SAUDI ARABIA GEOGRAPHY Total area: 2,149,690 km2; land area: 2,149,690 km2 Comparative area: slightly less than one-fourth the size of US Land boundaries: 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, Yemen 1,458 km Coastline: 2,510 km Maritime claims: Contiguous zone: 18 nm; Continental shelf: not specific; Territorial sea: 12 nm Disputes: no defined boundaries with Yemen and UAE; shares Neutral Zone with Iraq--in December 1981, Iraq and Saudi Arabia signed a boundary agreement that divides the zone between them, but the agreement must be ratified before it becomes effective; Kuwaiti ownership of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim Islands is disputed by Saudi Arabia Climate: harsh, dry desert with great extremes of temperature Terrain: mostly uninhabited, sandy desert Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 39%; forest and woodland 1%; other 59%; includes irrigated NEGL% Environment: no perennial rivers or permanent water bodies; developing extensive coastal seawater desalination facilities; desertification Note: extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal PEOPLE Population: 17,869,558 (July 1991), growth rate 4.2% (1991); note--the population figure is based on growth since the last official Saudi census of 1974 that reported a total of 7 million persons and included foreign workers; estimates from other sources may be 15-30% lower Birth rate: 37 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: 12 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 69 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 68 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 6.7 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Saudi(s); adjective--Saudi or Saudi Arabian Ethnic divisions: Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10% Religion: Muslim 100% Language: Arabic Literacy: 62% (male 73%, female 48%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) Labor force: 4,200,000; about 60% are foreign workers; government 34%, industry and oil 28%, services 22%, and agriculture 16% Organized labor: trade unions are illegal GOVERNMENT Long-form name: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Type: monarchy Capital: Riyadh Administrative divisions: 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 Independence: 23 September 1932 (unification) Constitution: none; governed according to Sharia (Islamic law) Legal system: based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction National holiday: Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932) Executive branch: monarch and prime minister, crown prince and deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers Legislative branch: none Judicial branch: Supreme Council of Justice Leaders: 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) Suffrage: none Elections: none Communists: negligible Member of: 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 Diplomatic representation: 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, Jr.; 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) Flag: 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 ECONOMY Overview: The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 70% of budget revenues, 33% 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, plays a leading role in OPEC, and invests substantial amounts abroad. GDP: $79 billion, per capita $4,800; real growth rate 0.5% (1989 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0% (1990 est.) Unemployment rate: 0% (1989 est.) Budget: revenues $31.5 billion; expenditures $38.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $6.9 billion (1990) Exports: $30.7 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--petroleum and petroleum products 85%; partners--US 22%, Japan 20%, Singapore 7%, France 5% Imports: $20.0 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--manufactured goods, transportation equipment, construction materials, processed food products; partners--UK 17%, US 15%, Japan 12%, FRG 6% External debt: $18.9 billion (December 1989 est.) Industrial production: growth rate - 1.1% (1989 est.); accounts for 37% of GDP, including petroleum Electricity: 25,205,000 kW capacity; 50,500 million kWh produced, 2,950 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, cement, small steel-rolling mill, construction, fertilizer, plastic Agriculture: 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 Economic aid: donor--pledged $64.7 billion in bilateral aid (1979-89) Currency: Saudi riyal (plural--riyals); 1 Saudi riyal (SR) = 100 halalas Exchange rates: Saudi riyals (SR) per US$1--3.7450 (fixed rate since late 1986), 3.7033 (1986), 3.6221 (1985) Fiscal year: calendar year COMMUNICATIONS Railroads: 886 km 1.435-meter standard gauge Highways: 74,000 km total; 35,000 km bituminous, 39,000 km gravel and improved earth Pipelines: 6,400 km crude oil; 150 km refined products; 2,200 km natural gas, includes 1,600 km of natural gas liquids Ports: Jiddah, Ad Dammam, Ras Tanura, Jizan, Al Jubayl, Yanbu al Bahr, Yanbu al Sinaiyah Merchant marine: 84 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,492,174 GRT/2,436,635 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 6 short-sea passenger, 14 cargo, 12 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 container, 6 refrigerated cargo, 5 livestock carrier, 26 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 8 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 1 specialized tanker, 1 bulk Civil air: 182 major transport aircraft available Airports: 207 total, 188 usable; 69 with permanent-surface runways; 13 with runways over 3,659 m; 38 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 103 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: 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, Yemen, and Sudan; coaxial cable to Kuwait; submarine cable to Djibouti and Egypt; earth stations--3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT, 1 INMARSAT, 1 ARABSAT DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National Guard, Coast Guard, Frontier Force, Special Security Force, Public Security Force Manpower availability: males 15-49, 6,663,217; 3,724,610 fit for military service; 165,167 reach military age (17) annually Defense expenditures: $13.9 billion, 16.9% of GDP (1990 est.)