Location and Size of the Kingdom
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia comprises about four-fifths of the Arabian Peninsula, a land mass constituting a distinct geographical entity, bordered on the west by the Red Sea, on the south by the Indian Ocean and on the east by the Arabian Gulf.
The Kingdom itself, which occupies approximately 2,250,000 square kilometers (868,730 square miles) is bounded on the north by Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait; on the east by the Gulf, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates; on the south by the Sultanate of Oman and Yemen; and on the west by the Red Sea.
Between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait there are two adjacent areas of neutral territory (the Neutral Zone) which, since 1966 (1385/86 AH), have been divided between the two countries, each administering its own portion. Another Neutral Zone, between the Kingdom and Iraq, existed until 1975 (1394/95 AH) when it was agreed that the zone should be equally divided between the two parties.
Located between Africa and mainland Asia, with long frontiers on the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf and with the Suez Canal near to its north-west border, the Kingdom lies in a strategically important position.
Physical Features and Climate
Structurally, the whole of Arabia is a vast platform of ancient rocks, once continuous with north-east Africa. In relatively recent geological time a series of great fissures opened, as the result of which a large trough, or rift valley, was formed and later occupied by the sea, to produce the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The Arabian platform is tilted, with its highest part in the extreme west, along the Red Sea, sloping gradually down from the west to the east. The Red Sea coast, where the upward tilt is greatest, is often bold and mountainous, with peaks of 3,000 meters. Along the Red Sea coast, there is a narrow coastal strip (Tihama) which broadens out in the Jiddah area and provides access through the highlands to the interior. On the eastern side of the Kingdom, the Arabian Gulf coast is flat and low-lying. The shallow seas in this region deposited layers of younger sedimentary rock, allowing the creation of the vast oil reserves for which the area was to become famous. The coast is fringed with extensive coral reefs which make it difficult to approach the shore in many places.
Geographical Regions of the Kingdom
Geographically, Saudi Arabia is divided into four (and if the Rub al-Khali is included, five) major regions. The first is the Central region, a high country in the heart of the Kingdom; secondly, there is the Western region, which lies along the Red Sea coast. The Southern region, in the southern Red Sea-Yemen border area, constitutes the third region. Fourthly, there is the Eastern region, the sandy and stormy eastern part of Saudi Arabia, the richest of all the regions in petroleum.
It is important to note that, for administrative purposes, the Kingdom is divided into thirteen Administrative Regions.
Population
According to the 1974 (1393/94 AH) census, the Kingdom's population was just over 7 million. But, since then, by all accounts the population has grown dramatically. More recent estimates (by, for example, the World Bank, 1987) give a figure of above 11 million. The official estimate in 1987 (1407/08 AH) was 13.6 million. Preliminary results of the 1992 (1412/13 AH) census gave a figure for total population of 16.9 million, of which 12.3 million were Saudi nationals. In 2000, the Central Department of Statistics' Demographic Survey put the population of the Kingdom at 20.8 million.
Of the Saudi national population, 54.3% are male and 45.7% female. Currently, it is estimated that almost half the Saudi population is under the age of 20.
As an indication of the growth of urbanization, we quote the population figures for the city of Riyadh, capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In 1862 (1372/73 AH), the population (as estimated by W. Palgrave) was 7,500. One hundred years later it was 169,000 (Riyadh City Planning Office). By 1982 (1402/03 AH), the estimate was 1.5 million; and by 1985 (1405/06 AH), the figure exceeded 2 million. In 1999, it had reached 3.4 million and in 2000 it was 4.7 million.
Natural Resources
Oil Resources
According to the latest estimates (2001), the Kingdom's recoverable reserves now stand at 261.8 billion barrels. This figure represents an increase of 1.8 billion barrels on the 1993 estimate of 260 billion barrels. (An increase in recoverable reserves, despite the daily extraction of millions of barrels of oil, is made possible by the discovery of new oil fields and improved technology in exploiting existing field.)
Current estimates mean that Saudi Arabia has roughly 25% of the world's proven oil reserves.
As techniques for extraction improve and new reserves are found, it is estimated that the oil reserves of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will last for some 90 years.
