Area comparison map:

almost four times the size of Alabama; slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming

Land boundaries:
total: 1,601 km
[see also: Land boundaries - total country ranks ]
border countries (2): Oman 294 km, Saudi Arabia 1307 km

Coastline:
1,906 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - territorial sea country ranks ]
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - exclusive economic zone country ranks ]
contiguous zone: 24 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - contiguous zone country ranks ]
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
[see also: Maritime claims - continental shelf country ranks ]

Climate:
mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east

Terrain:
narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula

Elevation:
mean elevation: 999 m
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m
highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,666 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west

Land use:
agricultural land: 44.5% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
arable land: 2.2% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 0.6% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent crops country ranks ]
permanent pasture: 41.7% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent pasture country ranks ]
forest: 1% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 54.5% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
6,800 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population distribution:
the vast majority of the population is found in the Asir Mountains (part of the larger Sarawat Mountain system), located in the far western region of the country

Natural hazards:
sandstorms and dust storms in summer

volcanism: limited volcanic activity; Jebel at Tair (Jabal al-Tair, Jebel Teir, Jabal al-Tayr, Jazirat at-Tair) (244 m), which forms an island in the Red Sea, erupted in 2007 after awakening from dormancy; other historically active volcanoes include Harra of Arhab, Harras of Dhamar, Harra es-Sawad, and Jebel Zubair, although many of these have not erupted in over a century

Environment - current issues:
limited natural freshwater resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
strategic location on Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes