Riyadh or Al-Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. The current form of the metropolis largely emerged in the 1950s as an offshoot of the 18th century walled town following the dismantling of its defensive fortifications.
Saudia, formerly known as Saudi Arabian Airlines, is the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, based in Jeddah. The airline's main hubs are the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the latter of which it plans to move out of by 2030.
King Khalid International Airport is an international airport located about 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, designed by the architectural firm HOK. Arabian Bechtel Company Limited served as the construction manager on behalf of the Saudi government.
Dammam is the capital of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. With a population of 1,532,300 as of 2022, Dammam is the kingdom's fourth-most populous city after Riyadh, Jeddah, and Mecca. Dammam constitutes the core of the Dammam metropolitan area, also known as the Greater Dammam area, which comprises the 'Triplet Cities' of Dammam, Dhahran, and Khobar. The region is closely linked to the city through social, economic, and cultural ties. As of 2022, the Dammam metropolitan area's population was 2,743,318.
King Abdulaziz International Airport, is a major international airport serving the cities of Jeddah and Mecca in Saudi Arabia, located 19 kilometres (12 mi) north of Jeddah and covering an area of 112 square kilometres (43 sq mi). The airport is the busiest in the kingdom and the third-largest by land area. It is also one of the busiest airports in the Middle East. Opened in 1981, it was built to replace the now-demolished Kandara Airport and is named after the founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz.
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is King of Saudi Arabia, reigning since 2015, and was also Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2022. The 25th son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia, he assumed the throne on 23 January 2015. Prior to his accession, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 18 June 2012 to 23 January 2015. Salman is the third oldest living head of state, the oldest living monarch, and Saudi Arabia's first head of state born after the unification of Saudi Arabia. He has a reported personal wealth of at least $18 billion, which makes him the third wealthiest royal in the world.
Saudi Arabia is the second biggest tourist destination in the Middle East with over 16 million visiting in 2017. Although most tourism in Saudi Arabia still largely involves religious pilgrimages, there is growth in the leisure tourism sector. As the tourism sector has been largely boosted lately, the sector is expected to a significant industry for Saudi Arabia, reducing its dependence on oil revenues. This is proved as tourism sector is expected to generate $25 billion in 2019. Potential tourist areas include the Hijaz and Sarawat Mountains, Red Sea diving and a number of ancient ruins.
The Riyadh Metro is a rapid transit system serving Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Part of the King Abdulaziz Project for Riyadh Public Transport, it is the longest driverless metro in the world.
Saudi Vision 2030 is a government program launched by Saudi Arabia which aims to achieve the goal of increased diversification economically, socially, and culturally, in line with the vision of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. It was first announced on 25 April 2016 by the Saudi government.
The General Entertainment Authority (GEA) (Arabic: الهيئة العامة للترفيه, romanized: Al-Hayʾah al-ʿĀmmah li-t-Tarfīh), formerly the General Authority for Entertainment (GAE), is a government department in Saudi Arabia that regulates the entertainment industry of the country. Established in May 2016 through a royal decree by King Salman, it is responsible for the development, advancement and expansion of Saudi Arabia's growing entertainment sector.
Neom is an urban area being built by Saudi Arabia in Tabuk Province. Launched in 2017 by crown prince Mohammad bin Salman, the site is at the northern tip of the Red Sea, due east of Egypt across the Gulf of Aqaba and south of Jordan. The total planned area of Neom is 26,500 km2 (10,200 sq mi). Multiple regions are planned, including a floating industrial complex, global trade hub, tourist resorts, and a linear city powered by renewable energy sources. Saudi Arabia claimed that NEOM would create around 460,000 jobs and add an estimated $48 billion to the country's GDP. Thousands of people have been forcibly moved to make way for the project and villages have been razed.
The Red Sea Project, simply referred to as The Red Sea, is a tourism megaproject under construction in the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. The project, which is developed by Public Investment Fund-owned Red Sea Global, forms part of the Saudi Vision 2030 program. The project was announced by the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in July 2017.
Red Sea International Airport is an international airport in Hanak, Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia serving the tourism megaproject in development The Red Sea Project. Designed by British architects Foster + Partners, the airport began operations on September 21, 2023, and is expected to service one million passengers in 2030.
Riyadh Air is the second flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, based in Riyadh. The airline's main hub will be at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and will operate domestic and international scheduled flights to over 100 destinations in the Middle East and six continents. The fleet will consist of Airbus A321neo & Boeing 787 aircraft.
Riyadh Airports Company (RAC) (Arabic: شركة مطارات الرياض), or simply Riyadh Airports (Arabic: مطارات الرياض), is a state-owned airport management company and a subsidiary of Matarat Holding that operates and provides aviation related services to the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was established in 2015 by the country's General Authority of Civil Aviation as part of the government's strategy to privatize nationwide publicly owned assets amid falling oil prices.
New Murabba is a planned mixed-use real estate development in northwestern Riyadh and easternmost Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. It was announced in February 2023 by Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman as the world's largest modern downtown project. Named after Riyadh's al-Murabba neighborhood, it is part of Saudi Vision 2030 and would contain the Mukaab, a 400-meters tall cuboid skyscraper. It will be the world's second climate-controlled indoor city, after the Mohammed Bin Rashid City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Red Sea Global, previously known as The Red Sea Development Company, is a real estate development company based in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The company was founded in July 2017 by the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, and is owned by the Public Investment Fund. As one of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 goals, Red Sea Global aims to diversify the Saudi economy away from fossil fuels by contributing to the growth of its tourism sector.
King Salman International Stadium is a planned multi-purpose stadium with extensive sports facilities and capability of hosting world-class events, which would be the largest within King Abdulaziz Park Project in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia the Middle East. One of the 2034 FIFA World Cup stadiums, the stadium is planned to have a capacity of 92,000 people which would host the opening and final.
