Saudi Arabia Map

Saudi Arabia covers about 2.15 million square kilometers, roughly four-fifths of the Arabian Peninsula, which makes it the largest country in West Asia. It has a long Red Sea coast in the west and a shorter Gulf coast in the east, and borders seven countries. The population is about 34.6 million (UN World Population Prospects, 2025 estimate). The 2022 census counted 32.2 million, of whom 58% were Saudi citizens.

Hejaz, Asir, Najd and the sands

The country tilts from west to east. Along the Red Sea, a narrow coastal plain, the Tihamah, gives way to the Sarawat escarpment. Its northern half is the Hejaz, the region of Mecca, Medina and Jeddah. Further south, the Asir highlands catch the most rain in the kingdom and support terraced farms and juniper woods. Jabal Sawda near Abha, at roughly 3,000 meters, is the country's highest point.

East of the mountains lies Najd, a high plateau crossed by the long limestone Tuwaiq escarpment, where Riyadh stands. Beyond it the land slopes down to the Eastern Province on the Gulf. Here are the Al-Ahsa oasis, one of the largest in the world (UNESCO, 2018), and the Ghawar field, the largest conventional oilfield ever found.

Three great sand seas frame this core. The An Nafud lies in the north, the narrow Ad Dahna arcs down through the middle, and the Rub' al Khali, or Empty Quarter, fills the south. The Rub' al Khali is the largest continuous sand desert in the world, and it spills into Oman, the UAE and Yemen (see deserts of Asia). Saudi Arabia has no permanent rivers or lakes, only wadis that flood after storms. Water comes from desalination plants and from ancient aquifers that are being steadily depleted.

Climate and when to go

Summer in Riyadh and the interior is fiercely hot and dry, regularly above 45°C. Jeddah and the Gulf coast are slightly less hot but very humid. The Asir highlands and Taif stay mild enough to be summer retreats. Winter (December-February) is pleasant across most of the country, but desert nights can be cold, and snow occasionally falls in the mountains near Tabuk in the north-west. November to March is the best time to visit. The Hajj follows the Islamic lunar calendar, so it moves about 11 days earlier each year. In 2025 it drew 1.67 million pilgrims (General Authority for Statistics).

Regions and cities

The kingdom is divided into 13 administrative regions (mintaqah), each headed by an emir. City figures below are from the 2022 census.

• Riyadh (7.0 million): the capital, in Najd. On its north-western edge, the At-Turaif district of Diriyah, the first Saudi capital, is a UNESCO site. The Riyadh Metro opened in late 2024, and the city will host Expo 2030.
• Jeddah (3.75 million): the main Red Sea port and the gateway for pilgrims arriving by air and sea. Its coral-stone old town, Al-Balad, is a World Heritage Site.
• Mecca (2.43 million): the holiest city in Islam, built around the Masjid al-Haram and the Kaaba. Non-Muslims may not enter.
• Dammam (1.53 million): capital of the Eastern Province and part of a conurbation with Khobar and Dhahran, where Saudi Aramco has its headquarters.
• Medina (1.48 million): site of the Prophet's Mosque. It is linked to Mecca and Jeddah by the Haramain high-speed railway, opened in 2018.
• Taif (0.91 million): a mountain city above Mecca, known for its rose harvest.
• AlUla: an oasis town in the north-west near Hegra, whose Nabataean rock-cut tombs became the country's first World Heritage Site in 2008.

Saudi Arabia now has eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The most recent are the Uruq Bani Ma'arid desert reserve (2023) and the Al-Faw archaeological area (2024).

Oil and Vision 2030

Oil was struck at Dammam in 1938. Saudi Arabia holds the second-largest proven crude reserves after Venezuela and is usually the largest exporter of crude oil. Vision 2030, launched in 2016, aims to reduce that dependence. Women have been allowed to drive since June 2018, tourist visas were introduced in 2019, and giga-projects such as NEOM in the north-western Tabuk region and the Red Sea resorts are under way. Reports in 2024 said NEOM's flagship linear city, The Line, had been scaled back. The kingdom will host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

How the kingdom and its borders took shape

Abdulaziz Al Saud (Ibn Saud) recaptured Riyadh in 1902. He then took the Eastern Province and the north, and conquered the Hejaz from the Hashemites in 1924-25. On 23 September 1932 he proclaimed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, now marked as National Day. The borders were settled piece by piece. A Kuwait-Saudi Neutral Zone created in 1922 was later divided by agreement in the 1960s, a 1974 agreement fixed the border with the UAE, and the Treaty of Jeddah in 2000 settled the long-disputed Yemen frontier. The country is an absolute monarchy. King Salman has reigned since 2015, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been prime minister since 2022.