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Compare Western Sahara (2008) - Saudi Arabia (2002)
Compare Western Sahara (2008) z Saudi Arabia (2002)
| Western Sahara (2008) | Saudi Arabia (2002) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | none (under de facto control of Morocco) | 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: 45.4% (male 88,176/female 85,421)
15-64 years: 52.3% (male 98,345/female 101,895) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,705/female 5,075) (2007 est.) |
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.) |
| Agriculture - products | fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish | wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk |
| Airports | 9 (2007) | 209 (2001) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007) |
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) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2007) |
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) |
| Area | total: 266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 1,960,582 sq km
land: 1,960,582 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about the size of Colorado | slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US |
| Background | Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. In April 2007, Morocco presented an autonomy plan for the territory to the UN, which the U.S. considers serious and credible. The Polisario also presented a plan to the UN in 2007. Since August 2007, representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front have met three times to negotiate the status of Western Sahara, with a fourth round of negotiations planned for March 2008. | 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. |
| Birth rate | NA 39.95 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 37.25 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
revenues: $42 billion
expenditures: $54 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.) |
| Capital | none
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Riyadh |
| Climate | hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew | harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes |
| Coastline | 1,110 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: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara |
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 | NA | 5.86 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Debt - external | $NA | $23.8 billion (2001 est.) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | none | 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) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none | 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 | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria | 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 |
| 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 | Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006 the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara. | 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. |
| Electricity - consumption | 79.05 million kWh (2005) | 114.86 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2000) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2000) |
| Electricity - production | 85 million kWh (2005) | 123.5 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m
highest point: unnamed location 463 m |
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m |
| Environment - current issues | sparse water and lack of arable land | 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: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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, Berber | Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10% |
| Exchange rates | Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.2827 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003) | Saudi riyals per US dollar - 3.7450 (fixed rate since June 1986) |
| Executive branch | none | 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 |
| Exports | 0 bbl/day (2004) | $66.9 billion f.o.b. (2001) |
| Exports - commodities | phosphates 62% | petroleum and petroleum products 90% |
| Exports - partners | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) | US 17.4%, Japan 17.3%, South Korea 11.7%, Singapore 5.3%, India (2000) |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
| 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 |
| GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $241 billion (2001 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: 40% |
agriculture: 7%
industry: 48% services: 45% (2000 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $10,600 (2001 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 1.6% (2001 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 24 30 N, 13 00 W | 25 00 N, 45 00 E |
| Geography - note | the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas | extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal |
| Heliports | - | 5 (2002) |
| Highways | - | total: 146,524 km
paved: 44,104 km unpaved: 102,420 km (1997 est.) |
| 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 | 1,698 bbl/day (2004) | $29.7 billion f.o.b. (2001) |
| Imports - commodities | fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs | machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles, textiles |
| Imports - partners | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) | US 21.1%, Japan 9.4%, Germany 7.4%, UK 7.3% (2000) |
| Independence | - | 23 September 1932 (Unification of the Kingdom) |
| Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 1% (1997 est.) |
| Industries | phosphate mining, handicrafts | crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, cement, construction, fertilizer, plastics |
| Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
49.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA% | 1.7% (2001) |
| International organization participation | none | 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) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 42 (2001) |
| Irrigated land | NA | 16,200 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Judicial branch | - | Supreme Council of Justice |
| Labor force | 12,000 | 7 million
note: 35% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1998 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 50%
industry and services: 50% |
agriculture 12%, industry 25%, services 63% (1999 est.) |
| Land boundaries | total: 2,046 km
border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 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: 0.02%
permanent crops: 0% other: 99.98% (2005) |
arable land: 1.72%
permanent crops: 0.06% other: 98.22% (1998 est.) |
| Languages | Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic | 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 | - | a consultative council (90 members and a chairman appointed by the monarch for four-year terms) |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total population: 68.4 years
male: 66.7 years female: 70.2 years (2002 est.) |
| Literacy | NA | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78% male: 84.2% female: 69.5% (2002 est.) |
| Location | Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco | Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen |
| Map references | Africa | Middle East |
| Maritime claims | contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue | contiguous zone: 18 NM
continental shelf: not specified territorial sea: 12 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.) |
| 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) |
| Nationality | noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian |
noun: Saudi(s)
adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian |
| Natural hazards | hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility | frequent sand and dust storms |
| Natural resources | phosphates, iron ore | petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper |
| Net migration rate | - | 1.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 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 |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | none | none |
| Population | 382,617
note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2007 est.) |
23,513,330
note: includes 5,360,526 non-nationals (July 2002 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
| Population growth rate | NA | 3.27% (2002 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 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 43, FM 31, shortwave 2 (1998) |
| 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) |
| Religions | Muslim | Muslim 100% |
| Sex ratio | NA | 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.) |
| Suffrage | none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed | none |
| Telephone system | general assessment: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco |
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) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | about 2,000 (1999 est.) | 3.1 million (1998) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 0 (1999) | 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) |
| Television broadcast stations | NA | 117 (1997) |
| Terrain | mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast | mostly uninhabited, sandy desert |
| Total fertility rate | NA | 6.21 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | NA% | NA% |
| Waterways | - | none |
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