Saudi Arabia Tourism - Travel to Saudi Arabia
| Flag | |
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| Quick Facts | |
| Capital | Riyadh |
| Government | monarchy |
| Currency | Saudi riyal (SAR) |
| Area | total: 1,960,582 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 1,960,582 sq km |
| Population | 23,513,330 note: includes 5,360,526 non-nationals (July 2002 est.) |
| Language | Arabic |
| Religion | Muslim 100% |
Saudi Arabia is a Middle Eastern country in Asia that occupie most of the Arabian peninsula and has both Persian Gulf and Red Sea coast lines. Its surrounding countries are Jordan to the northeast, Iraq to the northwest, Kuwait and Qatar to the east, United Arab Emirates to the south east, Oman and Yemen to the south.
Saudi Arabia contains the holy site of Mecca, a place that all muslims try to pilgrimage to at least once in their life.
Much of Saudi Arabia, (about 98%), is desert and is largely uninhabited. Only the existence of petroleum, and the wealth it generates, tempts people to explore and live in much of this harsh landscape.
| Table of contents |
Regions in Saudi Arabia
Map of Saudi Arabia
13 provinces (mintaqat, singular - mintaqah)
- Al Bahah
- Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah
- Al Jawf
- Al Madinah
- Al Qasim
- Ar Riyad
- Ash Sharqiyah (Eastern Province)
- 'Asir
- Ha'il
- Jizan
- Makkah
- Najran
- Tabuk
Cities in Saudi Arabia
Other destinations - Travel to Saudi Arabia
Understand Saudi Arabia Tourism
In 1902 Abd al-Aziz Ibn SAUD captured Riyadh and set out on a 30-year campaign to unify the Arabian Peninsula. In the 1930s, the discovery of oil transformed the country. 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. A burgeoning population, aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and prices are all major governmental concerns.
Get into Saudi Arabia
Travel to Saudi Arabia By Plane
Travel to Saudi Arabia By Train
Travel to Saudi Arabia By car
Travel to Saudi Arabia By Bus
Travel to Saudi Arabia By Boat
Get around in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia Talk
- Languages
- Arabic
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- Economy - overview
- This is an oil-based economy with strong government controls over major economic activities. Saudi Arabia has the largest reserves of petroleum in the world (26% of the proved reserves), ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 75% of budget revenues, 45% of GDP, and 90% of export earnings. About 25% of GDP comes from the private sector. Roughly 4 million foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy, for example, in the oil and service sectors. Riyadh expects to have a budget deficit in 2002, in part because of increased spending for education and other social programs. The government in 1999 announced plans to begin privatizing the electricity companies, which follows the ongoing privatization of the telecommunications company. The government is expected to continue calling for private sector growth to lessen the kingdom's dependence on oil and increase employment opportunities for the swelling Saudi population. Shortages of water and rapid population growth will constrain government efforts to increase self-sufficiency in agricultural products.
- Currency
- Saudi riyal (SAR)
- Currency code
- SAR
- Exchange rates
- Saudi riyals per US dollar - 3.7450 (fixed rate since June 1986)
Eat - Travel to Saudi Arabia
Drink
Sleep - Saudi Arabia Tourism
Learn
Work
Stay safe - Saudi Arabia Tourism
Stay Healthy While You Travel to Saudi Arabia
Respect
Many Saudi Arabians adhere strictly to their islamic faith. While Muslims do tolerate and accept believers in other faiths, some behaviour that may be acceptable in western cultures will cause offence.
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Geography in Saudi Arabia
- Climate
- harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes
- Terrain
- mostly uninhabited, sandy desert
- Elevation extremes
- lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m - Natural resources
- petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper
- Land use
- arable land: 1.72%
permanent crops: 0.06%
other: 98.22% (1998 est.) - Irrigated land
- 16,200 sq km (1998 est.)
