Saudi Arabia: Infrastructure
Chapter 3: Persian Gulf, Arabian Peninsula
Saudi Arabia: Infrastructure
Railroads, Roads
/ Ports, Airports / Communications
Overview
/ Leadership / System Essentials
/ Population / Fielded Forces
/ Table of Contents
Riyadh television tower
The only rail system on the Arabian peninsula is owned by the Saudi government. The major line links Riyadh with the port at Ad Dammam and passes near the major cities of Dhahran, Abqaiq, Hufuf, Harad, and al-Kharhj. A shorter line runs between Riyadh and Al Hufuf.
Saudi Arabia has a large road network of over 100,000 kilometers. In 1991, over 35,000 kilometers had been paved and 65,000 kilometers consisted of improved earth. The largest highway is the TransArabian Highway, a multi-lane expressway which crosses the peninsula from Ad Dammam to Jiddah via Riyadh and Mecca. A causeway links Saudi Arabia with Bahrain.
Jiddah, located on the Red Sea, is Saudi Arabia's principal port and it is estimated that it handles 60 percent of the cargo entering the country. Ad Dammam, on the Persian Gulf, is the country's second largest port, and Ras Tanura, also on the Gulf, handles most of the kingdom's petroleum exports. The port at Yanbu al Bahr is the closest major port to Europe and North America and is an important part of the most rapidly growing area in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has an extensive airport system with 71 airports having permanent-surface runways, 14 of which have runways exceeding 3700 meters in length. The country has three international airports located at Jiddah, Riyadh, and Dhahran.
Saudi Arabia possesses a modern communications system with extensive microwave and coaxial and fiber optic cable systems. The network includes the following: