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Compare Paracel Islands (2003) - Saudi Arabia (2004)
Compare Paracel Islands (2003) z Saudi Arabia (2004)
| Paracel Islands (2003) | Saudi Arabia (2004) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | - | 13 provinces (mintaqat, singular - mintaqah); Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al Qasim, Ar Riyad, Ash Sharqiyah (Eastern Province), 'Asir, Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah, Najran, Tabuk |
| Age structure | - | 0-14 years: 38.3% (male 5,039,578; female 4,845,937)
15-64 years: 59.3% (male 8,810,705; female 6,494,770) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 327,047; female 277,901) (2004 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | - | wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk |
| Airports | 1 (2002) | 204 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 72
over 3,047 m: 32 2,438 to 3,047 m: 13 1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 129
over 3047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 72 914 to 1,523 m: 39 under 914 m: 12 (2004 est.) |
| Area | total: NA sq km
land: NA sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 1,960,582 sq km
land: 1,960,582 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | NA | slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US |
| Background | The Paracel Islands are surrounded by productive fishing grounds and by potential oil and gas reserves. In 1932, French Indochina annexed the islands and set up a weather station on Pattle Island; maintenance was continued by its successor, Vietnam. China has occupied the Paracel Islands since 1974, when its troops seized a South Vietnamese garrison occupying the western islands. The islands are claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. | In 1902, ABD AL-AZIZ bin Abd al-Rahman Al Saud captured Riyadh and set out on a 30-year campaign to unify the Arabian Peninsula. Today, the monarchy is ruled by a son of ABD AL-AZIZ, and the country's Basic Law stipulates that the throne shall remain in the hands of the aging sons and grandsons of the kingdom's founder. Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the liberation of Kuwait the following year. The continuing presence of foreign troops on Saudi soil after Operation Desert Storm remained a source of tension between the royal family and the public until the US military's near-complete withdrawal to neighboring Qatar in 2003. The first major terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia in several years, which occurred in May and November 2003, prompted renewed efforts on the part of the Saudi government to counter domestic terrorism and extremism, which also coincided with a slight upsurge in media freedom and announcement of government plans to phase in partial political representation. A burgeoning population, aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and prices are all ongoing governmental concerns. |
| Birth rate | - | 29.74 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Budget | - | revenues: $78.77 billion
expenditures: $66.76 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.) |
| Capital | - | Riyadh |
| Climate | tropical | harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes |
| Coastline | 518 km | 2,640 km |
| Constitution | - | governed according to Shari'a (Islamic law); the Basic Law that articulates the government's rights and responsibilities was introduced in 1993 |
| Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Paracel Islands |
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 |
| Currency | - | Saudi riyal (SAR) |
| Death rate | - | 2.66 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Debt - external | - | $39.16 billion (2003) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | - | chief of mission: Ambassador James Curtis OBERWETTER
embassy: Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh mailing address: American Embassy Riyadh, Unit 61307, APO AE 09803-1307; International Mail: P. O. Box 94309, Riyadh 11693 telephone: [966] (1) 488-3800 FAX: [966] (1) 488-3989 consulate(s) general: Dhahran, Jiddah (Jeddah) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | - | chief of mission: Ambassador BANDAR bin Sultan bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud
chancery: 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 342-3800 consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, and New York |
| Disputes - international | occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam | nomadic groups on border region with Yemen resist demarcation of boundary; Yemen protests Saudi erection of a concrete-filled pipe as a security barrier in 2004 to stem illegal cross-border activities in sections of the boundary; Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue discussions on a maritime boundary with Iran; because the treaties have not been made public, the exact alignment of the boundary with the UAE is still unknown and labeled approximate |
| Economic aid - donor | - | pledged $100 million in 1993 to fund reconstruction of Lebanon; since 2000, Saudi Arabia has committed $307 million for assistance to the Palestinians; pledged $240 million to development in Afghanistan; pledged $1 billion in export guarantees and soft loans to Iraq |
| Economy - overview | China announced plans in 1997 to open the islands for tourism. | This is an oil-based economy with strong government controls over major economic activities. Saudi Arabia has the largest reserves of petroleum in the world (25% of the proved reserves), ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 75% of budget revenues, 45% of GDP, and 90% of export earnings. About 40% of GDP comes from the private sector. Roughly five and a half million foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy, for example, in the oil and service sectors. The government in 1999 announced plans to begin privatizing the electricity companies, which follows the ongoing privatization of the telecommunications company. The government is encouraging private sector growth to lessen the kingdom's dependence on oil and increase employment opportunities for the swelling Saudi population. Priorities for government spending in the short term include additional funds for education and for the water and sewage systems. Economic reforms proceed cautiously because of deep-rooted political and social conservatism. |
| Electricity - consumption | - | 113.8 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - production | - | 122.4 billion kWh (2001) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Rocky Island 14 m |
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m |
| Environment - current issues | NA | 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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Ethnic groups | - | Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10% |
| Exchange rates | - | Saudi riyals per US dollar - 3.745 (2003), 3.745 (2002), 3.745 (2001), 3.745 (2000), 3.745 (1999) |
| Executive branch | - | chief of state: King and Prime Minister FAHD bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 13 June 1982, but largely incapacitated since late 1995); Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud since 13 June 1982, also Saudi Arabian National Guard Commander since 1963 and de facto ruler since early 1996; note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: King and Prime Minister FAHD bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 13 June 1982, but largely incapacitated since late 1995); Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud since 13 June 1982, also Saudi Arabian National Guard Commander since 1963 and de facto ruler since early 1996; note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers is appointed by the monarch and includes many royal family members elections: note - in October 2003, Council of Ministers announced its intent to introduce elections for half of the members of local and provincial assemblies and a third of the members of the national Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura, incrementally over a period of four to five years; in November 2004, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs initiated voter registration for partial municipal council elections scheduled nationwide for February through April 2005 |