- Natural hazards
- frequent sand and dust storms
- Environment - current issues
- desertification; depletion of underground water resources; the lack of perennial rivers or permanent water bodies has prompted the development of extensive seawater desalination facilities; coastal pollution from oil spills
- Environment - international agreements
- party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements - Geography - note
- extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal
People in Saudi Arabia
- Population
- 23,513,330
note: includes 5,360,526 non-nationals (July 2002 est.) - Age structure
- 0-14 years: 42.4% (male 5,086,541; female 4,883,942)
15-64 years: 54.8% (male 7,493,304; female 5,396,985)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 362,780; female 289,778) (2002 est.) - Population growth rate
- 3.27% (2002 est.)
- Birth rate
- 37.25 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
- Death rate
- 5.86 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
- Net migration rate
- 1.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
- Sex ratio
- at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.39 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.25 male(s)/female
total population: 1.22 male(s)/female (2002 est.) - Infant mortality rate
- 49.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth
- total population: 68.4 years
female: 70.2 years (2002 est.)
male: 66.7 years - Total fertility rate
- 6.21 children born/woman (2002 est.)
- HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
- 0.01% (1999 est.)
- HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
- NA
- HIV/AIDS - deaths
- NA
- Nationality
- noun: Saudi(s)
adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian - Ethnic groups
- Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%
- Literacy
- definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78%
male: 84.2%
female: 69.5% (2002 est.)
Government in Saudi Arabia
- Country name
- conventional long form: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
conventional short form: Saudi Arabia
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
local short form: Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah - Independence
- 23 September 1932 (Unification of the Kingdom)
- National holiday
- Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)
- Constitution
- governed according to Shari'a (Islamic law); the Basic Law that articulates the government's rights and responsibilities was introduced in 1993
- Legal system
- based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
- Suffrage
- none
- Executive branch
- chief of state: King and Prime Minister FAHD bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 13 June 1982); Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (half-brother to the monarch, heir to the throne since 13 June 1982, regent from 1 January to 22 February 1996); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary
head of government: King and Prime Minister FAHD bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 13 June 1982); Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (half-brother to the monarch, heir to the throne since 13 June 1982, regent from 1 January to 22 February 1996); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers is appointed by the monarch and includes many royal family members - Legislative branch
- a consultative council (90 members and a chairman appointed by the monarch for four-year terms)
- Judicial branch
- Supreme Council of Justice
- Political parties and leaders
- none allowed
- Political pressure groups and leaders
- none
- International organization participation
- ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BIS, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-19, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
- Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission: Ambassador BANDAR bin Sultan bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud
chancery: 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, and New York
telephone: [1] (202) 342-3800 - Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission: Ambassador Robert W. JORDAN
embassy: Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh
mailing address: American Embassy Riyadh, Unit 61307, APO AE 09803-1307; International Mail: P. O. Box 94309, Riyadh 11693
telephone: [966] (1) 488-3800
FAX: [966] (1) 488-7360
consulate(s) general: Dhahran, Jiddah (Jeddah) - Flag description
- 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 in Saudi Arabia
- GDP
- purchasing power parity - $241 billion (2001 est.)
- GDP - real growth rate
- 1.6% (2001 est.)
- GDP - per capita
- purchasing power parity - $10,600 (2001 est.)
- GDP - composition by sector
- agriculture: 7%
industry: 48%
services: 45% (2000 est.) - Population below poverty line
- NA%
- Household income or consumption by percentage share
- lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% - Inflation rate (consumer prices)
- 1.7% (2001)
- Labor force
- 7 million
note: 35% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1998 est.) - Labor force - by occupation
- agriculture 12%, industry 25%, services 63% (1999 est.)
- Unemployment rate
- NA%
- Budget
- revenues: $42 billion
expenditures: $54 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.) - Industries
- crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, cement, construction, fertilizer, plastics
- Industrial production growth rate
- 1% (1997 est.)
