GEOGRAPHY
General Information
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest state on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia.
Saudi Arabia occupies about 80% of the territory of the Arabian Peninsula. The territory area according to official data is 2 149 690 sq. km. Most of the country is occupied by desert plateaus and deserts (Rub' al Khali, Great Nafud, Ad-Dahna). In the west, parallel to the Red Sea coast, are the Hijaz and 'Asir mountain ranges.
The country's territory is rich in minerals, particularly oil.
There are no permanent rivers in the country; water resources are represented by temporary streams, underground sources in oases – the water supply problem is solved by desalination of seawater.
The Kingdom is divided into 13 administrative districts (provinces). Among the most significant is the Eastern Province (Ash-Sharqiyah) – the largest by area. Its territory contains 11 oil fields, producing up to 68% of Saudi export oil. The Mecca Province includes the most important spiritual centers of Islam – the cities of Mecca and Jeddah (the main port of the Red Sea).
Time zone – UTC+3.
State Borders
Length of land border: according to various estimates, from 4415 to 4431 km.
Length of maritime border: according to various estimates, from 2480 to 2640 km.
It borders the following countries:
- Jordan (744 km);
- Iraq (814 km);
- Kuwait (222 km);
- Qatar (60 km);
- United Arab Emirates (457 km);
- Oman (676 km);
- Yemen (1458 km).
It is washed by the waters of the Persian Gulf to the northeast and the Red Sea – to the west.
Climate
The climate in the north of the country is subtropical, in the south – tropical, sharply continental, dry. It is characterized by extremely high summer temperatures and significant differences between day and night temperatures, especially in the deserts.
Summer is very hot: average July temperatures in Riyadh range from +26°C to +42°C, and in the south of the country, absolute maximums can reach +54°C. Winter is warm: average January temperatures in Riyadh – from +8°C to +21°C; in the deserts, frosts are possible at night, and in the mountains – sub-zero temperatures and snow.
Precipitation is rare, the average annual norm is about 70-100 mm in the central regions; in the mountains, up to 400 mm per year can fall. Over a significant part of the Rub' al Khali desert, rain may not fall for several years in a row. Characteristic phenomena are seasonal winds: the hot and dry samum and khamsin, causing sandstorms in spring and early summer, as well as the winter northern wind shemal, bringing colder weather.