Compare Saudi Arabia (2005) - Reunion (2004)

Compare Saudi Arabia (2005) z Reunion (2004)

	Saudi Arabia (2005)	Reunion (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	none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons
Age structure	0-14 years: 38.2% (male 5,149,960/female 4,952,138) 15-64 years: 59.4% (male 8,992,348/female 6,698,633) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 334,694/female 289,826) (2005 est.)	0-14 years: 30.9% (male 121,050; female 115,440) 15-64 years: 63.1% (male 238,553; female 245,236) 65 years and over: 6% (male 18,626; female 27,248) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk	sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn
Airports	201 (2004 est.)	2 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	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.)	total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (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: 1,960,582 sq km land: 1,960,582 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 2,517 sq km land: 2,507 sq km water: 10 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US	slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Background	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. A son of ABD AL-AZIZ rules the country today, 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.	The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration, supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians, gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade route.
Birth rate	29.56 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	19.69 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	revenues: $104.8 billion expenditures: $78.66 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)	revenues: $1.26 billion expenditures: $2.62 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (1998)
Capital	Riyadh	Saint-Denis
Climate	harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes	tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April
Coastline	2,640 km	207 km
Constitution	governed according to Shari'a (Islamic law); the Basic Law that articulates the government's rights and responsibilities was introduced in 1993	28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
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: Department of Reunion conventional short form: Reunion local long form: none local short form: Ile de la Reunion former: Bourbon Island
Currency	-	euro (EUR)
Death rate	2.62 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	5.48 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	$34.35 billion (2004 est.)	NA
Dependency status	-	overseas department of France
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)	none (overseas department of France)
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Turki al-Faysal 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 (overseas department of France)
Disputes - international	despite resistance from nomadic groups, the demarcation of the Saudi Arabia-Yemen boundary established under the 2000 Jeddah Treaty is almost complete; 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	none
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	-
Economic aid - recipient	-	$NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France (2001 est.)
Economy - overview	This is an oil-based economy with strong government controls over major economic activities. Saudi Arabia possesses 25% of the world's proven petroleum 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.	The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture, but services now dominate. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which amounts to one-third of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the population, often approaching European standards, whereas minority groups suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrates the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France.
Electricity - consumption	128.5 billion kWh (2002)	1.005 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	138.2 billion kWh (2002)	1.08 billion kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 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	NA
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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%	French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian
Exchange rates	Saudi riyals per US dollar - 3.745 (2004), 3.745 (2003), 3.745 (2002), 3.745 (2001), 3.745 (2000)	euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999)
Executive branch	chief of state: King and Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 1 August 2005); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SULTAN bin Abd al- Aziz Al Saud (half brother of the monarch, born 5 January 1928) note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: King and Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 1 August 2005); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SULTAN bin Abd al- Aziz Al Saud (half brother of the monarch, born 5 January 1928) 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	chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Dominique VIAN (since 16 August 2004) head of government: President of the General Council Jean-Luc POUDROUX (since NA March 1998) and President of the Regional Council Paul VERGES (since NA March 1993) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils
Exports	7.92 million bbl/day (2003)	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	petroleum and petroleum products 90%	sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993)
Exports - partners	US 18.2%, Japan 14.9%, South Korea 9.5%, China 6.1%, Taiwan 4.5%, Singapore 4.1% (2004)	France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (2000)
Fiscal year	1 March - 28 February	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	the flag of France is used
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $4.348 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 4.2% industry: 67.2% services: 28.6% (2004 est.)	agriculture: 8% industry: 19% services: 73% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $12,000 (2004 est.)	purchasing power parity - $5,800 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	5% (2004 est.)	2.5% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates	25 00 N, 45 00 E	21 06 S, 55 36 E
Geography - note	extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal	this mountainous, volcanic island has an active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise; there is a tropical cyclone center at Saint-Denis, which is the monitoring station for the whole of the Indian Ocean
Heliports	5 (2004 est.)	-
Highways	total: 152,044 km paved: 45,461 km unpaved: 106,583 km (2000)	total: 2,724 km paved: 1,300 km (including 73 km of four-lane road) unpaved: 1,424 km (1994)
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; not a major money-laundering center, improving anti-money-laundering legislation	-
