia led a coalition of 10 countries in a military campaign to restore the government of Yemen, which had been ousted by Huthi forces allied with former president ALI Abdullah al-Salih. The war in Yemen has led to civilian casualties and shortages of basic supplies, which has drawn considerable international criticism. In December 2015, Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad BIN Salman announced Saudi Arabia would lead a 34-nation Islamic Coalition to fight terrorism (it has since grown to 41 nations). In January 2016, Saudi Arabia executed 47 people on charges of terrorism, including Shia Muslim cleric NIMR al-Nimr. Iranian protesters overran Saudi diplomatic facilities in Iran to protest al-NIMR’s execution and the Saudi government responded by cutting off diplomatic ties with Iran. The country remains a leading producer of oil and natural gas and holds about 16% of the world's proven oil reserves as of 2015. The government continues to pursue economic reform and diversification, particularly since Saudi Arabia's accession to the WTO in 2005, and promotes foreign investment in the Kingdom. In April 2016, the Saudi government announced a broad set of socio-economic reforms, known as Vision 2030. Low global oil prices throughout 2015 and 2016 significantly lowered Saudi Arabia’s governmental revenue. In response, the government cut subsidies on water, electricity, and gasoline; reduced government employee compensation packages; and announced limited new land taxes. In coordination with OPEC and some key non-OPEC countries, Saudi Arabia agreed cut oil output in early 2017 to regulate supply and help elevate global prices.

Geography of Saudi Arabia

Where on the globe is Saudi Arabia? The location of this country is Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen. Total area of Saudi Arabia is 2,149,690 sq km, of which 2,149,690 sq km is land. So this is very large country. How could we describe the terrain of the country? This way: mostly sandy desert. The lowest point of Saudi Arabia is Persian Gulf 0 m, the highest point Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m. And the climate is harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes.

Inhabitants of Saudi Arabia

Let's take a look how many people live in Saudi Arabia. The number is: 28,571,770 (July 2017 est.). So quite a lot people live here. Who lives here? Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%. What are the languages in Saudi Arabia? Arabic (official). And the religions: Muslim (official; citizens are 85-90% Sunni and 10-15% Shia), other (includes Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh) (2012 est.). How old are the people in average? 27.5 years. We have to add that this number is the median - so one half of the people is older than this, one half is younger. And what is their life expectancy (at birth)? This: 75.5 years. Where the people live in Saudi Arabia? Here: historically a population that was mostly nomadic or semi-nomadic, the Saudi population has become more settled since petroleum was discovered in the 1930s; most of the economic activities - and with it the country's population - is concentrated in a wide area across the middle of the peninsula, from Ad Dammam in the east, through Riyadh in the interior, to Mecca-Medina in the west near the Red Sea. The major urban areas of Saudi Arabia are: Riyadh (capital) 6.195 million; Jeddah 4.076 million; Mecca 1.771 million; Medina 1.28 million; Ad Dammam 1.064 million (2015).

Government and Economy of Saudi Arabia

The capital of Saudi Arabia is Riyadh and the government type absolute monarchy. Let's take a look at the administrative divisions - 13 provinces (mintaqat, singular - mintaqah); Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah (Northern Border), Al Jawf, Al Madinah (Medina), Al Qasim, Ar Riyad (Riyadh), Ash Sharqiyah (Eastern), 'Asir, Ha'il, Jazan, Makkah (Mecca), Najran, Tabuk. Regarding the economy of Saudi Arabia, important industrial products are crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, ammonia, industrial gases, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), cement, fertilizer, plastics, metals, commercial ship repair, commercial aircraft repair, construction. Important agricultural products are wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk. The most important export commodities are petroleum and petroleum products 90% (2012 est.) and the most important export partners are China 13.6%, Japan 11.3%, India 10.7%, US 9.8%, South Korea 9.1%, Singapore 4.7% (2016). The most important import commodities are machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles, textiles and the most important import partners are China 16.2%, US 15%, Germany 6.3%, Japan 5.3%, UAE 5%, South Korea 4.3% (2016). How rich is Saudi Arabia and how rich are people in this country? The most important number here is GDP per capita (PPP): $55,300 (2017 est.). This means the people are rich on average here. Let's add that this means Gross Domestic Product per person, which is recalculated with respect to the relative cost of local goods and services. And one more important number - population below poverty line: NA%.

Map of Saudi Arabia