Saudi Arabia: Geography#
| Location | Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen |
|---|---|
| Geographic Coordinates | 25 00 N, 45 00 E 25.0,45.0 |
| Area | total: 2,149,690 sq km land: 2,149,690 sq km water: 0 sq km We are unable to verify those figures from Factbook, since the 6 main sources we used for checking give different figures as follows: Factbook: 2149690 DBpedia: 2253290 Geoname: 1960582 Infoplease: 2149690 Britannica: 2149690 Wolfram: 1961000 Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org |
| 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 |
| Elevation Extremes | lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m |
| Highest Mountains | Due to difference in mountain rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Jabal Sawda 3133 m; Jabal al-Lawz 2580 m According to Geonames: Jabal Sawda’ 2995 m; Jabal Dakah 2585 m; Jabal Qarnayt 2495 m; Qa‘mat Abu ash Shaykh 2328 m; Jabal Radwá 2210 m Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org Important Mountains |
| Terrain | mostly uninhabited, sandy desert |
| Natural Hazards | frequent sand and dust storms volcanism: despite many volcanic formations, there has been little activity in the past few centuries; volcanoes include Harrat Rahat, Harrat Khaybar, Harrat Lunayyir, and Jabal Yar |
| Natural Resource | petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper |
| Land Use | arable land: 1.45% permanent crops: 0.11% other: 98.44% (2011) |
| Climate | harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes |
| Irrigated Land | 16,200 sq km (2004) |
| Renewable Water Resources | 2.4 cu km (2011) |
| Environment_CurrentIssues | 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Large Cities | Due to difference in city rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Riyadh; Jiddah; Makkah; al-Madinah; ad-Dammam According to Geonames: Riyadh; Jeddah; Mecca; Medina; Sultanah Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org Important Cities |
| Geography-note | Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the world without a river; extensive coastlines on the Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through the Persian Gulf and Suez Canal |