According to COUNTRYAAH, Saudi Arabia is a State of Southwest Asia (2,149,690 km²). Capital: Riyadh. Administrative division: provinces (13). Population: 30.770.375 residents (2014 estimate). Language: Arabic. Religion: Muslims (Sunni 93.3%, Shiites 3.4%), Christians 2.9%, others 0.4%. Monetary unit: riyal (100 halalah). Human Development Index: 0.836 (34th place). Borders: Jordan and Iraq (N), Kuwait (NE), Persian Gulf (E), Qatar and United Arab Emirates (SE), Oman and Yemen (S), Red Sea (W). Member of: GCC, Arab League, OCI, UN, OPEC and WTO.
Geography
The Saudi territory, although relatively varied, has its own unity which finds reason in the particular geological structure of the Arabian Peninsula, substantially formed by vast plateaus resting on a rigid crystalline substratum, a basal fragment of the Asian continent once welded to Africa. The west coast is bordered by reliefs that descend to the Red Sea with a steep escarpment, while towards the interior they extend to form vast plateaus made up of Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic formations, broken by successive steps; in the most depressed parts the Cenozoic formations are subjected to recent sediments, including vast sandy covers, such as those that form the Rubʽal Khali desert. The rich accumulations of oil in the eastern section of the country (Al Hasa region, etc.) are due to the fact that the sedimentary formations have not undergone significant deformations. Given the aridity there are no real rivers, but only uidians which, according to the general inclination of the plateaus, plow the territory from W to E; they are accompanied by numerous aquifers, which especially in the middle section of the country, the Neged, give rise to important oases, such as that of Riyadh. Climatically, Saudi Arabia is characterized by a marked aridity, with very high temperatures (average values in the capital of 34 ºC in the hottest month and 24 ºC in the coldest). The thermal excursions are sensitive in the interior, of little prominence along the coasts which have a high humidity. Precipitation occurs mainly in a short season (wasm) from October to November; they are very weak and do not exceed 100 mm per year in most of the country, a value that increases up to 200-250 mm in the western hills.
- Abbreviation Finder: Check to see national geography, brief history, society description, domestic politics, economy overview, and a list of widely used acronyms about Saudi Arabia.
Optimal travel time for the regions
In the following overview you can see the best travel time depending on the region (Saudi Arabia).
| Place | Best travel time |
| Mecca | January, February, March and December |
| Yanbu | January, February, March, April, November and December |
| Damam | March, April and November |
Temperatures, precipitation, sunshine in Mecca (Saudi Arabia)
| Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Daytime temperature | 30 ° C | 32 ° C | 35 ° C | 38 ° C | 42 ° C | 44 ° C | 43 ° C | 43 ° C | 43 ° C | 40 ° C | 35 ° C | 31 ° C |
| Night temperature | 18 ° C | 18 ° C | 21 ° C | 24 ° C | 27 ° C | 28 ° C | 29 ° C | 29 ° C | 28 ° C | 25 ° C | 23 ° C | 20 ° C |
| Precipitation in mm | 5 | 2 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 27 |
| Hours of sunshine | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Sunrise | 7:00 | 6:50 | 6:30 | 6:00 | 5:40 | 5:40 | 5:45 | 6:00 | 6:05 | 6:15 | 6:30 | 6:50 |
| Sunset | 18:00 | 18:20 | 18:30 | 18:40 | 18:50 | 19:05 | 19:05 | 18:50 | 18:25 | 17:55 | 17:40 | 17:40 |
Temperatures
The annual average temperature in Mecca is 30.4 ° C. For comparison: Munich reaches an average of 8.6 ° C, in Berlin it is 9.6 ° C. The warmest month is June (35.6 ° C), coldest month of January with mean values of 23.6 ° C.
Precipitation
The annual precipitation is 76 mm. For comparison: In Munich, 967 mm, in Berlin 570 mm, precipitation is measured annually. There is no rainy season, i.e. months with more than 175 mm of precipitation. You cannot expect snow in any month in Mecca.
Sunshine
As our climate table shows, June is the sunniest month with an average of 10.7 hours of sunshine per day. On average over the year, the sun shines 9.3 hours per day. For comparison: In Munich and Berlin, the sun shines an average of 4.7 hours per day throughout the year.
Cities nearby
The following major towns are nearby and have a similar climate: Jeddah and Ta’if.
