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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:
1,960,582 sq km Area—comparative: slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US Land boundaries:
total: 4,415 km Coastline: 2,640 km Maritime claims: Climate: harsh, dry desert with great extremes of temperature Terrain: mostly uninhabited, sandy desert Elevation extremes: Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper Land use: Irrigated land: 4,350 sq km (1993 est.) 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: Geography—note: extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal Population: 21,504,613 (July 1999
est.) Nationality: Arabian Country name: Data code: SA Government type: monarchy Capital: Riyadh Administrative divisions: 13 provinces (mintaqat, singular—mintaqah); Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al Qasim, Ar Riyad, Ash Sharqiyah (Eastern Province), 'Asir, Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah, Najran, Tabuk Independence: 23 September 1932 (unification) National holiday: Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932) 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 |
![[Country Flag of Saudi Arabia]](http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/figures/sa-lgflag.jpg)