Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has seas of sand.

Some sand hills are as tall as a skyscraper. In the summer it is very, very hot. In the southwest, the mountains get more rain.

The Rub al-Khali, or Empty Quarter, covers the south of Saudi Arabia. It is the largest area of sand in the world, bigger than 647,500 square kilometers, and some of its sand mountains rise 250 meters high. A long, narrow arc of sand called Al-Dahna joins it to another sand sea, Al-Nafud, in the north.

In the southwest, the highlands of Asir get much more rain. Saudi Arabia's highest point, Jabal Sawda near Abha, rises more than 3,100 meters. Summer days are hotter than 38 °C in the shade almost everywhere, and the desert can reach 55 °C.

Western highlands rise above 1,500 m in the north and to more than 3,000 m in the southeast; Mount Sawda (Jabal Sawda) near Abha is generally considered the highest point, with estimates of 3,133 to 3,207 m. Inland, the Najd plateau of lava flows and volcanic debris slopes from about 1,370 m to 760 m, bounded by long ridges such as the Tuwayq Mountains. The Rub al-Khali covers more than 647,500 km², with sand mountains up to 250 m; Al-Nafud covers about 57,000 km², and Al-Dahna, nearly 1,450 km long but in places only 50 km wide, links them.

Britannica describes three climate zones: desert almost everywhere, steppe along the western highlands, and a small mild, humid area in the highlands north of Yemen. Mean annual rainfall is about 65 mm at Jeddah and a little more than 75 mm at Riyadh, while Asir may receive more than 480 mm, mostly from the summer monsoon; in the Rub al-Khali a decade may pass without rain. Summer shade temperatures exceed 38 °C almost everywhere, and frost and snow may occur in the southern highlands in winter.

Foxes, hedgehogs and jerboas live in Saudi Arabia.

A jerboa is a small animal that hops. Falcons and eagles fly in the sky. People raise camels, sheep and goats.

Wild animals in Saudi Arabia include wolves, hyenas, foxes, honey badgers, porcupines, hedgehogs, hares and jerboas, small hopping rodents. Baboons live there too. Birds include falcons, eagles, owls, flamingos and pelicans, and the gulf has a wide variety of sea life.

Larger animals such as gazelles, oryx and leopards were fairly common until about 1950. Then hunting from cars and trucks made them very rare. Camels, fat-tailed sheep and long-eared goats are among the farm animals people raise.

Most of the vegetation belongs to the North African-Indian desert region: xerophytic (drought-adapted) herbs and shrubs that serve as forage, with a few small areas of grass and trees in southern Asir. The date palm is widespread, and about one-third of the country's date palms grow in Al-Sharqiyyah (Eastern) province.

Britannica lists wolves, hyenas, foxes, honey badgers, mongooses, porcupines, baboons, hedgehogs, hares, sand rats and jerboas. Gazelles, oryx, leopards and mountain goats were relatively numerous until about 1950, when hunting from motor vehicles reduced them almost to extinction. Birds include falcons, which are caught and trained for hunting, eagles, hawks, vultures, owls, ravens, flamingos, egrets, pelicans, doves, quail, sand grouse and bulbuls; there are many lizards and several species of snakes, and the gulf supports a wide variety of marine life. Domesticated animals include camels, fat-tailed sheep, long-eared goats, salukis, donkeys and chickens.

About 35 million people live in Saudi Arabia.

Most people speak Arabic. Flat bread is part of almost every meal. Sweet dates are found almost everywhere. Strong coffee is a traditional drink.

About 35.3 million people lived in Saudi Arabia in 2024. Arabic is the main language, with three main groups of local dialects, and English is widely understood. Many people living there come from other countries to work, from places such as Egypt, Yemen, Pakistan and the Philippines.

Flat bread is part of almost every meal, and dates, fresh or candied, are everywhere. Popular dishes include kebabs, shawarma and makhbus, rice with fish or shrimp. Football is very popular, and camel racing and falconry are traditional pastimes that continue today.

GASTAT's 2024 estimate is 35,300,280 people; Britannica reports a young population, with roughly half under 30, about one-fourth under 15, and a life expectancy of about 75 years. Arabic, a Semitic language, has three main dialect groups in the east, center and west; Modern Standard Arabic, derived from Classical Arabic, is the written language. Foreign workers, who have arrived in large numbers since the 1950s, speak languages such as Urdu, Tagalog and Korean, and English is widely understood.

Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam, and most Saudis follow the Sunni branch; Shi'i communities live mostly in the eastern oases of Al-Hasa and Al-Qatif. The traditional national dish is khuzi, stuffed lamb; makhbus, rice with fish or shrimp, is extremely popular, flat bread comes with virtually every meal, dates are everywhere, and strong Turkish-style coffee is the traditional drink. Nabati poetry, composed in everyday Arabic, is very popular, and the King's Camel Race, begun in 1974, is one of the sport's major contests.