Eastern Province Saudi Arabia Information Center Population Industry in Eastern Province The population of the Eastern Province is Industry 2002 2003 2006 estimated to be more than 4 million. Major groups include Arab and Non-Arab, Saudis and Non- Factory 806 829 880 Saudis. The population growth rate at present is 2.9 percent per year. Invest. Capital 115,183.06 118,037.73 140,639.91 Eastern Province No. of Workers 86,567 88,309 102,118 1,909,890 2,000,000 1,688,570 1,800,000 1,600,000 1,450,141 1,320,343 Business Infrastructure 1,400,000 1,200,000 Language: The language of business is English 1,000,000 800,000 and Arabic 600,000 400,000 200,000 Accommodation: Most major international hotel 0 Economic Situation chains are in the Eastern Province, including 2004 2000 Sheraton, Inter-continental, Holiday Inn, and Males Females The Eastern Province serves as the backbone of the Saudi economy, being one of the world's Meridian. largest reservoirs of crude oil and gas. It is oil Geographic Location and gas which have transformed the structure of Transportation: Taxis are common and the economy of this region since the 1930s. these inexpensive. Limousine services are also The Eastern Region is the largest of the Kingdom resources have provided the stimulus for a major available of Saudi Arabia's regions located between lati- breakthrough in non-oil industrial development, tudes 17.10, 29.10, and longitudes 44.81, 55.69 specially centered around Jubail city (which has a Housing: Housing rental ranges from US east of Greenwich mean time (GMT). It stretches strong petrochemical base) and Dammam (which $14,000 to US $60,000 per annum, payable from the Kuwaiti border to the endless dunes boasts of two flourishing Industrial Cities consist- of the Empty Quarter, yet within its boundaries ing of hundreds of downstream units). The prov- one year in advance. Apartments can be less lie the immense wealth of huge reserves of oil ince has attracted a large dose of foreign capital expensive. and natural gas, and the natural wonder of the and technology, thanks to top class infrastructure world's largest oasis. It also provides links with (transport, communications, power and water), Health: Public health services in the Eastern four of the Gulf Cooperation Council neighbors: availability of abundant raw materials and other Province are adequate. There are governmental favorable factors like well-developed banking and the Kingdom of Bahrain, the peninsula of Qatar; health services free of charge offered for Saudis finance facilities. The Saudi government's liberal the United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of economic policies and incentives for the private and Non-Saudis. Major hospitals have modern Oman. The total area of the region is 710,000 sector have further encouraged the growth in the equipment. Most western expatriates use Sq. Km. Province. private medical facilities and carry private health The Province has thrived under these condi- insurance. Climate of Eastern Region 2007 tions, with its living standards currently compa- rable to those in the industrially developed coun- Working Hours: The regular working days for Climate 2007 tries. The market is flourishing for automobiles, local government departments is from Saturday Average Air Pressure 60 modern household appliances, entertainment (Hundreds 00) to Wednesday. Working Hours from 7:30 to 2:30. 50 industry products and IT hardware and software. Average Temperature Commercial Offices from 8:00 to 12:00 and from ˚C 40 Healthcare, education, and luxury hotels too are Average Maximum of top international standards. The scope for 30 4:00 to 10:00. Banks from 9:30 to 4:00. Temperature ˚C further economic development in the Province Average Minimum 20 is indeed bright, especially for joint ventures and Temperature ˚C Religion: The official religion is Islam, with a 10 foreign direct investments. Industries and ser- Average Relative reported 95-98 percent of the total population Humidity 0 vices alike provide new vistas of opportunities for Dammam Dhahran Al-Ahsa further investments. (including expatriates) being Muslims. Investing in Eastern Province Infrastructure The Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia has played of refined petroleum products and NGL too have The growing synergy between power gen- a unique role in the economic growth of the region. increased substantially. During the last few years, eration and desalination in Saudi Arabia and With its vast coastline of 560 Kms. along the Gulf, Jubail has emerged as one of the leading global the opening of the sector to private invest- this region has served as a major commercial link sources of petrochemicals. A large number of other ment has paved the way to launch a number between the East and the West for centuries. From non-oil industries have also come up in the Eastern of Independent Water and Power Projects the time of the Greek and the Roman