Provinces of Saudi Arabia

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Provinces of Saudi Arabia
مناطق المملكة العربية السعودية
CategoryProvinces within a unitary state
LocationKingdom of Saudi Arabia
Number13
Populations373,577 (Northern Borders Province) – 8,591,748 (Riyadh Province)
Areas9,920 km2 (3,831 sq mi) (Al-Baha Province) – 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

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Prior to the unification of Saudi Arabia in 1932, the Arabian Peninsula was composed of several distinct regions, many of which had been part of or influenced by the Ottoman Empire, including the Hejaz Vilayet and the Lahsa Eyalet. Earlier in the region’s history, the First Saudi state and the Second Saudi state had established Saudi rule over much of Najd and its surroundings, laying the groundwork for later unification efforts. After unification, these historical regions — such as Najd, Asir — along with former Ottoman territories like Hejaz, formed the basis for the kingdom’s evolving administrative divisions, which were later reorganized into modern provinces.[1]

King Fahd 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 provinces, 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).

As of 2025, there are 139 governorates in Saudi Arabia.

Government

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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

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Provinces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
# Province Historical
region 		Seat Governorates Marakiz Population
(2022 census)[5] 		Area
(km2) 		Density
(per km2)
1 Asir Province South Arabia Abha 17 101 2,024,285 76,693 26.40
2 Al-Baha Province Hejaz Al-Baha 9 35 339,174 9,921 34.20
3 Al-Jawf Province Badiyat al-Sham Sakaka 3 33 595,822 100,212 5.95
4 Al-Qassim Province Najd Buraydah 12 153 1,336,179 58,046 23.01
5 Eastern Province Eastern Arabia Dammam 12 107 5,125,254 672,522 7.62
6 Hail Province Najd Hail 8 84 746,406 103,887 7.19
7 Jazan Province South Arabia Jizan 16 31 1,404,997 11,671 120.43
8 Mecca Province Hejaz Mecca 17 111 7,769,994 153,128 50.76
9 Medina Province Hejaz Medina 8 90 2,389,452 151,990 15.72
10 Najran Province South Arabia Najran 6 59 592,300 149,511 3.96
11 Northern Borders Province Badiyat al-Sham Arar 3 17 373,577 111,797 3.34
12 Riyadh Province Najd Riyadh 22 453 8,591,748 404,240 21.25
13 Tabuk Province Hejaz Tabuk 6 73 886,036 146,072 6.07
Total 13 139 1,347 32,175,224 2,149,690 14.97

Codes

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ISO 3166-2:SA – Codes for the Provinces of Saudi Arabia
Code Province (EN) Province (AR)
SA-14 Asir Province عسير
SA-11 Al-Baha Province الباحة
SA-08 Northern Borders Province الحدود الشمالية
SA-12 Al-Jawf Province الجوف
SA-03 Medina Province المدينة المنورة
SA-05 Al-Qassim Province القصيم
SA-01 Riyadh Province الرياض
SA-04 Eastern Province الشرقية
SA-06 Hail Province حائل
SA-09 Jazan Province جازان
SA-02 Mecca Province مكة
SA-10 Najran Province نجران
SA-07 Tabuk Province تبوك

See also

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References

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  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.
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