Why did Saudi Arabia build its capital in the desert?

Saudi Arabia, with an area of ​​about 2.25 million square kilometers, is the largest country in the Middle East and the twelfth largest country in the world. With such a large area, why is Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, built in a desert area? Let's take a look from multiple perspectives, including geography, history, and oil.

【Geographic Center】

Saudi Arabia is located in the middle of the Arabian Peninsula, bordering the Persian Gulf to the east and the Red Sea to the west. Most of Saudi Arabia is desert, with an average annual rainfall of less than 200 mm. The daytime temperature in summer is around 45°C, and the highest temperature can reach over 50°C.

The main reason why there are many deserts in the Arabian Peninsula is that the terrain is flat and there are no high mountains. Mountains and hills can block sunlight and effectively reduce water evaporation. Unlike lowlands, mountains can form snow, which melts and gathers into ditches and streams to form rivers. The Yangtze River, Yellow River, Mekong River, Yarlung Zangbo River, Indus River and other rivers originating in my country have benefited greatly from the melting of ice and snow.

There are many mountains in Asia over 6,000 meters, and many mountains in Africa and America over 5,000 meters. The highest peak in the European Alps is Mont Blanc, with an altitude of 4,810 meters. The Danube, Rhine, Po, Rhone and other rivers all originate in the Alps.

The highest peak in the Arabian Peninsula is Hadur Shuaib in the southern part of the Hijaz Mountains, with an altitude of 3,760 meters. However, this mountain is located in the southwest corner of the Arabian Peninsula, in Yemen. The central part of the Arabian Peninsula is generally a large plain of about 3 million square kilometers.

Saudi Arabia has seven land neighbors: Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait to the north, Yemen and Oman to the south, and Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to the east. Its maritime neighbors include Iran to the east and Egypt to the west. The island nation of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf is connected to Saudi Arabia through the King Fahd Bridge.

Saudi Arabia is separated from Jordan by the Nefud Desert to the north, from Iraq and Kuwait by the Hijara Desert, from Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen to the east and south by the Rub' al-Khali Desert, and in the middle by the Dehna Desert. These deserts in Saudi Arabia are connected together and are collectively called the Arabian Desert, covering an area of ​​about 2.33 million square kilometers, second only to the Sahara Desert in the world.

The region with the best natural conditions and the most abundant water resources in the Arabian Peninsula is the Mesopotamian River Basin occupied by Iraq. Unfortunately, the Hijara Desert separates Saudi Arabia from that Feng Shui treasure land. The best natural conditions in Saudi Arabia are the Arabian Plateau and the Hijaz Mountains along the western Red Sea coast.

Saudi Arabia occupies the Arabian Plateau and the northern part of the Hijaz Mountains. Both mountains run from north to south. Between the mountains and the Red Sea is the Red Sea coastal plain. This is a sandy coastal plain, about 419 kilometers long from north to south, and only about 60 kilometers wide from east to west. Many lagoons and swamps are formed from the Arabian Plateau and the Hijaz Mountains, which have become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, malaria and bacteria. This place does not even have a decent river. It is not suitable for human habitation in many countries, but it is a treasure land in Saudi Arabia.

【Historical Core】

The ancient Kingdom of Hejaz, which covers the Arabian Plateau and the northern part of the Hejaz Mountains, is a narrow country on the west coast of the Red Sea. Hejaz is also known as Hejaz, which means "barrier" in Arabic. The territory controlled by the Kingdom of Hejaz is the best place in Saudi Arabia today. Mecca and Medina, the birthplace of Islam, are both here. Both places are holy places for Arabs. Medina was once the capital of the Arab Empire. From a geographical and historical perspective, Mecca or Medina are suitable as the capital of Saudi Arabia. Why was the capital later settled in Riyadh in the desert?

In the past, there were many tribes on the Arabian Peninsula. Even during the Arab Empire, the east and west coasts of the Arabian Peninsula were often not ruled by the same power. Shortly before World War II, a tribe in the Dahna Desert in the central Arabian Peninsula, with the support of Britain, eliminated the Hejaz Kingdom and other large and small tribes, laying the foundation for the modern Saudi Arabia. The chief of this tribe was named Saudi, which is the origin of the country's name.

After Saudi Arabia's territory expanded significantly, they did not abandon their ancestral homeland and still established their capital in Riyadh in the desert. From a geographical point of view, Riyadh is located in the central part of Saudi Arabia, in the Dehna Desert on the east side of the Arabian Plateau, which is considered the geographical center of Saudi Arabia. If the capital is located on the coast of the Red Sea, it will feel that the west is heavy and the east is light, and it will be difficult to govern the Persian Gulf in the east.

Saudi Arabia has a population of about 34.81 million, of which Saudi citizens account for about 62%. The population of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, exceeds 8 million. In the past, Riyadh was an oasis in the Dehna Desert, relying on seasonal streams from the Arabian Plateau to the west for survival. Today, Riyadh is a metropolis in the desert, not only the largest city in Saudi Arabia, but also the largest city in the Arabian Peninsula.

In 1952, the population of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, was only 80,000. It took only more than 60 years for the population to increase from 80,000 to 8 million.

Saudi Arabia's second, third and fourth largest cities are all located on the west coast of the Red Sea, namely Jeddah, Mecca and Medina. The total population of the three cities is equivalent to that of Riyadh.

Oil support

Riyadh lacks water, and without huge capital investment, the population cannot grow so fast. When Saudi Arabia needed to develop its capital, God sent oil to Saudi Arabia.

In 1938, the California Standard Oil Company discovered the first oil field, and oil companies such as Texas Oil Company, New Jersey Standard Oil Company, and New York Standard Oil Company rushed to the country. The United States built a military base in Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Arabia purchased American weapons and equipment to ensure national defense security. This model continues to this day.

Riyadh is located deep in the desert, where drinking water is more expensive than oil. What supports the city's anti-natural development is Saudi Arabia's huge oil exports.

Oil is the lifeblood of Saudi Arabia, with proven crude oil reserves of 36.35 billion tons, accounting for 16% of the world's reserves, ranking second in the world. Natural gas reserves are 8.2 trillion cubic meters, ranking sixth in the world.

Saudi Arabia's oil is mainly concentrated along the Persian Gulf coast, far from Saudi Arabia's population centers. A city is needed to centrally manage the oil in the Persian Gulf, so the oil city of Dammam was born. It is the fifth most populous city in Saudi Arabia and the largest port in the Persian Gulf.

Before Saudi Arabia exported oil, Riyadh was the capital because it was the birthplace of the Saudi family and because it was the geographical center, which made it convenient to manage the vast territory. After Saudi Arabia exported a large amount of oil, it had strong financial support, which made Riyadh leap from a small town to an international metropolis.

Source: Map Emperor