Imports	0 bbl/day (2003)	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles, textiles	manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products
Imports - partners	US 15.3%, Japan 9.8%, Germany 8.1%, China 6.6%, UK 5.7% (2004)	France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (2000)
Independence	23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom)	none (overseas department of France)
Industrial production growth rate	2.8% (2004 est.)	NA
Industries	crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, ammonia, industrial gases, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), cement, construction, fertilizer, plastics, commercial ship repair, commercial aircraft repair	sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction
Infant mortality rate	total: 13.24 deaths/1,000 live births male: 15.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)	total: 7.95 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.71 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	0.8% (2004 est.)	NA
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, WTO (observer)	InOC, UPU, WFTU
Irrigated land	16,200 sq km (1998 est.)	120 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Supreme Council of Justice	Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel
Labor force	6.62 million note: more than 35% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2004 est.)	309,900 (2000)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 12%, industry 25%, services 63% (1999 est.)	agriculture 13%, industry 12%, services 75% (2000)
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: 1.67% permanent crops: 0.09% other: 98.24% (2001)	arable land: 13.6% permanent crops: 1.2% other: 85.2% (2001)
Languages	Arabic	French (official), Creole widely used
Legal system	based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction	French law
Legislative branch	Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura (120 members and a chairman appointed by the monarch for four-year terms)	unicameral General Council (49 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: General Council - last held 15 and 22 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held NA 2010) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - various right-wing candidates 13, PCR 10, PS 10, UDF 8, RPR 6, other left-wing candidates 2; Regional Council (second round) - percent of vote by party - PCR 44.9%, UMP 32.8%, PS-Greens 22.3%; seats by party - PCR 27, UMP 11, PS-Greens 7 note: Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate; elections last held NA 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Reunion also elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, UMP 1, PCR 1
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 75.46 years male: 73.46 years female: 77.55 years (2005 est.)	total population: 73.69 years male: 70.29 years female: 77.26 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.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 88.9% male: 87% female: 90.8% (2003 est.)
Location	Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen	Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
Map references	Middle East	World
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: not specified	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 64 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,306,706 GRT/1,963,191 DWT by type: cargo 5, chemical tanker 12, container 4, passenger/cargo 8, petroleum tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 9 foreign-owned: 14 (Egypt 2, Hong Kong 1, Kuwait 5, Singapore 1, Sudan 1, UAE 1, United Kingdom 3) registered in other countries: 54 (2005)	total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 28,264 GRT/44,885 DWT by type: chemical tanker 1 foreign-owned: Sweden 1 registered in other countries: 1
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of France
Military branches	Land Force (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National Guard, Ministry of Interior Forces (paramilitary)	no regular indigenous military forces; French forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$18 billion (2002)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	10% (2002)	-
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 202,385 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 103,073 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	-	males: 7,070 (2004 est.)
National holiday	Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)	Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Nationality	noun: Saudi(s) adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian	noun: Reunionese (singular and plural) adjective: Reunionese
Natural hazards	frequent sand and dust storms	periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano
Natural resources	petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper	fish, arable land, hydropower
Net migration rate	-3.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	0 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	Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Paul VERGES]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS [Jean-Claude FRUTEAU]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert GERARD]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders	none	NA
Population	26,417,599 note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2005 est.)	766,153 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA	NA
Population growth rate	2.31% (2005 est.)	1.42% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	Ad Dammam, Al Jubayl, Jiddah, Yanbu' al Sinaiyah	Le Port, Pointe des Galets
Radio broadcast stations	AM 43, FM 31, shortwave 2 (1998)	AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001)
Railways	total: 1,392 km standard gauge: 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and sidings) (2004)	-
Religions	Muslim 100%	Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995)
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.34 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.16 male(s)/female total population: 1.21 male(s)/female (2005 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage	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	18 years of age; universal
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)	general assessment: adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis domestic: modern open-wire and microwave radio relay network international: country code - 262; radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Telephones - main lines in use	3,502,600 (2003)	300,000 est (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular	7,238,200 (2003)	489,800 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	117 (1997)	35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001)
Terrain	mostly uninhabited, sandy desert	mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast
Total fertility rate	4.05 children born/woman (2005 est.)	2.5 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	25% (unofficial estimate) (2004 est.)	36% (1999 est.)

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