Provinces of Saudi Arabia
مناطق المملكة العربية السعودية
CategoryProvinces within a unitary state
LocationKingdom of Saudi Arabia
Number13
Populations373,577 (Northern Borders) – 8,591,748 (Riyadh Region)
Areas9,920 km2 (3,831 sq mi) (Al-Bahah) – 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 seven provinces: the 'Asir Province, Al Hasa' Province, the Hejaz Province, the Najd Province, the Rub' al-Khali Province and the Shammar 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 of the Provinces of Saudi Arabia

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

External links

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