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NAVIGATION
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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In 1902, ABD AL-AZIZ bin Abd al-Rahman Al Saud captured Riyadh and set out on a 30-year campaign to unify the Arabian Peninsula. In the 1930s, the discovery of oil transformed the country. Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the liberation of Kuwait the following year. A burgeoning population, aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and prices are all major governmental concerns. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen |
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Geographic coordinates:
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25 00 N, 45 00 E |
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Map references:
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Middle East |
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Area:
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total: 1,960,582 sq km
water: 0 sq km land: 1,960,582 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 4,431 km
border countries: Iraq 814 km, Jordan 744 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman 676 km, Qatar 60 km, UAE 457 km, Yemen 1,458 km |
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Coastline:
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2,640 km |
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: 18 NM
continental shelf: not specified territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Climate:
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harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes |
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Terrain:
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mostly uninhabited, sandy desert |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m |
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Natural resources:
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petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper |
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Land use:
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arable land: 1.72%
permanent crops: 0.06% other: 98.22% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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16,200 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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frequent sand and dust storms |
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Environment - current issues:
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desertification; depletion of underground water resources; the lack of perennial rivers or permanent water bodies has prompted the development of extensive seawater desalination facilities; coastal pollution from oil spills |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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Geography - note:
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extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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24,293,844
note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2003 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 42.3% (male 5,245,413; female 5,028,595)
15-64 years: 54.8% (male 7,700,121; female 5,622,099) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 393,173; female 304,443) (2003 est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 18.8 years
male: 20.9 years female: 16.8 years (2002) |
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Population growth rate:
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3.27% (2003 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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37.2 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Death rate:
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5.79 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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1.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.37 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.29 male(s)/female total population: 1.22 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 47.94 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 45.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 50.1 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 68.73 years
male: 66.99 years female: 70.55 years (2003 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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6.15 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.01% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun: Saudi(s)
adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10% |
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Religions:
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Muslim 100% |
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Languages:
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Arabic |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78.8% male: 84.7% female: 70.8% (2003 est.) |