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Geography of Saudi Arabia

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: 4,431 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
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 uninhabited, sandy desert
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m
Natural resources:petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper
Land use:arable land: 1.67%
permanent crops: 0.09%
other: 98.24% (2005)
Irrigated land:16,200 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:frequent sand and dust storms
Environment - current issues: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
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal

Saudi Arabia Quickstats

  • Population: 27,601,038
  • Area: 2,149,690 sq km
  • Density: 11 /km² (205th)
  • GDP (total): $446 billion (27th)
  • GDP (per capita): $21,200 (41st)
  • Literacy: 78.8%

Languages of Saudi Arabia

Useful to know

  • Currency: Riyal (SAR)
  • Dial code: +966

International Trade

External sites

More Resources

Saudi Arabia Internet

  • Usage: 2,540,000
  • Penetration: 10,6 %
  • Top Domain: .sa

WT eBusiness info:

  • Success Ranking: 100
  • Market testing: Untested
  • Overall risk: High
  • Overall reward: Low

e-maturity:

  • Tourism: 10%
  • eCommerce: 10%
  • Gaming: 10%
  • eLearning: 10%

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