Saudi Arabia Geography - 2023

Location

Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen

Geographic coordinates

25 00 N, 45 00 E

Map references

Middle East

Area

total: 2,149,690 sq km

land: 2,149,690 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US

Land boundaries

total: 4,272 km

border countries (7): Iraq 811 km; Jordan 731 km; Kuwait 221 km; Oman 658 km; Qatar 87 km; UAE 457 km; Yemen 1,307 km

Coastline

2,640 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 18 nm

continental shelf: not specified

Climate

harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes

Terrain

mostly sandy desert

Elevation

highest point: As Sarawat range, 3,000 m

lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m

mean elevation: 665 m

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper

Land use

agricultural land: 80.7% (2018 est.)

arable land: 1.5% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 79.1% (2018 est.)

forest: 0.5% (2018 est.)

other: 18.8% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

11,910 sq km (2018)

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Indian Ocean drainage: (Persian Gulf) Tigris and Euphrates (918,044 sq km)

Major aquifers

Arabian Aquifer System

Population distribution

historically a population that was mostly nomadic or semi-nomadic, the Saudi population has become more settled since petroleum was discovered in the 1930s; most of the economic activities - and with it the country's population - is concentrated in a wide area across the middle of the peninsula, from Ad Dammam in the east, through Riyadh in the interior, to Mecca-Medina in the west near the Red Sea

Natural hazards

frequent sand and dust storms

volcanism: despite many volcanic formations, there has been little activity in the past few centuries; volcanoes include Harrat Rahat, Harrat Khaybar, Harrat Lunayyir, and Jabal Yar

Geography - note

Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the world without a river; extensive coastlines on the Persian Gulf and Red Sea allow for considerable shipping (especially of crude oil) through the Persian Gulf and Suez Canal