Sea
provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through
Persian Gulf and Suez Canal

@Saudi Arabia:People

Population: 20,087,965 (July 1997 est.)
note : includes 5,164,790 non-nationals (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (male 4,389,113; female 4,252,034)
15-64 years: 55% (male 6,561,725; female 4,410,589)
65 years and over: 2% (male 246,894; female 227,610) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.42% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 37.94 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 5.18 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth : 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.49 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.08 male(s)/female
total population: 1.26 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 43.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.51 years
male: 67.72 years
female: 71.4 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.41 children born/woman (1997 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.)

@Saudi Arabia:Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
conventional short form: Saudi Arabia
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
local short form: Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah

Data code: SA

Government type: monarchy

National capital: Riyadh

Administrative divisions: 13 provinces (mintaqah, singular -
mintaqat); Al Bahah, Al Hudud Ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al
Qasim, Ar Riyad, Ash Sharqiyah (Eastern Province), 'Asir, Hail, Jizan,
Makkah, Najran, Tabuk

Independence: 23 September 1932 (unification)

National holiday: Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)

Constitution: none; governed according to Shari'a (Islamic law)

Legal system: based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been
introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: none

Executive branch:
chief of state: King and Prime Minister FAHD bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud
(since 13 June 1982); Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister
ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (half-brot