Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen
25 00 N, 45 00 E
Middle East
total: 2,149,690 sq km
land: 2,149,690 sq km
water: 0 sq km
slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US
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 1307 km
2,640 km
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 18 nm
continental shelf: not specified
harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes
mostly sandy desert
highest point: As Sarawat range, 3,000 m
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
mean elevation: 665 m
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper
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.)
16,200 sq km (2012)
2.4 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
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
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
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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
NOTE: The information regarding Saudi Arabia on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Saudi Arabia 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Saudi Arabia 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 16 Dec 23, Copyright © 2023 ITA all rights reserved.