Provinces of Saudi Arabia

Provinces of Saudi Arabia
مناطق المملكة العربية السعودية
CategoryProvinces within a unitary state
LocationKingdom of Saudi Arabia
Number13
Populations373,577 (Northern Borders Province) – 8,591,748 (Riyadh Province)
Areas9,920 km2 (3,831 sq mi) (Al-Bahah Province) – 672,520 km2 (259,662 sq mi) (Eastern Province)
Government
Subdivisions

The provinces of Saudi Arabia, also known as regions (Arabic: مناطق المملكة العربية السعودية, romanized: Manāṭiq al-Mamlakat il-'Arabiyyat il-Sa'udiyyah), are the 13 first-level administrative divisions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.[1][2][3]

History

After the unification of Saudi Arabia, the kingdom was divided into four provinces: the 'Asir Province, Al Hasa' Province, the Hejaz Province and the Najd Province.[1]

King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud issued Royal Order A/92 on March 2, 1992, known as Law of the Provinces,[4] which provided for the division of the kingdom into 13 provinces. Subsequently, the five previous provinces were divided into thirteen regions, called provinces (manātiq), each governed by administrative bodies called the emirates of the provinces (imārāt al-manātiq). The provinces form the first-level administrative division of the Organization of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and are further divided into 136 governorates (muḥāfaẓāt), which are the second-level division,[3] which are further subdivided into 1,347 municipal-level units (marakiz), and further subdivided into villages (qura) and neighborhoods (ahya).

Government

Each province is governed by an Emir (provincial governor), who is assisted by the deputy emir, called nā'ib. The persons holding these positions are appointed by the King of Saudi Arabia. The emir is given the rank of minister, while the deputy emir is given the rank of excellence.[3]

List

Provinces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Province Historical
region 		Capital
(central city) 		Governorates Marakiz Population
(2022 census)[5] 		Area
(km2)
'Asir Province Southern Arabia Abha 6 [11] (17) 101 2,024,285 76,693
Al-Bahah Province Hejaz Al Bahah 4 [5] (9) 35 339,174 9,921
Al-Jawf Province Northern Arabia Sakaka 2 [1] (3) 33 595,822 100,212
Al-Qassim Province Najd Buraidah 5 [7] (12) 153 1,336,179 58,046
Eastern Province Eastern Arabia (Bahrain) Dammam 7 [5] (12) 107 5,125,254 672,522
Ḥa'il Province Najd Ḥaʼil 1 [7] (8) 84 746,406 103,887
Jazan Province Southern Arabia Jazan 5 [11] (16) 31 1,404,997 11,671
Mecca Province Hejaz Makkah 9 [7] (16) 111 7,769,994 153,128
Medina Province Hejaz Madinah 4 [4] (8) 90 2,389,452 151,990
Najran Province Southern Arabia Najran 1 [5] (6) 59 592,300 149,511
Northern Borders Province Northern Arabia Arar 2 [1] (3) 17 373,577 111,797
Riyadh Province Najd Riyadh 12 [10] (22) 453 8,591,748 404,240
Tabuk Province Hejaz Tabuk 4 [2] (6) 73 886,036 146,072
Total 13 62 [76] (138) 1,347 32,175,224 2,149,690

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Saudi Arabia Regions". www.statoids.com.
  2. ^ "The New Addressing". Saudi Post. 2013. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  3. ^ a b c "Organization of the Emirate of Makkah Province". Ministry of Interior.
  4. ^ "Law of the Provinces | The Embassy of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia". www.saudiembassy.net. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  5. ^ "Saudi Arabia: Regions & Major Cities - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2024-02-05.