Saudi Arabia
|
| Basic Facts |
| 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 |
| Gevernment type | monarchy |
| Capital |
name: Riyadh
geographic coordinates: 24 38 N, 46 43 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Flag description | green, a traditional color in Islamic flags, with the Shahada or Muslim creed in large white Arabic script (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); design dates to the early twentieth century and is closely associated with the Al Saud family which established the kingdom in 1932 |
| Currency | Saudi riyal (SAR) |
| Internet country code | .sa |
| Ports and terminals | Ad Dammam, Al Jubayl, Jiddah, Yanbu' al Sinaiyah |
| Agriculture products | wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk |
| Industries | 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 |
| Geography |
| Location | Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen |
| Coordinates | 25 00 N, 45 00 E |
| Continent | Middle East |
| Area |
total: 2,149,690 sq km
land: 2,149,690 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Boundaries |
total: 4,431 km
border countries: Iraq 814 km, Jordan 744 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman 676 km, Qatar 60 km, UAE 457 km, Yemen 1,458 km |
| Coastline | 2,640 km |
| Climate | harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes |
| Terrain | mostly uninhabited, sandy desert |
| Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper |
| Natural hazards | frequent sand and dust storms |
| People |
| Population | 27,019,731
note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2006 est.) |
| Ethnic groups | Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10% |
| Religions | Muslim 100% |
| Languages | Arabic |