- Electricity - production
- 123.5 billion kWh (2000)
- Electricity - production by source
- fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0% - Electricity - consumption
- 114.86 billion kWh (2000)
- Electricity - exports
- 0 kWh (2000)
- Electricity - imports
- 0 kWh (2000)
- Agriculture - products
- wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk
- Exports
- $66.9 billion f.o.b. (2001)
- Exports - commodities
- petroleum and petroleum products 90%
- Exports - partners
- US 17.4%, Japan 17.3%, South Korea 11.7%, Singapore 5.3%, India (2000)
- Imports
- $29.7 billion f.o.b. (2001)
- Imports - commodities
- machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles, textiles
- Imports - partners
- US 21.1%, Japan 9.4%, Germany 7.4%, UK 7.3% (2000)
- Debt - external
- $23.8 billion (2001 est.)
- Economic aid - donor
- pledged $100 million in 1993 to fund reconstruction of Lebanon; since 1993, Saudi Arabia has committed $208 million for assistance to the Palestinians; pledged $240 million to development in Afghanistan
- Fiscal year
- calendar year
Communications
- Telephones - main lines in use
- 3.1 million (1998)
- Telephones - mobile cellular
- 1 million
note: in 1998, the government contracted for the installation of 575,000 additional Group Speciale Mobile (GSM) cellular telephone lines over 15 months to raise the total number of subscribers to more than one million; Riyadh planned to further expand the GSM system in 1999 by adding an additional one million lines (1998) - Telephone system
- general assessment: modern system
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and fiber-optic cable systems
international: 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; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region) - Radio broadcast stations
- AM 43, FM 31, shortwave 2 (1998)
- Radios
- 6.25 million (1997)
- Television broadcast stations
- 117 (1997)
- Televisions
- 5.1 million (1997)
- Internet country code
- .sa
- Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
- 42 (2001)
- Internet users
- 570,000 (2001)
Transportation in Saudi Arabia
- Railways
- total: 1,392 km
standard gauge: 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (724 km are double-tracked) (2001) - Highways
- total: 146,524 km
paved: 44,104 km
unpaved: 102,420 km (1997 est.) - Waterways
- none
- Pipelines
- crude oil 6,400 km; petroleum products 150 km; natural gas 2,200 km (includes natural gas liquids 1,600 km)
- Ports and harbors
- Ad Dammam, Al Jubayl, Duba, Jiddah, Jizan, Rabigh, Ra's al Khafji, Mishab, Ras Tanura, Yanbu' al Bahr, Madinat Yanbu' al Sinaiyah
- Merchant marine
- total: 71 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,071,315 GRT/1,412,125 DWT
ships by type: cargo 11, chemical tanker 10, container 4, livestock carrier 3, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 20, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 11, short-sea passenger 8
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Egypt 3, Finland 1, Greece 3, Kuwait 1, Sudan 1, United Arab Emirates 1, United Kingdom 3 (2002 est.) - Airports
- 209 (2001)
- Airports - with paved runways
- total: 71 70
over 3,047 m: 31 31
2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 11
914 to 1,523 m: 2 3
under 914 m: 2 2 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 24 23 - Airports - with unpaved runways
- total: 138
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 79
under 914 m: 13 (2002)
914 to 1,523 m: 39 - Heliports
- 5 (2002)
Military
- Military branches
- Land Force (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National Guard, Ministry of Interior Forces (paramilitary)
- Military manpower - military age
- 17 years of age (2002 est.)
- Military manpower - availability
- males age 15-49: 6,007,635 (2002 est.)
- Military manpower - fit for military service
- males age 15-49: 3,359,849 (2002 est.)
- Military manpower - reaching military age annually
- males: 233,402 (2002 est.)
- Military expenditures - dollar figure
- $18.3 billion (FY00)
- Military expenditures - percent of GDP
- 13% (FY00)
Transnational Issues in Saudi Arabia
- Disputes - international
- demarcation of delimited boundary with Yemen involves nomadic tribal affiliations; because details of 1974 and 1977 treaties have not been made public, the exact location of the Saudi Arabia-UAE boundary is unknown and status is considered de facto
- Illicit drugs
- death penalty for traffickers; increasing consumption of heroin, cocaine, and hashish
