Saudi Arabia vs. Iraq
Geography
| Saudi Arabia | Iraq | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen | Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait |
| Geographic coordinates | 25 00 N, 45 00 E | 33 00 N, 44 00 E |
| Map references | Middle East | Middle East |
| Area | total: 2,149,690 sq km land: 2,149,690 sq km water: 0 sq km | total: 438,317 sq km land: 437,367 sq km water: 950 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US | slightly more than three times the size of New York state |
| Land boundaries | total: 4,272 km border countries (7): Iraq 811 km, Jordan 731 km, Kuwait 221 km, Oman 658 km, Qatar 87 km, UAE 457 km, Yemen 1307 km | total: 3,809 km border countries (6): Iran 1599 km, Jordan 179 km, Kuwait 254 km, Saudi Arabia 811 km, Syria 599 km, Turkey 367 km |
| Coastline | 2,640 km | 58 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: not specified | territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: not specified |
| Climate | harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes | mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq |
| Terrain | mostly sandy desert | mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: As Sarawat range, 3,000 m lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m mean elevation: 665 m | highest point: Cheekha Dar (Kurdish for "Black Tent") 3,611 m lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m mean elevation: 312 m |
| Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper | petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur |
| Land use | agricultural land: 80.7% (2018 est.) arable land: 1.5% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 79.1% (2018 est.) forest: 0.5% (2018 est.) other: 18.8% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 18.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 8.4% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.5% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 9.2% (2018 est.) forest: 1.9% (2018 est.) other: 80% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 16,200 sq km (2012) | 35,250 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | frequent sand and dust storms volcanism: despite many volcanic formations, there has been little activity in the past few centuries; volcanoes include Harrat Rahat, Harrat Khaybar, Harrat Lunayyir, and Jabal Yar | dust storms; sandstorms; floods |
| Environment - current issues | desertification; depletion of underground water resources; the lack of perennial rivers or permanent water bodies has prompted the development of extensive seawater desalination facilities; coastal pollution from oil spills; air pollution; waste management | government water control projects drained most of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable population of Marsh Arabs, who inhabited these areas for thousands of years, has been displaced; furthermore, the destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife populations; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil degradation (salination) and erosion; desertification; military and industrial infrastructure has released heavy metals and other hazardous substances into the air, soil, and groundwater; major sources of environmental damage are effluents from oil refineries, factory and sewage discharges into rivers, fertilizer and chemical contamination of the soil, and industrial air pollution in urban areas |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Environmental Modification |
| Geography - note | Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the world without a river; extensive coastlines on the Persian Gulf and Red Sea allow for considerable shipping (especially of crude oil) through the Persian Gulf and Suez Canal | strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian Gulf |
| Total renewable water resources | 2.4 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 89.86 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | historically a population that was mostly nomadic or semi-nomadic, the Saudi population has become more settled since petroleum was discovered in the 1930s; most of the economic activities - and with it the country's population - is concentrated in a wide area across the middle of the peninsula, from Ad Dammam in the east, through Riyadh in the interior, to Mecca-Medina in the west near the Red Sea | population is concentrated in the north, center, and eastern parts of the country, with many of the larger urban agglomerations found along extensive parts of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; much of the western and southern areas are either lightly populated or uninhabited |
Source: CIA Factbook
