nnial rivers or permanent water bodies;
developing extensive coastal seawater desalination facilities;
desertification

_#_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: 17,869,558 (July 1991), growth rate 4.2% (1991);
note--the population figure is based on growth since the last official
Saudi census of 1974 that reported a total of 7 million persons and
included foreign workers; estimates from other sources may be 15-30%
lower

_#_Birth rate: 37 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 12 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 69 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 68 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 6.7 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Saudi(s); adjective--Saudi or Saudi Arabian

_#_Ethnic divisions: Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%

_#_Religion: Muslim 100%

_#_Language: Arabic

_#_Literacy: 62% (male 73%, female 48%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1990 est.)

_#_Labor force: 4,200,000; about 60% are foreign workers; government
34%, industry and oil 28%, services 22%, and agriculture 16%

_#_Organized labor: trade unions are illegal

_*_Government
_#_Long-form name: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

_#_Type: monarchy

_#_Capital: Riyadh

_#_Administrative divisions: 14 emirates (imarat,
singular--imarah); Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah,
Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al Qasim, Al Qurayyat, Ar Riyad, Ash
Sharqiyah, Asir, Hail, Jizan, Makkah, Najran,
Tabuk

_#_Independence: 23 September 1932 (unification)

_#_Constitution: none; governed according to Sharia (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

_#_National holiday: Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)

_#_Executive branch: monarch and prime minister, crown prince and
deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers

_#_Legislative branch: none

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Council of Justice

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State and Head of Government--King and Prime Minister
FAHD bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 13 June 1982);
Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister AB