Provinces of Saudi Arabia
| Emirates of the Provinces of Saudi Arabia إمارات مناطق المملكة العربية السعودية | |
|---|---|
| Category | Provinces within a unitary state |
| Location | Kingdom of Saudi Arabia |
| Number | 13.. |
| Populations | 320,524 (Northern Borders) – 6,915,006 (Makkah) |
| Areas | 9,920 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, and officially the Emirates of the Provinces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Arabic: إمارات مناطق المملكة العربية السعودية, romanized: Imārātu 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 administrative-territorial entities: 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 the Regions' System, which provided for the division of the kingdom into 13 emirates. Subsequently, the five previous provinces were divided into thirteen geographic regions, called provinces (manātiq) and administrative regions, called the emirates of the provinces (imārāt al-manātiq). The emirates 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 emirate 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 Emirates of the Provinces of Saudi Arabia
| Historic Region |
Regions | Capital | Governorates | Marakiz | Population (2017 Census) |
Approximate area (km2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hejaz | Mecca Region | Makkah | 16 | 111 | 8,557,766 | 153,128 |
| Najd | Riyadh Region | Riyadh | 21 | 453 | 8,216,284 | 404,240 |
| Eastern Arabia | Eastern Region | Dammam | 11 | 107 | 4,900,325 | 672,522 |
| Southern Arabia | 'Asir Region | Abha | 16 | 101 | 2,211,875 | 76,693 |
| Southern Arabia | Jazan Region | Jazan | 16 | 31 | 1,567,547 | 11,671 |
| Hejaz | Medina Region | Madinah | 8 | 90 | 1,423,935 | 151,990 |
| Najd | Al-Qassim Region | Buraidah | 12 | 153 | 1,423,935 | 58,046 |
| Hejaz | Tabuk Region | Tabuk | 6 | 73 | 910,030 | 146,072 |
| Najd | Ha'il Region | Ha'il | 8 | 84 | 699,774 | 103,887 |
| Southern Arabia | Najran Region | Najran | 7 | 59 | 582,243 | 149,511 |
| Badiah | Al-Jawf Region | Sakaka | 3 | 33 | 508,475 | 100,212 |
| Hejaz | Al-Bahah Region | Al-Baha | 9 | 35 | 476,172 | 9,921 |
| Badiah | Northern Borders Region | Arar | 3 | 17 | 365,231 | 111,797 |
| Total | 136 | 1,347 | 31,843,592 | 2,149,690 | ||
See also
References
- ^ a b "Saudi Arabia Regions". www.statoids.com.
- ^ "The New Addressing". Saudi Post. 2013. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
- ^ a b c "Organization of the Emirate of Makkah Province". Ministry of Interior.
External links
