Map of Saudi Arabia Location : Occupying four-fifths of the Arabian peninsula, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the Middle East. In south-western Asia, the country is at the crossroads of three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa. On the west it is bordered by the Red Sea and on the east by the Arabian Gulf. To the south there are borders with Yemen and the Sultanate of Oman. To the east lie the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and the island state of Bahrain. In the north Saudi Arabia has borders with Kuwait, Iraq and Jordan. The country's area is estimated to be some 2,331,000 sq km (900,000 sq mi). Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen Geographic coordinates: 25 00 N, 45 00 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 1,960,582 sq km land: 1,960,582 sq km water: 0 sq km Area comparative: slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US Land boundaries: total: 4,415 km border countries: Iraq 814 km, Jordan 728 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman 676 km, Qatar 60 km, UAE 457 km, Yemen 1,458 km Coastline: 2,640 km Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: not specified territorial sea: 12 nm Climate: harsh, dry desert with great extremes of temperature Terrain: mostly uninhabited, sandy desert Elevation extremes: lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper Land use: arable land: 2% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 56% forests and woodland: 1% other: 41% (1993 est.) Irrigated land: 4,350 sq km (1993 est.) Natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms 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 Geography - note: extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal