Saudi Arabia (2002) | Virgin Islands (2008) | |
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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 | none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three islands at the second order; Saint Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 42.4% (male 5,086,541; female 4,883,942)
15-64 years: 54.8% (male 7,493,304; female 5,396,985) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 362,780; female 289,778) (2002 est.) |
0-14 years: 21.8% (male 11,897/female 11,696)
15-64 years: 66.5% (male 34,204/female 37,911) 65 years and over: 11.7% (male 5,642/female 7,098) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk | fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle |
Airports | 209 (2001) | 2 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 71 70
over 3,047 m: 31 31 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 24 23 914 to 1,523 m: 2 3 under 914 m: 2 2 (2002) |
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 138
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 79 914 to 1,523 m: 39 under 914 m: 13 (2002) |
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Area | total: 1,960,582 sq km
land: 1,960,582 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 1,910 sq km
land: 346 sq km water: 1,564 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US | twice the size of Washington, DC |
Background | In 1902 Abd al-Aziz Ibn SAUD captured Riyadh and set out on a 30-year campaign to unify the Arabian Peninsula. In the 1930s, the discovery of oil transformed the country. 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. A burgeoning population, aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and prices are all major governmental concerns. | During the 17th century, the archipelago was divided into two territorial units, one English and the other Danish. Sugarcane, produced by slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish portion, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848. |
Birth rate | 37.25 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 13.68 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $42 billion
expenditures: $54 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.) |
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
Capital | Riyadh | name: Charlotte Amalie
geographic coordinates: 18 21 N, 64 56 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes | subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season September to November |
Coastline | 2,640 km | 188 km |
Constitution | governed according to Shari'a (Islamic law); the Basic Law that articulates the government's rights and responsibilities was introduced in 1993 | Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954 |
Country name | 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 |
conventional long form: United States Virgin Islands
conventional short form: Virgin Islands former: Danish West Indies abbreviation: USVI |
Currency | Saudi riyal (SAR) | - |
Death rate | 5.86 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 6.59 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | $23.8 billion (2001 est.) | $NA |
Dependency status | - | organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Robert W. JORDAN
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) 488-7360 consulate(s) general: Dhahran, Jiddah (Jeddah) |
none (territory of the US) |
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 |
none (territory of the US) |
Disputes - international | demarcation of delimited boundary with Yemen involves nomadic tribal affiliations; because details of 1974 and 1977 treaties have not been made public, the exact location of the Saudi Arabia-UAE boundary is unknown and status is considered de facto | none |
Economic aid - donor | pledged $100 million in 1993 to fund reconstruction of Lebanon; since 1993, Saudi Arabia has committed $208 million for assistance to the Palestinians; pledged $240 million to development in Afghanistan | - |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $NA |
Economy - overview | 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 (26% 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 25% of GDP comes from the private sector. Roughly 4 million foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy, for example, in the oil and service sectors. Riyadh expects to have a budget deficit in 2002, in part because of increased spending for education and other social programs. The government in 1999 announced plans to begin privatizing the electricity companies, which follows the ongoing privatization of the telecommunications company. The government is expected to continue calling for private sector growth to lessen the kingdom's dependence on oil and increase employment opportunities for the swelling Saudi population. Shortages of water and rapid population growth will constrain government efforts to increase self-sufficiency in agricultural products. | Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for 80% of GDP and employment. The islands hosted 2.6 million visitors in 2005. The manufacturing sector consists of petroleum refining, textiles, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and watch assembly. One of the world's largest petroleum refineries is at Saint Croix. The agricultural sector is small, with most food being imported. International business and financial services are small but growing components of the economy. The islands are vulnerable to substantial damage from storms. The government is working to improve fiscal discipline, to support construction projects in the private sector, to expand tourist facilities, to reduce crime, and to protect the environment. |
Electricity - consumption | 114.86 billion kWh (2000) | 926.4 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | 123.5 billion kWh (2000) | 996.1 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Crown Mountain 475 m |
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 | lack of natural freshwater resources |
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 |
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Ethnic groups | Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10% | black 76.2%, white 13.1%, Asian 1.1%, other 6.1%, mixed 3.5% (2000 census) |
Exchange rates | Saudi riyals per US dollar - 3.7450 (fixed rate since June 1986) | the US dollar is used |
Executive branch | chief of state: King and Prime Minister FAHD bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 13 June 1982); Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (half-brother to the monarch, heir to the throne since 13 June 1982, regent from 1 January to 22 February 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); Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (half-brother to the monarch, heir to the throne since 13 June 1982, regent from 1 January to 22 February 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: none; the monarch is hereditary |
chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001)
head of government: Governor John DeJONGH (since 1 January 2007) cabinet: NA elections: under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as the Virgin Islands, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 7 and 21 November 2006 (next to be held November 2010) election results: John DeJONGH elected governor; percent of vote - John DeJONGH 57.3%, Kenneth MAPP 42.7% |
Exports | $66.9 billion f.o.b. (2001) | 397,400 bbl/day (2004) |
Exports - commodities | petroleum and petroleum products 90% | refined petroleum products |
Exports - partners | US 17.4%, Japan 17.3%, South Korea 11.7%, Singapore 5.3%, India (2000) | US, Puerto Rico (2006) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 October - 30 September |
Flag description | green with large white Arabic script (that may be 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); green is the traditional color of Islam | white, with a modified US coat of arms in the center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms shows a yellow eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and three arrows in the other with a superimposed shield of vertical red and white stripes below a blue panel |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $241 billion (2001 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 7%