Gas Resources
The 1989 (1409/10 AH) Aramco study put the Kingdom's proven gas reserves at 177.3 trillion cubic feet, an increase of 25% over the last estimate. This figure remained little altered in 1993 (1413/14 AH) when the estimate, now expressed in cubic meters, was 5.2 trillion (approximately 4.2% of world reserves). According to the latest estimates (2001) the Kingdom's gas reserves stand at 219.5 trillion cubic feet (6.22 trillion cubic meters), approximately 4% of world reserves.
In the early years of oil exploitation, natural gas from the oil fields was burnt off in gas flares. Conscious of the need to conserve its energy reserves, the Kingdom now gathers the natural gas (methane and ethane) emanating from the oil fields in the Eastern region in order to supply the vast industrial complexes at Jubail in the Eastern region and Yanbu on the western side of the Kingdom.
Today, almost all the natural gas at the Kingdom's disposal is effectively utilized.
Mineral Resources
In addition to its vast oil and gas reserves, the Kingdom is rich in mineral deposits. Gold mining began in Saudi Arabia some 5,000 years ago. Since then, there have been periods when gold mining has been pursued vigoriusly (e.g. in the Islamic Abbasid period between the 8th and 13th centuries CE). Three thousand years ago, the mine known as the Cradle of Gold (Mahad Al-Dhahab), some 180 miles north of Jiddah, was a rich source of gold, silver and copper.
According to the Fourth Five Year Plan, gold had been discovered at some 600 sites around the Kingdom and a total of 29 prospects have been drilled. The Mahad Al-Dhabab gold mine was re-opened by Petromin with the intention of developing a high-grade underground gold mine with a capacity of 400 tons of ore per day. This venture encouraged further exploration for gold elsewhere in the Kingdom.
All known gold deposits in the Kingdom are located in the Pre-Cambrian rocks of the Arabian Shield which lies in the western region of Saudi Arabia.
Silver and base metal deposits (bauxite, copper, iron, lead, tin and zinc), as well as non-metallic minerals (bentonite, diatomite, fluorite, potash and high-purity silica sand) have all been discovered, attesting to the wealth that remains, still largely unexploited, beneath the Kingdom's soil.
Water Resources
In a country with the geography and climate of the Kingdom, water is a natural resource which must be highly valued and conserved. The Kingdom draws its water from four main sources:
- Surface water, which is to be found predominantly in the west and south-west of the country. In 1985 (1405/06 AH), surface water provided 10% of the Kingdom's supply.
- Ground water, held in aquifers, some of which are naturally replenished, while others are non-renewable. In 1985 (1405/06 AH), ground water provided 84% of the Kingdom's supply but it is noteworthy that most of this water came from non-renewable aquifers.
- Desalinated seawater, a source of water production in which the Kingdom is now a world leader. Desalination technology, which also produces electricity, has reached an advanced stage of technology in the Kingdom and, by 1985 (1405/06 AH), this source was providing 5% of the Kingdom's supply.
-Reclaimed wastewater, a source of water which is still in its early stages but which offers scope for considerable expansion. In 1985 (1405/06 AH), the reclamation of wastewater provided 1% of the Kingdom's supply.
According to the Saline Water Conversion Corporation, in 2000 (1420/21 AH) there were 27 desalination plants producing 814 million cubic meters of desalinated water (more than 600 million gallons a day) and providing more than 70 per cent of the required drinking water. Work was underway to build three desalination plants at Khobar, Jubail and Shuaiba.
Flora and Fauna
The stereotype of the Kingdom as a dry, barren desert devoid of almost all flora and fauna is far from correct. Of course, both plants and animals have had to adapt to the rigors of the climate but, for those who look, there is a wealth of wildlife to be discovered, even in the desert regions - and there are parts of the Kingdom, notably the Southern Region, which enjoy ample rainfall and support a wide variety of crops as well as plants and animals.
Administrative Regions of the Kingdom
For administrative purposes, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is divided into 13 regions. Below, we list the regions and the cities in which the administrative headquarters of each region are located.
REGION and LOCATION OF REGIONAL HQ
Each of these regions has a Regional Governor with the rank of Minister who is responsible to the Minister of the Interior. The structure of regional government and the composition of the regional governing bodies and regional councils is clear evidence of the Kingdom's determination to increase the involvement of the citizenry in the government of Saudi Arabia while maintaining stability and continuity.
