SAUDI ARABIA

LOCATION
Saudi Arabia is located in the Middle East. To the west, Saudi Arabia is
bordered by Jordan and the Red Sea. To the east, the country is bordered by
Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and UAE. Additionally, Saudi Arabia is bordered by
Iraq to the north and Oman and the Yemen to the south. In size, Saudi Arabia
is approximately the same size as one-fifth of the United States.
 
CLIMATE
The landscape of this country is harsh, dry desert with great extremes in
temperature. The majority of the land in uninhabited.
 
POPULATION
As of July 2000, the estimated population of Saudi Arabia was 22,023,506.
The people are 90% Arab and 10% Afro-Asian. In total, there are 9,383,606
females and 12,184,900 males.
 
RELIGION
The only religion recognized in Saudi Arabia is Muslim.
 
GENERAL
The official name of this nation is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The capital
of this nation is located in the city of Riyadh. The Chief of State and Head
of Government are the King and Prime Minister, respectively. Essentially,
the country is governed by a monarchy. Members of the royal family serve in
ministerial positions. The government has imposed strict laws and severe
penalties. Saudi Arabia has the death penalty for those found to traffic in
illicit drugs.
 
NATURAL RESOURCES
Saudi Arabia has the following natural resources: petroleum, natural gas,
iron ore, gold, and copper.
The country’s agricultural products are much more varied than the natural
resources. For instance, they include wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons,
dates, citrus, mutton, chickens, eggs, and milk.
 
TRANSPORTATION
Saudi Arabia has a very small railway system. In fact, the entire system is
composed of only 1,390 kilometers of railway tracks.
The country’s highway system is larger than the railway system. The highway
system consists of 44,104 kilometers of paved highways and 102,420 kilometers
of unpaved highways.
Saudi Arabia boasts 11 ports and harbors and 70 ships.
The country supports 72 airports with paved runways and 133 airports
with unpaved runways.
Saudi Arabia has 4 heliports.
 
CURRENCY
The currency of Saudi Arabia is as follows: one Saudi riyal equals 100
halalah.
 
Facts and figures courtesy of CIA World Fact Book.
 
ADDITIONAL LINKS
For more information, visit www.saudiembassy.net/mainpage.html.