Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

AREA	2,240,000 sq km (864,869 sq miles).
POPULATION	19,494,000 (1997).
POPULATION DENSITY	8.4 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Riyadh.
CAPITAL POPULATION	1,975,000 (1990).
GEOGRAPHY	Saudi Arabia occupies four-fifths of the Arabian peninsula. It is bordered to the northwest by Jordan, to the north by Iraq and Kuwait, to the east by the Gulf of Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, and to the south by Yemen. To the west lies the Red Sea. Along the Red Sea coast is a narrow coastal strip (Tihama) which becomes relatively hotter and more humid towards the south and has areas of extensive tidal flats and lava fields. Behind this coastal plain is a series of plateaux reaching up to 2000m (6560ft). The southern part of this range, Asir, has some peaks of over 3000m (9840ft). North of these mountains, in the far north, is An Nafud, a sand sea, and further south the landscape rises to Najd, a semi-desert area scattered with oases. Still further south the land falls away, levelling out to unremitting desert, the uninhabited 'Empty Quarter' or Rub al Khali. Along the Gulf coast is a low fertile plain giving way to limestone ridges inland.
GOVERNMENT	Absolute monarchy since 1932. Head of State and Government: King Fahd Ibn Abdel-Aziz al Sa'ud since 1982.
LANGUAGE	Arabic. English is spoken in business circles.
RELIGION	The majority of Saudi Arabians are Sunni Muslim, but Shia Muslims predominate in the Eastern Province.
STANDARD TIME	GMT + 3.
ELECTRICITY	125/215 volts AC, 50/60Hz.

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