Lakes
region, transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of
the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002

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Saudi Arabia

Introduction Saudi Arabia

Background: In 1902 Abd al-Aziz Ibn SAUD captured Riyadh and set out
on a 30-year campaign to unify the Arabian Peninsula. In the 1930s,
the discovery of oil transformed the country. Following Iraq's invasion
of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and
400,000 refugees while allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on
its soil for the liberation of Kuwait the following year. A burgeoning
population, aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent on
petroleum output and prices are all major governmental concerns.

Geography 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 water: 0 sq km land: 1,960,582 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: not specified territorial sea: 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: 2% permanent crops: 0% other: 98% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 16,200 sq km (1998 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: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection 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 a