industry: 48% services: 45% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 1%
industry: 19% services: 80% (2003 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $10,600 (2001 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 1.6% (2001 est.) | 2% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 25 00 N, 45 00 E | 18 20 N, 64 50 W |
Geography - note | extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal | important location along the Anegada Passage - a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean |
Heliports | 5 (2002) | - |
Highways | total: 146,524 km
paved: 44,104 km unpaved: 102,420 km (1997 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | death penalty for traffickers; increasing consumption of heroin, cocaine, and hashish | - |
Imports | $29.7 billion f.o.b. (2001) | 493,000 bbl/day (2004) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles, textiles | crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials |
Imports - partners | US 21.1%, Japan 9.4%, Germany 7.4%, UK 7.3% (2000) | US, Puerto Rico (2006) |
Independence | 23 September 1932 (Unification of the Kingdom) | none (territory of the US) |
Industrial production growth rate | 1% (1997 est.) | NA% |
Industries | crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, cement, construction, fertilizer, plastics | tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics |
Infant mortality rate | 49.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | total: 7.69 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.75 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.7% (2001) | 2.2% (2003) |
International organization participation | ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BIS, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-19, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer) | IOC, UPU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 42 (2001) | - |
Irrigated land | 16,200 sq km (1998 est.) | NA |
Judicial branch | Supreme Council of Justice | US District Court of the Virgin Islands (under Third Circuit jurisdiction); Superior Court of the Virgin Islands (judges appointed by the governor for 10-year terms) |
Labor force | 7 million
note: 35% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1998 est.) |
43,980 (2004 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 12%, industry 25%, services 63% (1999 est.) | agriculture: 1%
industry: 19% services: 80% (2003 est.) |
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 |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 1.72%
permanent crops: 0.06% other: 98.22% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 5.71%
permanent crops: 2.86% other: 91.43% (2005) |
Languages | Arabic | English 74.7%, Spanish or Spanish Creole 16.8%, French or French Creole 6.6%, other 1.9% (2000 census) |
Legal system | based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on US laws |
Legislative branch | a consultative council (90 members and a chairman appointed by the monarch for four-year terms) | unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 8, ICM 4, independent 3 note: the Virgin Islands elects one non-voting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008) |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 68.4 years
male: 66.7 years female: 70.2 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 79.2 years
male: 75.4 years female: 83.22 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78% male: 84.2% female: 69.5% (2002 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90-95% est. male: NA% female: NA% (2005 est.) |
Location | Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico |
Map references | Middle East | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone: 18 NM
continental shelf: not specified territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total: 71 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,071,315 GRT/1,412,125 DWT
ships by type: cargo 11, chemical tanker 10, container 4, livestock carrier 3, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 20, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 11, short-sea passenger 8 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Egypt 3, Finland 1, Greece 3, Kuwait 1, Sudan 1, United Arab Emirates 1, United Kingdom 3 (2002 est.) |
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Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the US |
Military branches | Land Force (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National Guard, Ministry of Interior Forces (paramilitary) | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $18.3 billion (FY00) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 13% (FY00) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 6,007,635 (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 3,359,849 (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - military age | 17 years of age (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 233,402 (2002 est.) | - |
National holiday | Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932) | Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917) |
Nationality | noun: Saudi(s)
adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian |
noun: Virgin Islander(s) (US citizens)
adjective: Virgin Islander |
Natural hazards | frequent sand and dust storms | several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes |
Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper | sun, sand, sea, surf |
Net migration rate | 1.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | -8.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 6,400 km; petroleum products 150 km; natural gas 2,200 km (includes natural gas liquids 1,600 km) | - |
Political parties and leaders | none allowed | Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 23,513,330
note: includes 5,360,526 non-nationals (July 2002 est.) |
108,448 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 28.9% (2002) |
Population growth rate | 3.27% (2002 est.) | -0.171% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | 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) | AM 6, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2005) |
Radios | 6.25 million (1997) | - |
Railways | total: 1,392 km
standard gauge: 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (724 km are double-tracked) (2001) |
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Religions | Muslim 100% | Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.39 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.25 male(s)/female total population: 1.22 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.017 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.902 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.795 male(s)/female total population: 0.912 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | none | 18 years of age; universal; island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections |
Telephone system | general assessment: modern system
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and fiber-optic cable systems international: 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) |
general assessment: modern system with total digital switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
domestic: full range of services available international: country code - 1-340; submarine cable connections to US, the Caribbean, Central and South America; satellite earth stations - NA |
Telephones - main lines in use | 3.1 million (1998) | 71,700 (2005) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 1 million
note: in 1998, the government contracted for the installation of 575,000 additional Group Speciale Mobile (GSM) cellular telephone lines over 15 months to raise the total number of subscribers to more than one million; Riyadh planned to further expand the GSM system in 1999 by adding an additional one million lines (1998) |
80,300 (2005) |
Television broadcast stations | 117 (1997) | 5 (2006) |
Terrain | mostly uninhabited, sandy desert | mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land |
Total fertility rate | 6.21 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 2.16 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA% | 6.2% (2004) |
Waterways | none | - |