Geographical Facts About Saudi Arabia

• Saudi Arabia (formally “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” is the largest Arab country in the Middle East.

• Saudi Arabia is bordered by Jordan and Iraq (to the north and northeast), Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (to the east), Oman (to the southeast), and Yemen (to the south). It is also connected to Bahrain by bridge.

• The Arabian Gulf lies to the northeast and the Red Sea to its west.

• It has an estimated population of 28 million, and its size is approximately 2,149,690 square kilometers (830,000 sq meters).

The Red Sea and the Arab Gulf are considered very important coasts, contributing to the growth of political and economic power in Saudi Arabia. The two coasts provide the country with natural navigation opportunities along with rich oil and gas reserves. As a result, the area’s importance increased after retrieving oil and establishing petrochemical factories on the Kingdom’s eastern coastline.

The Red Sea is surrounded by Arab countries, which has helped inter-Arab commerce via distribution coastlines. It also divides the Arab world into two parts: African and Asian. The geographic location provides the Kingdom with many natural resources, which is an important factor in attracting investors.

Natural Resources in Saudi Arabia

Natural resources in the Kingdom are abundant and varied and, combined with a suitable climate, make Saudi Arabia a very attractive investment opportunity for many.

• Saudi Arabia has the biggest oil reserves in the world (26 percent).

• Other natural resources include bauxite, limestone, gypsum, and phosphate and iron ore.

• Dates, wheat and barley are the Kingdom’s main agriculture products.

• Industrial products include oil refining, petrochemicals, iron, food production, and cement.

Population

• The total Saudi population as of 2010 stands at 27.14 million, compared with 13 million in 1985, 21 million in 1999 and 22.7 million in 2004.

• The population growth rate in the KSA is 3.24%, which ranks somewhere between the lowest growth in Kuwait (2%), and the highest growth rate in the UAE (5.84%). However, growth rates in the KSA figure rank above the general average of 2.37%, registered across the Arab world. The high birth rate and the low mortality rate are the result of dedicated and intensive efforts towards health care issues.

• The population density is 14 persons / sq. km.

• Inhabitants from Saudi origins form 73.1% of the population, which comprises 50.1% males and 49.9% females. Foreigners form 26.9% of the population, of whom 69.5% are males, and the remaining are females.

• This rising number of foreign inhabitants is an outcome of the growing interest of foreigners in the Saudi investment sectors. Furthermore, this came as a result of Saudi government policy of using its oil revenues to expand general services and build a solid infrastructure.

Source: Central Department of Statistic & Information and SAMA 26^th. Annual Report.

Main Cities

• Makkah and Madinah, Islam’s two holiest cities, are located in Saudi Arabia. Makkah is the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and the focal point of Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage in which more than two million Muslims from all parts of the world participate every year. Madinahis the city where Prophet Muhammad emigrated, lived and laid to rest.

• Riyadh, located in the central province, is the capital city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the high-tech center of modern Saudi Arabia and houses the headquarters of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

• Jeddah, located along the western coast of the Red Sea, is the commercial capital of Saudi Arabia, and serves as an entrance to the rest of the peninsula. Jeddah’s ports hence become the main thoroughfares for trade.

• Dammam, located ion the easter coast of the Kingdom, is famous for its oil fields, and the headquarters of Saudi Aramco, and the industrial city of Jubail, and King Abdul Aziz Port.

• The twin cities of Jubail and Yanbu housing the Directorate General of the Royal Commission for Jubail & Yanbu are a symbol of the government’s vision of Saudi Arabia’s future development. Jubail lies on the Arabian Gulf in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom. It is located 80 kilometers north of Dammam, and is an ancient center and caravan junction famous for pearling. It has the world’s largest petrochemical complex. Yanbu is located on the East Coast of the Red Sea about 350 kilometers north-west of Jeddah. It is a typical industrial fortress and a work of art in architectural engineering.