Names:
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
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, 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 and head of government:
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-brother to the King, appointed heir to the
throne 13 June 1982)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers; mostly made up of the royal family appointed by
the king
Legislative branch:
a consultative council comprised of 60 members and a chairman who are
appointed by the King for a term of four years
Judicial branch:
Supreme Council of Justice
Political parties and leaders:
none allowed
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, UNOSOM, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador BANDAR bin Sultan Abd al-Aziz Al Saud
chancery:
601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone:
(202) 342-3800
consulate(s) 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:
[966] (1) 482-4364
consulate(s) 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
@Saudi Arabia, Economy
Overview:
The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 75% of budget revenues, 35%
of GDP, and almost all export earnings. Saudi Arabia has the largest
reserves of petroleum in the world, ranks as the largest exporter of
petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. For the 1990s the
government intends to bring its budget, which has been in deficit
since 1983, back into balance, and to encourage private economic
activity. Roughly four million foreign workers play an important role
in the Saudi economy, for example, in the oil and banking sectors. For
about a decade, Saudi Arabia's domestic and international outlays have
outstripped its income, and the government has cut its foreign
assistance and is beginning to rein in domestic programs.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $194 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
1% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
$11,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
6.5% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$39 billion
expenditures:
$50 billion, including capital expenditures of $7.5 billion (1993
est.)
Exports:
$42.3 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products 92%
partners:
US 21%, Japan 18%, Singapore 6%, France 6%, Korea 5%
Imports:
$26 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, motor vehicles,
textiles
partners:
US 18%, UK 12%, Japan 10%, Germany 5%, France 5%
External debt:
$18.9 billion (December 1989 est., includes short-term trade credits)
Industrial production:
growth rate 20% (1991 est.); accounts for 46% of GDP, including
petroleum
Electricity:
capacity:
28,554,000 kW
production:
63 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
3,690 kWh (1992)
Industries:
crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals,
cement, two small steel-rolling mills, construction, fertilizer,
plastics
Agriculture:
accounts for about 10% of GDP, 16% of labor force; subsidized by
government; products - wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus
fruit, mutton, chickens, eggs, milk; approaching self-sufficiency in
food
Illicit drugs:
death penalty for traffickers; increasing consumption of heroin and
cocaine
Economic aid:
donor:
pledged bilateral aid (1979-89), $64.7 billion; pledged $100 million
in 1993 to fund reconstruction of Lebanon
Currency:
1 Saudi riyal (SR) = 100 halalah
Exchange rates:
Saudi riyals (SR) per US$1 - 3.7450 (fixed rate since late 1986),
3.7033 (1986)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
@Saudi Arabia, Communications
Railroads:
1390 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; 448 km are double tracked
Highways:
total:
74,000 km
paved:
35,000 km
unpaved:
gravel, improved earth 39,000 km
Pipelines:
crude oil 6,400 km; petroleum products 150 km; natural gas 2,200 km
(includes natural gas liquids 1,600 km)
Ports:
Jiddah, Ad Dammam, Ras Tanura, Jizan, Al Jubayl, Yanbu' al Bahr,
Yanbu' al Sinaiyah
Merchant marine:
74 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 865,343 GRT/1,240,874 DWT, bulk
1, cargo 11, chemical tanker 4, container 3, liquefied gas 1,
livestock carrier 5, oil tanker 23, passenger 1, refrigerated cargo 6,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 11, short-sea passenger 7, specialized tanker 1
Airports:
total:
215
usable:
195
with permanent-surface runways:
71
with runways over 3,659 m:
14
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
38
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
105
Telecommunications:
modern system with extensive microwave and coaxial and fiber optic
cable systems; 1,624,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 43 AM, 13
FM, 80 TV; microwave radio relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar,
UAE, Yemen, and Sudan; coaxial cable to Kuwait and Jordan; submarine
cable to Djibouti, Egypt and Bahrain; earth stations - 3 Atlantic
Ocean INTELSAT, 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT, 1 INMARSAT
@Saudi Arabia, Defense Forces
Branches:
Land Force (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National Guard,
Coast Guard, Frontier Forces, Special Security Force, Public Security
Force
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 5,682,036; fit for military service 3,140,464; reach
military age (17) annually 147,420 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $16.5 billion, 13% of GDP (1993 budget)
@Senegal, Geography
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between
Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania
Map references:
Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
196,190 sq km
land area:
192,000 sq km
comparative area:
slightly smaller than South Dakota
Land boundaries:
total 2,640 km, The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau 338
km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km
Coastline:
531 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
continental shelf:
200 nm or the edge of continental margin
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
short section of the boundary with The Gambia is indefinite; Senegal
and Guinea-Bissau signed an agreement resolving their maritime
boundary in 1993; boundary with Mauritania
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (December to April) has strong
southeast winds; dry season (May to November) dominated by hot, dry
harmattan wind
Terrain:
generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast
Natural resources:
fish, phosphates, iron ore
Land use:
arable land:
27%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
30%
forest and woodland:
31%
other:
12%
Irrigated land:
1,800 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation;
overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
natural hazards:
lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts
international agreements:
party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Marine Dumping
Note:
The Gambia is almost an enclave
@Senegal, People