Provinces of Saudi Arabia

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]

Emirates of the Provinces of Saudi Arabia
إمارات 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

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 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
Emirates of the Provinces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Historic
Region		 Provinces Capital Governorates Marakiz Population
(2022 Census)		 Approximate
area (km2)
Hejaz Mecca Province Makkah 16 111 7,769,994 153,128
Najd Riyadh Province Riyadh 21 453 8,591,748 404,240
Eastern Arabia Eastern Province Dammam 11 107 5,125,254 672,522
Southern Arabia 'Asir Province Abha 16 101 2,024,285 76,693
Southern Arabia Jazan Province Jazan 16 31 1,404,997 11,671
Hejaz Medina Province Madinah 8 90 2,389,452 151,990
Najd Al-Qassim Province Buraidah 12 153 1,336,179 58,046
Hejaz Tabuk Province Tabuk 6 73 886,036 146,072
Najd Ḥa'il Province Ha'il 8 84 746,406 103,887
Southern Arabia Najran Province Najran 7 59 592,300 149,511
Badiah Al-Jawf Province Sakaka 3 33 508,475 100,212
Hejaz Al-Bahah Province Al-Baha 9 35 595,822 9,921
Badiah Northern Borders Province Arar 3 17 373,577 111,797
Total 136 1,347 32,175,224 2,149,690

See also

References
  1. "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. "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.
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