World Factbook
Saudi Arabia
Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
2,149,690 sq km
water
0 sq km
total
2,149,690 sq km
Climate
harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes
Terrain
mostly sandy desert
Land use
other
17.9% (2023 est.)
forest
1.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
80.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 1.6% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 79.1% (2023 est.)
Location
Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen
Coastline
2,640 km
Elevation
lowest point
Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point
As Sarawat range, 3,000 m
mean elevation
665 m
Irrigated land
7,575 sq km (2022)
Major aquifers
Arabian Aquifer System
Map references
Middle East
Land boundaries
total
4,272 km
border countries
Iraq 811 km; Jordan 731 km; Kuwait 221 km; Oman 658 km; Qatar 87 km; UAE 457 km; Yemen 1,307 km
Maritime claims
contiguous zone
18 nm
territorial sea
12 nm
continental shelf
not specified
Natural hazards
frequent sand and dust storms volcanism: little activity in the past few centuries, despite many volcanic formations; volcanoes include Harrat Rahat, Harrat Khaybar, Harrat Lunayyir, and Jabal Yar
Geography - note
Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the world without a river; extensive coastlines on the Persian Gulf and Red Sea allow for considerable shipping (especially of crude oil) through the Persian Gulf and Suez Canal
Natural resources
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper
Area - comparative
slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US
Geographic coordinates
25 00 N, 45 00 E
Population distribution
historically a population that was mostly nomadic or semi-nomadic, the Saudi population has become more settled since oil was discovered in the 1930s; most of the country's population is now concentrated in a wide area across the middle of the peninsula, from Ad Dammam in the east through Riyadh in the interior to Mecca-Medina in the west near the Red Sea
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Indian Ocean drainage
(Persian Gulf) Tigris and Euphrates (918,044 sq km)