Saudi Arabia
Practical guide
Saudi Arabia is in Western Asia. It has 36,973,555 inhabitants across 2,149,690 km². It borders 7 countries. Its capital is Riyadh. People speak Arabic and the currency is the Saudi Riyal (SAR). Ezplora has pages for 22 of its cities, with month-by-month climate and the distances between them.
- Capital
- Riyadh
- Population
- 36,973,555
- Area
- 2,149,690 km²
- Currency
- Saudi Riyal · SAR
- Languages
- Arabic
- Time zone
- Asia/Riyadh
- Dialling code
- +966
- Domain
- .sa
When to go to Saudi Arabia
The best months to visit Riyadh are February, March and November. In Riyadh, daytime highs go from 19° in January to 42° in July. The wettest month is March (37 mm) and the driest is June (0 mm). It rains little all year round. From May to October, highs go above 33°.
Weather in Riyadh month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| high | 19° | 22° | 26° | 32° | 38° | 41° | 42° | 42° | 39° | 34° | 27° | 21° |
| low | 9° | 12° | 15° | 20° | 26° | 28° | 30° | 30° | 26° | 21° | 16° | 11° |
| rain | 13 mm | 7 mm | 37 mm | 32 mm | 11 mm | 0 mm | 0 mm | 1 mm | 0 mm | 2 mm | 7 mm | 13 mm |
1970–2000 normals (WorldClim 2.1). Monthly rainfall total.
Cities in Saudi Arabia
- Riyadhcapital · 611 m
- Jeddahsea level
- Mecca303 m
- Medina609 m
- Dammamsea level
- Sultanah602 m
- Buraydah605 m
- Taif1,671 m
- Tabuk768 m
- Hail1,000 m
- Najran1,305 m
- Al-Kharj441 m
- Khamis Mushait1,992 m
- Hofuf157 m
- Al-Mubarraz151 m
- Hafar al-Batin308 m
- Jubailsea level
- Sabya37 m
- Abha2,224 m
- Yanbusea level
- Unaizah689 m
- Khobarsea level
Distances in Saudi Arabia
- Riyadh → Jeddah949 km 1 h 47 min · 10 h 25 min
- Riyadh → Mecca872 km 1 h 43 min · 9 h 33 min
- Riyadh → Medina839 km 1 h 38 min · 7 h 51 min
- Riyadh → Dammam408 km 1 h 14 min · 3 h 56 min
- Riyadh → Sultanah839 km 1 h 38 min · 7 h 48 min
- Riyadh → Buraydah355 km 1 h 9 min · 3 h 23 min
1 h 47 min · 
10 h 25 minNeighboring countries
- 🇮🇶 IraqBaghdad
- 🇯🇴 JordanAmman
- 🇰🇼 KuwaitKuwait City
- 🇴🇲 OmanMuscat
- 🇶🇦 QatarDoha
- 🇦🇪 United Arab EmiratesAbu Dhabi
- 🇾🇪 YemenSana'a
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Saudi Arabia?
The capital of Saudi Arabia is Riyadh.
What currency is used in Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia uses the Saudi Riyal (SAR).
What language is spoken in Saudi Arabia?
In Saudi Arabia, people speak Arabic.
When is the best time to visit Saudi Arabia?
The best months to visit Riyadh are February, March and November. In Riyadh, daytime highs go from 19° in January to 42° in July. The wettest month is March (37 mm) and the driest is June (0 mm). It rains little all year round. From May to October, highs go above 33°.
Data from Banco Mundial, GeoNames and WorldClim. Photo from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).