*Sao Tome and Principe, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, National Police
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 31,326; fit for military service 16,507 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP
*Saudi Arabia, Geography
Location:
Middle East, between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf
Map references:
Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
1,960,582 km2
land area:
1,960,582 km2
comparative area:
slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US
Land boundaries:
total 4,415 km, Iraq 814 km, Jordan 728 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman 676 km,
Qatar 60 km, UAE 457 km, Yemen 1,458 km
Coastline:
2,640 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
18 nm
continental shelf: not specified
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
large section of boundary with Yemen not defined; status of boundary with
UAE not final; Kuwaiti ownership of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim Islands is
disputed by Saudi Arabia
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:
1%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
39%
forest and woodland:
1%
other:
59%
Irrigated land:
4,350 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
no perennial 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
*Saudi Arabia, People
Population:
17,615,310 (July 1993 est.)
note:
the population figure is consistent with a 3.3% growth rate; a 1992 census
gives the number of Saudi citizens as 12,304,835 and the number of residents
who are not citizens as 4,624,459
Population growth rate:
3.3% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
38.59 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
6.05 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
55.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
67.32 years male:
65.71 years
female:
69.01 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.7 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Saudi(s)
adjective:
Saudi or Saudi Arabian
Ethnic divisions:
Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%
Religions:
Muslim 100%
Languages:
Arabic
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population:
62%
male:
73%
female:
48%
Labor force:
5 million
by occupation:
government 34%, industry and oil 28%, services 22%, agriculture 16%
*Saudi Arabia, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
conventional short form:
Saudi Arabia
local long form:
Al Mamlakah al 'Arabiyah as Su'udiyah
local short form:
Al 'Arabiyah as Su'udiyah
Digraph:
SA
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,
Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah, Najran, Tabuk
Independence:
23 September 1932 (unification)
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
National holiday:
Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)
Political parties and leaders:
none allowed
Suffrage:
none
Elections:
none
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 Sa'ud (since 13 June
1982); Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister 'ABDALLAH bin 'Abd al-'Aziz Al
Sa'ud (half-brother to the King, appointed heir to the throne 13 June 1982)
Member of:
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-19, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador BANDAR Bin Sultan
chancery:
601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone:
(202) 342-3800
*Saudi Arabia, Government
consulates general:
Houston, Los Angeles, and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
(vacant); Charge d'Affaires C. David Welch
embassy:
Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh
mailing address:
American Embassy, Unit 61307, Riyadh; International Mail: P. O. Box 94309,
Riyadh 11693; or APO AE 09803-1307
telephone:
[966] (1) 488-3800
FAX:
Telex 406866 consulates general:
Dhahran, Jiddah (Jeddah)
Flag:
green with large white Arabic script (that may be translated as There is no
God but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God) above a white horizontal
saber (the tip points to the hoist side); green is the traditional color of
Islam