Major Cities of the Kingdom
Riyadh
Riyadh, which lies in the Central Region, is the capital city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and now rivals any modern city in the world in the splendor of its architecture. Broad highways sweep through the city, passing over or under each other in an impressive and still growing road network. Trees now bedeck the broad streets and avenues, giving pleasure to passers-by and shade to those who linger beneath them. Today the city extends for some 600 square miles (1600 square kilometers) and has a population of more than 4.7 million.
The name Riyadh is derived from the Arabic word meaning a place of gardens and trees ("rawdah"). With many wadis (a former water course, now dry) in the vicinity, Riyadh has been since antiquity a fertile area set in the heartland of the Arabian peninsula.
Of all the Kingdom's developmental achievements, Riyadh is perhaps the most obvious and accessible to the foreign visitor. From the moment he lands at the King Khalid International Airport, itself a marvel of design wedding the traditional Arab style with the best of modern architecture in a happy marriage of spacious practicality, the traveler is aware that he has reached a city that must be counted one of the wonders of modern times.
The Holy City of Makkah
The Holy City of Makkah, which lies inland 73 kilometers east of Jiddah, is the place where the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was born - the place where God's message was first revealed to him and the city to which he returned after the migration to Madinah in 622 AD.
Makkah is the holiest city on earth to Muslims. Five times each day, the world's one billion Muslims, wherever they may be, turn to the Holy City of Makkah to pray. And at least once in their lives, all Muslims who are not prevented by personal circumstance perform the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Makkah. Thus each year the Holy City of Makkah is host to some two million hajjis (pilgrims) from all over the world.
The Holy Mosque in Makkah houses the Ka'aba, in the corner of which is set the Black Stone which marks the starting point for the seven circumambulations of the Holy Mosque which every hajji must complete.
The Holy City is served by the seaport and international airport of Jiddah.
Below you can see a selection of pictures from the Holy City of Makkah.
The Holy City of Madinah
Madinah, which lies 447 kilometers north of the Holy City of Makkah, is the second holiest city in Islam. It was to Madinah that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his followers, faced by the hostility and persecution of the Makkhan merchants, departed in 622 AD - and, when the citizens of Madinah asked the Prophet to live amongst them and to arbitrate in their affairs (an invitation taken to mean their rejection of polytheism and submission to the will of the one God, Allah), it was in Madinah that the Islamic era began.
Madinah is then the city of the Prophet. As the place in which the Holy Qur'an was compiled and from which the Prophet's companions administered the affairs of the Muslim community, it was the seat of the first Islamic state. From Madinah, armies, spreading the word of the Prophet, were dispatched to Egypt, Persia and Syria.
Madinah is also the place in which the Prophet, peace be upon him, was buried.
Below you can see a selection of pictures from the Holy City of Madinah.
Jiddah
The Red Sea port of Jiddah, located mid-way along the Western coast of the Kingdom, is a bustling, thriving city and seaport. Jiddah's location on the ancient trade routes and its status as the seaport and airport for hajjis visiting the Holy City of Makkah have ensured that Jiddah is the most cosmopolitan of all Saudi Arabia's cities.
By the end of the 1970s (1391 AH), the population of Jiddah was estimated to be close to one million. By 1986 (1406/07 AH), the estimated population was 1.4 million. With an estimated growth rate in excess of 10%, the population by 1993 (1413/14AH) had passed the two million mark.
The extraordinary growth of Jiddah, demanded by the Kingdom's development programs, has been achieved in a remarkably short period. (The expansion of the sea port's capacity is a case study of what can be achieved if the will, the management and the resources are available.) At the same time, aesthetic considerations have not been ignored. Jiddah now boasts some of the most beautiful examples of modern architecture in the world. Tree-lined avenues and the generous distribution of bronze sculptures attest to the success of the city's beautification program
Abha
Abha, the home of the headquarters of the regional Governorate, is located in the Asir region in the south-west of the Kingdom.
Abha's position, some 7,200 feet (2,200 meters) above sea-level, gives it a relatively moderate climate. Temperatures remain within a narrower band than is the case in many other parts of the Kingdom. The Abha region also enjoys the highest level of rainfall of any part of Saudi Arabia.
The natural beauty of the region and its fertility have encouraged the Saudi Arabian Government to establish a number of national parks, enabling Saudi citizens to holiday in a location of outstanding scenery and natural interest to rival anywhere abroad.
