Saudi Arabia is a country in Asia, in Middle East, with about 37 million people (2025) and an area of 2,149,690 square kilometres. Its capital is Riyadh, and it shares land borders with 7 countries.
By Team Geography·Last reviewed
Flag of Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.
The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Saudi Arabia's 17, in full.
PLACELens 1 of 17
Saudi Arabia is mostly empty, but its edges are everything
The Rub' al Khali, the Empty Quarter, is one of the largest sand deserts on Earth and covers much of the country's south. Nearly all population and economic activity clusters on the Gulf coast, the Red Sea coast, and the Hejaz corridor. Saudi geography is a story of intense activity at the margins of vast emptiness.
More on Rub' al Khali
Covering roughly 650,000 square kilometers, the Empty Quarter is the world's largest contiguous sand desert. It is almost entirely uninhabited and straddles the borders of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, and the UAE.
16 more lenses on Saudi Arabia in the app
NOW Saudi Arabia still matters because oil still matters
THREAD The kingdom is trying to convert oil power into broader regional influence
STORY The kingdom is quietly rewriting its social contract
NOW The renderings promised more than the desert delivered
PLACE A kingdom of plateau and sand
STORY The run that announced a nation
NOW A league that reshaped the market
THREAD The road to hosting 2034
PLACE Three cities on the rim
STORY The Green Falcons
NOW A national project, on and off the pitch
THREAD Pulling stars from across the world
PLACE Where Arabia tears away from Africa
STORY A pact between a preacher and a prince
THREAD A pilgrimage governed by national quotas
PLACE The wheat that drained an ancient aquifer
Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.
Compare Saudi Arabia with another country
Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.
Common questions
What is the capital of Saudi Arabia?
The capital of Saudi Arabia is Riyadh. Riyadh lies at about 24.6 degrees north and 46.8 degrees east. Saudi Arabia is in Asia, in the region often called Middle East. It is home to about 37 million people. The world capitals quiz on this site tests every capital, and the printable capitals sheets cover each continent.
What is the population of Saudi Arabia?
About 37 million people live in Saudi Arabia, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 43rd most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 2,149,690 square kilometres, that is about 17 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia shares land borders with 7 countries: Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The map on this page outlines each of them around Saudi Arabia. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake.
How big is Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia covers 2,149,690 square kilometres, or about 830,000 square miles. That makes it the 12th largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 37 million gives a density of 17 people per square kilometre.
Saudi Arabia is a country in Asia, in Middle East, with about 37 million people (2025) and an area of 2,149,690 square kilometres. Its capital is Riyadh, and it shares land borders with 7 countries.
Capital
Riyadh
Continent
Asia
Region
Middle East
Population
36,973,555 2025, World Bank. 43rd of 195.
Area
2,149,690 km² (830,000 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 12th largest of 195.
Population density
17 people per km²
Land neighbours
7: Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
Official name
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
UN status
Member state
PLACE · from the Geography app
Saudi Arabia is mostly empty, but its edges are everything
The Rub' al Khali, the Empty Quarter, is one of the largest sand deserts on Earth and covers much of the country's south. Nearly all population and economic activity clusters on the Gulf coast, the Red Sea coast, and the Hejaz corridor. Saudi geography is a story of intense activity at the margins of vast emptiness.
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/saudi-arabia/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
Geography · Country report
Saudi Arabia
NameDate
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Colour Saudi Arabia on the map, then fill in what you find.
Capital
Continent
Population
Area
Languages
Currency
Neighbours
Landmarks
Rivers or mountains
Three things I learned
1
2
3
One question I still have
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Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/saudi-arabia/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
