People Groups of Saudi Arabia

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Information About Saudi Arabia

Geography Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen
Area: total: 1,960,582 sq km
land: 1,960,582 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area—comparative: slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US
Climate: harsh, dry desert with great extremes of temperature
Terrain: mostly uninhabited, sandy desert
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper
Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 56%
forests and woodland: 1%
other: 41% (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms
Geography—note: extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on
shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal

People
Population: 20,785,955 (July 1998 est.)
note: includes 5,244,058 non-nationals (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (male 4,547,971; female 4,398,628)
15-64 years: 55% (male 6,738,820; female 4,591,477)
65 years and over: 2% (male 268,136; female 240,923) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.41% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 37.63 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 5.02 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 41.34 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.03 years
male: 68.19 years
female: 71.96 years (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Saudi(s)
adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian
Ethnic groups: Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%
Religions: Muslim 100%
Languages: Arabic
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 62.8%
male: 71.5%
female: 50.2% (1995 est.)

Government
Country conventional name: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Government type: monarchy
National capital: Riyadh
Constitution: Governed according to Shari'a (Islamic law); the Basic Law that articulates the
government's rights and responsibilities was introduced in 1993
Legal system: Based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been introduced; commercial
disputes handled by special committees; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Economy—overview: This is a well-to-do oil-based economy with strong government controls
over major economic activities. About 35% of GDP comes from the private sector. Economic (as
well as political) ties with the US are especially strong. The petroleum sector accounts for roughly
75% of budget revenues, 35% of GDP, and 90% of export earnings. Saudi Arabia has the largest
reserves of petroleum in the world (26% of the proved total), ranks as the largest exporter of
petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC.

GDP: purchasing power parity—$206.5 billion (1997 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 4% (1997 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$10,300 (1997 est.)
GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 46%
services: 48% (1996)
Labor force: 7 million
by occupation: government 40%, industry, construction, and oil 25%, services 30%, agriculture
5%
note: 35% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $47.5 billion
expenditures: $52.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)
Industries: crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, cement, two small
steel-rolling mills, construction, fertilizer, plastics

Agriculture—products: wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs,
milk
Exports:
total value: $56.7 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 90%
partners: Japan 17%, US 15%, South Korea 10%, Singapore 8%, France 5% (1996 est.)
Imports:
total value: $25.4 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles, textiles
partners: US 22%, UK 12%, Japan 9%, Germany 8%, Italy 5%, France 4% (1996 est.)
Currency: 1 Saudi riyal (SR) = 100 halalah
Exchange rates: Saudi riyals (SR) per US$1—3.7450 (fixed rate since June 1986)
More Information about Saudi Arabia