Empires, (IWPPs) ensuring the continued growth of Province. These include iron and steel products, this region, blessed as it is with luxuriant oasis, the power and water sectors and the national non-ferrous metallic products, engineering goods like aquifer water in the midst of a remote desert, and economy as a whole. air-conditioners, tubes and pipes, ductile iron pipes, the geographical location of the Gulf providing an With the Government’s support and encour- easy gateway to the Indian Ocean, proved to be a electrical products and automobile parts, building agement, local and international compa- magnet for both overland and seaborne trade. materials, chemicals, plastic goods, furniture and foodstuffs. The two Industrial Cities of Dammam nies are coming together and pooling their The Eastern Province rests on an underground resources, investment and technical exper- house a large part of these industries and are fully sea of "black gold", accounting for one-fourth of tise to contribute towards the achievement of supported by the excellent infrastructural facilities the world oil reserves. Natural gas reserves too are this objective. (especially water, electricity, communications and vast. Oil and the industrial development have given transport) available in the Eastern Province. As Marafiq Company has been formed to a new role to the Province as a springboard for assist in the expansion of the private sec- international trade. A large number of these industries have come up tor’s participation in the development of the The Province now accounts for an estimated two- as foreign joint ventures with Saudi entrepreneurs. national economy in the Kingdom, Marafiq thirds of Saudi Arabia's total export trade. Crude This has enabled Saudi Arabia to maintain the has launched its developmental initiatives oil, of course, dominates the export trade. Exports inflow of foreign capital and technology. for IWPP Jubail project. The project will con- tribute to the growth of Jubail industrial city and to contribute to the diversification of the GCC Power Grid national economy. Another big project of potential value to the investors Six project packages to be located in these four The project will be developed in collaboration in the Eastern Province is the GCC power grid countries are involved, and the job consists mainly with International developers and local part- planned jointly by the GCC member countries. The nerships on a build, own, operate and trans- of building substations, laying transmission lines Dammam-based GCC Interconnection Authority is fer (BOOT) basis of a power generation and and executing related telecommunication works. implementing the project, which will cost about water desalination facility in Jubail Industrial $ 1.7 billion. The financial Advisor for the project is the Gulf City, which will service the needs of both Investment Corporation. A number of Saudi and the Jubail Industrial City and the Eastern The Grid project envisages a complex system of Province of Saudi Arabia as a whole. interconnection between the power systems of Saudi foreign companies are working on this bid and it will Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait in its first phase. be completed in few years. The power plant will comprise 4 blocks and will be based on Combined Cycle generation Gas Turbines where extraction steam from Three Industrial Cities in Eastern Province the turbines supplies process steam to the Dammam First Industrial City: of factories in the second industrial city is 130 in desalination plant which itself will comprise Is the first industrial city of Dammam with total addition to the 160 factories under construction. 27 units that will use Multiple Effect Distillation area of 2,704,000 square meters. The number of technology (MED). This project is of national factories producing in the first industrial city are Jubail industrial city: importance and is set for achieving its com- more than 130. Jubail Industrial City is located on the Arabian pletion in 2010. This will add 2,745 MW of Dammam Second Industrial City: Gulf north of historic Al-Jubail 65 miles (100 km) power and 800,000 cubic meters per day of Total area of 24 million square meters, The number northwest of Dammam desalinated water to Jubail Industrial City and the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Aramco Company Saudi Arabia Economic Variables Saudi Aramco, the state-owned national oil company of Saudi Arabia, is the largest oil 2000 2005 Economic Variables corporation in the world and the world's largest in terms of proven crude oil reserves 20,846,884 22,678,262 Population and production. Headquartered in Dhahran city, in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia, 5,986,985 8,024,885 Labour Force Saudi Aramco also operates the world's largest single hydrocarbon network, the Master Gas System. It was formerly known as just Aramco, an acronym for Arabian American Oil 706,657 1,160,742 G.D.P.