Travel Health Planner Population: 19 million. Language: Arabic
(official) some secondary schools teach English. Capital City:
Riyadh (royal capital), Jeddah (administrative capital), Mecca
(holy capital). All three cities have over half a million in
population. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia occupies over 80% of the
Arabian Peninsula in south-western Asia and covers an area over
2 million sq. kms. Backing the Red Sea coastal plain is a range
of mountains which constitute the only area with reliable
rainfall. The high central desert plateau merges with two of the
world's largest desert regions in the north and south. Salt
flats dominate in the east. Oil is abundant on the plain of the
Arabian Gulf. Over 90% of the land is desert. The climate is hot
and dry rising to 51C in the interior. Night frosts are common
in the north and the highlands. Along the Red Sea coast the
climate is hot and humid. Annual temperatures vary between 21C
in January and 33C in July. Saudi Arabia is not listed as
infected with cholera at