use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 39%
forest and woodland: 1%
other: 59%

Irrigated land: 4,350 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues: 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
natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms
international agreements: party to - Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes,
Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea

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: 18,729,576 (July 1995 est.)
note: 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

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (female 3,952,573; male 4,065,224)
15-64 years: 55% (female 4,078,001; male 6,219,737)
65 years and over: 2% (female 203,372; male 210,669) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.68% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 38.78 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 5.54 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 3.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 48.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.5 years
male: 66.79 years
female: 70.3 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.48 children born/woman (1995 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-6 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 Suudiyah
local short form: Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah

Digraph: SA

Type: monarchy

Capital: Riyadh

Administrative divisions: 13 provinces (mintaqah, singular -
mintaqat); Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al
Qasim, Ar Riyad, Ash Sharqiyah, Asir