| Exports | - | 7.92 million bbl/day (2003) |
| Exports - commodities | - | petroleum and petroleum products 90% |
| Exports - partners | - | US 20.6%, Japan 15.4%, South Korea 9.8%, China 5.5%, Taiwan 4.5%, Singapore 4.1% (2003) |
| Fiscal year | - | calendar year |
| Flag description | - | green, a traditional color in Islamic flags, with the Shahada or Muslim creed in large white Arabic script (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); design dates to the early twentieth century and is closely associated with the Al Saud family which established the kingdom in 1932 |
| GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $287.8 billion (2003 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: 4.7%
industry: 58.8% services: 36.5% (2003 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $11,800 (2003 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | - | 5.3% (2003 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 16 30 N, 112 00 E | 25 00 N, 45 00 E |
| Geography - note | composed of 130 small coral islands and reefs divided into the northeast Amphitrite Group and the western Crescent Group | extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal |
| Heliports | - | 5 (2003 est.) |
| Highways | - | total: 151,470 km
paved: 45,592 km unpaved: 105,878 km (1999) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
| Illicit drugs | - | death penalty for traffickers; increasing consumption of heroin, cocaine, and hashish; not a major money-laundering center, improving anti-money-laundering legislation |
| Imports | - | 0 bbl/day (2003) |
| Imports - commodities | - | machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles, textiles |
| Imports - partners | - | US 9.4%, Japan 7.7%, Germany 7.3%, UK 6.2%, China 4.4%, France 4.1% (2003) |
| Independence | - | 23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom) |
| Industrial production growth rate | - | 7.7% (2003 est.) |
| Industries | - | crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, cement, construction, fertilizer, plastics |
| Infant mortality rate | - | total: 13.7 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 15.72 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 0.5% (2003 est.) |
| International organization participation | - | ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, BIS, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) |
| Irrigated land | 0 sq km (1998 est.) | 16,200 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Judicial branch | - | Supreme Council of Justice |
| Labor force | - | 6.43 million
note: more than 35% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2003) |
| Labor force - by occupation | - | agriculture 12%, industry 25%, services 63% (1999 est.) |
| Land boundaries | 0 km | 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 |
| Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 1.67%
permanent crops: 0.09% other: 98.24% (2001) |
| Languages | - | Arabic |
| Legal system | - | based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Legislative branch | - | Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura (120 members and a chairman appointed by the monarch for four-year terms) |
| Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: 75.23 years
male: 73.26 years female: 77.3 years (2004 est.) |
| Literacy | - | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78.8% male: 84.7% female: 70.8% (2003 est.) |
| Location | Southeastern Asia, group of small islands and reefs in the South China Sea, about one-third of the way from central Vietnam to the northern Philippines | Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen |
| Map references | Southeast Asia | Middle East |
| Maritime claims | NA | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: not specified |
| Merchant marine | - | total: 66 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,306,706 GRT/1,963,191 DWT
by type: cargo 5, chemical tanker 11, container 4, livestock carrier 2, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 10, short-sea/passenger 6 foreign-owned: Egypt 3, Greece 4, Norway 2, Sudan 1, United Kingdom 3 registered in other countries: 54 (2004 est.) |
| Military - note | occupied by China | - |
| Military branches | - | Land Force (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National Guard, Ministry of Interior Forces (paramilitary) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $18 billion (2002) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 10% (2002) |
| Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 8,240,714 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 4,725,514 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 246,343 (2004 est.) |
| National holiday | - | Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932) |
| Nationality | - | noun: Saudi(s)
adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian |
| Natural hazards | typhoons | frequent sand and dust storms |
| Natural resources | none | petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper |
| Net migration rate | - | -2.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Pipelines | - | condensate 212 km; gas 1,780 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,191 km; oil 5,068 km; refined products 1,162 km (2004) |
| Political parties and leaders | - | none |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | - | none |
| Population | no indigenous inhabitants
note: there are scattered Chinese garrisons (July 2003 est.) |
25,795,938
note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2004 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | - | NA |
| Population growth rate | - | 2.44% (2004 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | small Chinese port facilities on Woody Island and Duncan Island being expanded | Ad Dammam, Al Jubayl, Duba, Jiddah, Jizan, Rabigh, Ra's al Khafji, Mishab, Ras Tanura, Yanbu' al Bahr, Madinat Yanbu' al Sinaiyah |
| Radio broadcast stations | - | AM 43, FM 31, shortwave 2 (1998) |
| Railways | - | total: 1,392 km
standard gauge: 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and sidings) (2003) |
| Religions | - | Muslim 100% |
| Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.36 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.18 male(s)/female total population: 1.22 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Suffrage | - | none adult male citizens age 21 or older
note: voter registration began in November 2004 for partial municipal council elections scheduled nationwide for February through April 2005 |
| Telephone system | - | general assessment: modern system
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and fiber-optic cable systems international: country code - 966; 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; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | - | 3,502,600 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 7,238,200 (2003) |
| Television broadcast stations | - | 117 (1997) |
| Terrain | mostly low and flat | mostly uninhabited, sandy desert |
| Total fertility rate | - | 4.11 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | - | 25% (2003) |
| Waterways | none | - |
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